Travel planning: Antarctica

Well I've done it. I've handed over the first of a lot of money for my next overseas adventure.

I bought a new laptop this week but I'm not sure that counts as a travel expense. However having excel again has meant a lot of playing around with budgets and researching costs.

Which in turn led me to make the decision to splurge quite a lot on a cruise to Antarctica.  It isn't cheap but wasn't as expensive as I imagined. I'm officially going now that I've put down a deposit to hold my space!

My plan now is to fly in one go from Auckland - Santiago - Buenos Aires - Ushuaia.  Thats about 34 hours of travel to make it to the southernmost city in the world.  Doing it without stopovers cuts out those little costs that add up to quite a bit - taxis to and from airports, accommodation, rushing to see sights in a few days. 

I've booked the last G Adventures cruise of the season on March 12th 2015. I like that I'll arrive into Ushuaia a few days before (don't want to miss the boat!) and get the only booked tour in right at the start leaving me months to meander up the continent.

Cost:
Bed in a 4 share cabin NZ $6099

The tour includes a warm jacket (to keep) and gum boots, all meals and all excursions.

They apparently aim for 2x excursions ashore or tours in the zodiacs each day but that's weather dependent. There are lectures on the region and wildlife to keep you entertained as well.

There is an option to do kayaking but it's an extra grand so I've opted not to.

Other costs I foresee are:
Any drinks (alcohol not included)
Tips (they recommend US$10-$15 per day)
Paying more than I would normally for travel insurance due to needing higher cover for medical evacuation from remote areas.
Renting waterproof pants
Accommodation amd other expenses in Ushuaia but I would've visited that city regardless.

I'm so excited about this trip. I can only imagine how amazing it will be to see icebergs,  wildlife like penguins etc. Not to mention all that knitting time on the trip over the Drake Passage if I'm not too sea sick!