Hey friends and family,

We're back! As promised, Perry brushed off the ol' WordPress skills and launched a snazzy new website at PeteandPerry.com. We're still importing and reformatting our older content, so if you see something that doesn't look quite right, please hit reply and let me know.

This week, we're starting our journey to Antarctica. That's right - the Antarctica, the end of the world, the "seventh" continent (though it's our fifth so far).

We have so much to share about Antarctica that it's hard to know where to start. Over the next couple of weeks, you'll find our personal experiences here in this newsletter and all the tactical details you need to make this trip happen for yourself over on our blog.

So how about we go find some penguins? 😁

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Perry's Travel Diary

Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

After Buenos Aires, we flew directly to Ushuaia, Argentina, a town so far south on the tip of Cape Horn that it proudly brands itself as "El Fin Del Mundo" - the End of the World.

There aren't many flight options to get to Ushuaia. We flew Aerolineas Argentinas.

We spent three days in Ushuaia preparing for the cruise and doing nothing at all interesting. (Don't worry - we explored Ushuaia's Tierra del Fuego National Park, part of the Patagonia region, on our return trip.)

Then it was finally here: embarkation day!

Embarking on the MV Ushuaia

The only other cruise Pete and I have taken was a large (3,000+ person) Carnival cruise through the Caribbean. I'll compare Carnival's embarkation process to flying through Newark, New Jersey's airport: hordes of people, most of whom are angry, shoved through the equivalent of human cattle chutes, and subjected to unnecessarily strict rules about carry-on baggage and liquids.

I was delighted to find that boarding our Antarctic cruise was the exact opposite, like flying through Rock Springs, Wyoming: everyone gathers in a room about the size of a double-wide trailer and passes through a very simple x-ray scanner. That's it. The agents did not care one bit about what was actually in our luggage, including the amount of alcohol and snacks we were bringing on board.

Our ship was the MV Ushuaia (not to be confused with Ushuaia, the town), operated by Antarpply Expeditions. The MV Ushuaia used to be a research ship for NOAA and has since been converted into a tourist cruise ship.

Our Stateroom

Check-in occurred at the ship's bar. We were delighted to learn we had been upgraded. I booked us the cheapest available room - twin bunk beds with a shared bathroom - but we ended up in a side-by-side twin room with a private bath.

If I needed another reminder that we weren't on a Carnival cruise (and apparently, I did), this was it. But despite the lack of luxurious decor, we had no complaints about this room or the ship. It was spotlessly clean and had everything we needed for the journey. (And had it been any nicer, we couldn't have afforded it!)

The ship also had a lounge with a bar, media room, dining room, and several outdoor decks. There were no other amenities.

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The Awful, No-Good Drake Passage

Preparing for the Journey

Before starting our expedition, I was aware that our cruise ship would have to pass through the Drake Passage. I was also aware that the Drake was infamous for having the worst sea conditions in the entire world.

Waves regularly reach heights of 30-40 feet. No, that's not a typo, and yes, we can now personally attest that those wave heights are real.

Despite this knowledge, I had not yet connected just how bad this journey was going to be.

We were gathered with the rest of the passengers and crew for the standard safety briefing and muster drill before we exited the Beagle Channel. The captain then gave a very non-standard speech.

He told us that on this same ship's last sailing less than two weeks prior, a passenger had decided to shower while the ship was in the Drake Passage. Unsurprisingly, she slipped - breaking her hip and suffering a violent concussion. The captain turned the entire ship around in order to get the woman back to Ushuaia for medical treatment, canceling everyone else's cruise in the process.

Never before has a group of 60+ people so quickly and unanimously agreed not to shower for 48 hours.

This isn't the only story of danger in the Drake. Not long after our cruise, another ship was struck by a rogue wave, resulting in the death of a passenger.

We were given a variety of other safety rules to follow. We were to maintain two points of contact on railings at all times when walking through hallways and stairways. We were to keep our fingers away from door frames and jams due to the risk of slamming. Stateroom doors would remain unlocked for our safety and access in an emergency. (I briefly worried about theft, but if someone did break into our room, it's not like they had anywhere to run.)

And above all else, there would be no showering until we reached the Antarctic Peninsula.

Despite this frightening introduction, we were given some good news: the weather forecast for our passage was, and this is a direct quote, "very good." Encouraging.

The Deceptive Beagle Channel

The Beagle Channel seemed to affirm the good news: we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and views of Ushuaia from the upper deck as we sailed away on the Beagle's calm waters.

This strait connects Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego with the waters of the Drake Passage. (Interesting fact: a Chilean pilot boards the ship to navigate the Beagle Channel rather than the regular captain.)

