Happy New Year friends!
The ephemerality of the 2023 holiday season felt more fleeting than usual this year, but alas, here we are back at our desks looking to the bright horizon of 2024.
Honestly, this time of year is never easy for me; the festive season is full of quality time with family and kindness among strangers and deadlines tied with a bow so that it makes it challenging to return back to reality. I’ve spent the past couple days reminding myself that any time of year can bring new beginnings but given the celebrations around the New Year, it’s a momentous time to start as any.
Here are a few prompts I found helpful in my venture to start the New Year on a positive, confident, energized and inspired page.
What's something you did, achieved or changed in 2023 that your past self would be proud of?
Is there a feeling you’d like to experience more in 2024? What are three ways you can achieve this?
What’s a limiting belief you want to leave behind in 2023?
What is a reigning quality from 2023 that helped support your journey of growth and happiness?
What quality will you continue to cultivate in 2024 to support your journey of growth and happiness?
Who do you want to spend more time with in 2024?
I didn’t have an immediate answer for many of these, which I think made for a better exercise as it really made me reflect on 2023 and anticipate the year ahead. Take an hour, a day, even the month, or don’t answer them and keep these questions in the back of your mind all year – that’s my inspiration for welcoming this bright horizon the right way.
… Back to travel!
Since writing about the best part of Antarctica from my November trip on Viking Polaris, I’ve received a couple specific questions about the trip; so I figured I’d address them. One of the recurring queries was about what, and how, to pack, which I’ll break down for you below, and the other FAQ was about life onboard, of which you can read a detailed recap in my review for Global Traveler.
I typically only travel with carry-on luggage so when I realized the amount of layers I’d have to pack for this trip, I’ll admit I was a bit wary. Yet, after careful organizing and research, I was able to pull off traveling to Antarctica with only carry-on baggage.
This was possible due to three main reasons:
For their polar itineraries, Viking provides every guest with an expedition jacket, which includes a waterproof outer shell and removable, zip-up layer. The jacket is waiting for you on the ship, as are a pair of waterproof pants and waterproof boots – immediately eliminating three bulky items. (The boots and pants are provided on a complimentary rental basis so you don’t take these home with you).
Viking offers rentable layers that are delivered straight to the ship. If you live in a warm region and don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars in new cold weather gear, this is an amazing option. They offer everything from gloves to base layers; I used this only for my middle layer, a fleece sort of material that fit over my long winter underwear and acted as a second barrier before adding my waterproof gear on top.
Since this is an expedition ship, the dress code is more relaxed than other cruise lines. There aren’t any black tie or formal nights, which meant I could transition casual day outfits into evening wear, sprucing them up with accessories. I mostly wore leggings with oversized turtlenecks and my “dressiest” outfits were a rotation of sweater dresses with tights. Viking also provides washers and dryers with detergent so I was able to wash outfits throughout my 10-day sailing.
As for what I wore on expeditions (actually getting off the ship onto the Antarctic continent), here is a photo of the multiple layers that took about 15 minutes to get on each time.
In case it is tricky to decipher the strewn clothes, my layers included:
2 pairs of socks (one thinner wool layer, one thicker)
2 pairs of gloves (one liner, one mittens) with hand warmers of course
A wool beanie
A buff (this really helped with the wind and on snowy days)
One moisture-wicking first layer (top and bottom)
A wool sweater for extra warmth
A middle layer of fleece that I rented (top and bottom)
Waterproof pants
Waterproof jacket and down layer
A personal flotation device (which was not inflated, but inflates automatically upon landing in water and is provided by Viking)
Waterproof boots
Sunglasses (I wish I brought ski goggles which would have stayed put better in the zodiacs and special operations boats).
Sunscreen and SPF lip balm
There were definitely a couple times when I felt overdressed, but it was challenging to find the balance. One day would be a blizzard and the next would offer sunshine and balmy temperatures – even on these days, though, there were chilling winds and the chance of getting splashed by the icy waters on boat rides to shore, so I always chose to layer up.
As previously mentioned, I kept my onboard attire quite casual. There’s absolutely no need to dress up – think cozy, ski chalet vibes – which helps reduce overpacking.
Here’s what I brought:
One sweatsuit – I wore this as my travel outfit but also throughout the ship
4 pairs of leggings – 2 everyday pairs, 2 workout pairs
2 base layer tops for expeditions
2 wool sweaters for expeditions
3 turtlenecks
2 sweater dresses
1 regular dress
1 pair of tights
6 pairs of socks – 3 pairs for expeditions, 3 pairs for working out
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of casual boots
2 pairs of sunglasses
1 black scarf that acts as a shawl (it’s always in my carry-on for warmth and to dress up an outfit)
1 down vest
Glove liners and mittens
2 buffs
1 wool hat
1 faux-fur trapper hat (I only wore this on the boat as the shedding fur isn’t great for the fragile environment - leave these items at home to save space!)
1 swimsuit for the outdoor heated pools and sauna/steam
Don’t forget the bras and undies!
*In hindsight, I would have packed a pair of slides or sandals I could wear with socks to slip on for the sauna or for grabbing a quick cup of coffee.
Gentlemen, my apologies that this list is completely useless for you but I’d recommend swapping out sweater dresses for one pair of slacks and two dress shirts. Add in a nice sweater and you’re golden.
I hope this helps and please keep the questions coming.
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