We often get questions from passengers about what it's like to travel to Antarctica with kids, and how kids enjoy a polar expedition.
Kevin (10 years old) and Aimee (8 years old) live in the U.K. We asked these young explorers some questions about their recent family vacation to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions. Here's what they had to say:
Aimme and Kevin with their parents in Antarctica!
What Is So Unique About Antarctica?
Kevin; “Everything! Let me explain. In Antarctica, there is so much to see, and so many animals, like elephant seals, leopard seals, penguins, crab eater seals, whales and MANY, MANY more! There is also so much snow and ice everywhere that you feel like you're in an eternal winter wonderland! I love it! It's so unique, you can't even imagine how amazing it is!”
Aimee; “Antarctica is really unique because of the weather and the ice. The weather can change very fast - even faster than the U.K. and Canada so that's pretty fast. And the icebergs can be like all kinds of stuff and that's amazing. I saw one that looked like a whale and one that looked like a mansion and that's big!”
Why should we protect Antarctica?
Kevin; “YES, we should protect Antarctica! It's a perfect, beautiful place with animals which you will never see anywhere else in the world! Also, there is so much ice there that if it melted, the world could flood!”
Aimee; “We have to protect Antarctica. It's so beautiful and there are lots of animals like penguins and whales, and killer whales; all cool animals that you don't see lots of.”
What should we do to protect Antarctica?
Kevin; “We should stop climate change. Also, which we already have done, we should ban hunting in Antarctica. We also need to make sure if anybody is doing any kind of science in Antarctica, they need to make sure they are not harming either the environment or any kind of animal species. We are also not allowed to take anything with us, or leave anything else other than footprints.”
Aimee; “We cannot kill animals and I think that will help Antarctica and the animals. So they can live a perfect life, so we can be good buddies with those animals and they can be good buddies with us. That will make us and the world happy.”
Do you have any favorite polar explorer?
Kevin; “Ernest Shackleton was a great explorer. Eventually in his life he got a boat and crew and set off to Antarctica to be the first one to reach the exact bottom of the world. He wasn't just having a nice little stroll to Antarctica, but Shackleton's boat got stuck in ice and crushed. So, Shackleton decided to make the caring choice. Shackleton abandoned the “South Pole mission” and took some men in a makeshift boat to find help, leaving the others behind. They did find supplies from the boat before it got crushed. Meanwhile Shackleton found a whaling station and asked for help, which he got. Shackleton rescued his crew and went home.”
Aimee; “Yes, luckily he was close to land. They were really cold. It was winter and they had to eat penguin meat and they had to do that for a long time and there was no internet. They had no one to save them. It was cold and they only had some clothes to wear and no hot cocoa and no coffee machine. It took them two winters to make the boat so they packed up food. It was a long journey home, when they returned they all hugged their family.”
Why is Antarctica fun for kids?
Kevin; “Antarctica is fun for kids because it is beautiful. Plus, there are animals that kids might find very cute. There are also some animals you might not see anywhere else in the world!”
Aimee; “Antarctica is fun for kids because of the snow. You play with the snow so that is great.”
What was your personal highlight?
Kevin; “My personal highlight was the penguins. This is because the penguins were small, cute and awesome.”
Aimee; “The best thing that happened in Antarctica is driving in the Zodiac and getting all wet!”
To learn more about what it's like to take a family expedition, or for more info on Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, contact a Polar Travel Adviser or sign up for our newsletter here.