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The Worst Journey in the World

By midnight, we were in the Drake Passage, and there was no way to miss it. The ship groaned with each gigantic wave.

Our suitcases were rolling around in the closet, hammering on the doors. Our coats on the wall hooks swung like pendulums in a grandfather clock. An apple Pete snagged broke free and rolled across the floor like a ping-pong ball.

And we about rolled out of our beds. That was the second-worst part - you can't sleep when you're being woken up due to involuntary rolling.

The worst part was, of course, the nausea and vomiting.

Our expedition leader had the audacity to come over the morning intercom announcement and declare that it was a "lovely, calm day in the Drake Passage."

If this was calm, I didn't want to know what a regular passage was like. Lucky for me, we got to find out on the return when we encountered three storms in the Drake.

I was so ill for the next 1.5 days that I wasn't able to photograph or video anything that was occurring beyond the foot of my bed. Our fellow passenger and cruise ship friend, Dana, created this TikTok video about the experience that I highly recommend. I can attest that it is an accurate depiction and she wasn't acting when walking down the hallway. That was real life.

I've never encountered a ship - nor a boat, nor a kayak, nor a surfboard - that rocked as much as this ship in the Drake Passage. At the time, I was convinced that this was not worth it.

But now, looking back?

Yeah. It was worth it.

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On Our Blog

​How to Prepare For Motion Sickness in Antarctica and the Drake Passage​

A cruise to Antarctica via the Drake Passage – the most notoriously violent waters in the world – will turn even the strongest stomachs. You need to prepare for motion sickness in Antarctica before you depart home.

Motion sickness medications, home remedies, and avoidance strategies are worth researching before your cruise (or any travel), as you’ll probably need to be ready to treat motion sickness on the go. Some folks, Perry in particular, can get motion sickness easily when riding as a passenger in a vehicle, flying on planes, or at the very sight of a Ford Fiesta (not kidding). As a nurse, here are my thoughts on how to treat motion sickness and other tips to make it through the Drake.

Disclaimer: My articles are not and do not supersede medical advice. We provide this information for entertainment and planning purposes only. I recommend that you speak to your primary care provider (PCP), such as a physician, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, etc. Going to one of the most remote places in the world warrants a conversation with your PCP and your ship may require medical clearance. What follows is a simplified and brief selection of motion sickness remedies that we have used. There are many, many more. - Pete

Read More

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Itinerary

Cruise

We booked our Antarctic Cruise through Freestyle Adventure Travel and sailed with Antarpply Expeditions on the MV Ushuaia. We're working on a future article that details all your options for getting to Antarctica and what they cost - stay tuned!

Hotel

Prior to our cruise, we stayed at this Airbnb in Ushuaia for $50/night (fees included).

Food

Our food was provided by the cruise. We'll cover Ushuaia restaurants in a future newsletter.

Transportation

In Ushuaia, the town is so small that we walked everywhere. We easily hailed a local taxi at the Ushuaia airport to get to town. If you need a local bus, you can find a schedule and route using the Moovit app.

Currency

Our cruise ship used US Dollars as the official currency.

Ushuaia, Argentina uses the Argentine Peso. Here's how to get cash in Argentina.​

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Travel Tip of the Week

Our favorite suitcases

Despite the fact that they rolled around and made a ruckus in our closet during the Drake Passage, we're grateful to each have a carry-on-size roller bag for our travels. We have never once looked at our fellow backpackers and thought, "Wow! I really wish I could be carrying 50 lbs. of my stuff on my back like them!"

For our long-term travels, we had some pretty specific requirements for good luggage. Namely, our bags needed to have:

• Four rolling wheels for easy navigation down plane aisles
• An expansion zipper (for souvenirs, of course)
• Vibrant color options that stand out at baggage claim
• Hard sides (a personal preference, but we think it keeps things neat)
• Durable materials (read: handles and wheels that don't break on uneven roads)

For a budget-friendly option, we like Amazon Basics' 21-inch hardside spinner. Both Pete and I have one.

That said, I really do love my Samsonite SpinTech 3.0 (newer version available here) and think it's worth the extra money. Thanks to its smaller wheels, the carry-on spinner has about an inch of extra space compared to the Amazon Basics bag, which makes a huge difference in what I can pack. It's possible to order replacement parts through Samsonite's warranty service, and their customer service agents are super helpful. We love good customer service!

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Are you excited to hear more about Antarctica? Hit reply and let us know!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, we’d love it if you would share us with your friends.

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All our love,

Pete and Perry