Explore Antarctica with Girls LOVE Travel and Oceanwide Expeditions 🇦🇶🐧 over the New Year (2026-27)

Join us for a 11-day, 10-nights expedition to the 7th continent, where you can ring in the new year with penguins! Your adventure begins in Ushuaia, Argentina, aboard the m/v Plancius, an ice-strengthened vessel equipped for polar exploration. With a capacity of just 108 passengers, the Plancius offers an intimate experience as you discover the vast beauty of Antarctica and all it has to offer.

Click here to learn more about the expedition and our ship!

GLT first partnered with Oceanwide in 2018, beginning our journey to Antarctica with 1/2 of the ship's 115 passengers being GLTers!!  Since then, we’ve sent over 150 GLT members and their families on incredible adventures with Oceanwide. 

Oceanwide Expeditions has over 30 years of experience offering exceptional polar expedition cruises, making them the ideal choice for exploring the Arctic and Antarctic. Their self-owned fleet of ice-strengthened vessels ensures a safe and intimate experience.

These small ships allow for a more personal and immersive journey, aiming for twice-daily outings on land and at sea to get you closer to nature in one of the most surreal environments on Earth. Their short and direct sea routes ensure more shore time, and their activities cater to a wide range of fitness levels and experiences, making them accessible for both seasoned adventurers and first-time travelers.

As a responsible operator and member of AECO and IAATO, Oceanwide adheres to the highest environmental standards, ensuring sustainable travel practices in the polar regions. Their commitment to safety, sustainability, and providing a high-value, unforgettable experience makes Oceanwide the premier choice for anyone looking to explore the polar regions with a trusted, experienced operator.

Since a trip to Antarctica is a bucket-list adventure for many, we want to ensure you can experience this once-in-a-lifetime journey with your loved ones. Therefore our GLT-Oceanwide trips are open to all genders and ages, with a few guidelines to help make your journey as enjoyable as possible.

Oceanwide recommends that children be at least eight years old to join this journey, with the maximum age considered a child being 16. For families, we offer a 40% child discount for one child, provided there are at least two full-paying passengers in the same cabin. This discount applies to children aged three to 15 and is available only in certain cabin types on select voyages.

Regarding rooming, here are a few guidelines:

• Quad Rooms: Solo travelers must stay in quad rooms with participants of the same gender. If you're traveling as a group of four, you can book a quad room together.
• Twin/Triple Rooms: If you're traveling with a significant other (of the opposite gender) or family, you can choose to stay in a twin or triple room.

Long walks in Antarctica are designed for small groups of up to 24 passengers, accompanied by at least two expedition staff with experience in this terrain. These walks offer an immersive experience in the pristine polar landscape, requiring participants to be prepared for up to six hours of hiking on semi-rough, rocky and snowy terrain with notable elevation changes. 

While the pace will be steady and manageable, the conditions can be demanding and change quickly. A good level of fitness and willingness to walk for extended periods are essential. The total duration will vary depending on site conditions and explore the untouched expanses of the Antarctic wilderness. For those who prefer not to join the long hikes, alternative activities or shore landings will be available during this time. 

*Please note that while this is still an expedition voyage to Antarctica, there is no overnight camping or kayaking included on this trip. Please see our Basecamp trip if you would like an itinerary with more excursions included. 

The staff on board the ship have final say about the itinerary.  Girls LOVE Travel is not responsible for changes or alterations made by the staff as a result of things such as but not limited to: weather, ice, wildlife, and/or safety of the passengers on board.  All activities are complimentary and will be done in addition to the voyage when they are safely available.  

Verbiage direct from Oceanwide Expeditions: 

During this voyage, Oceanwide Expeditions will attempt landings that have rarely if ever been offered by Oceanwide Expeditions – or any other Antarctic cruise operator.  Flexibility is key during these thrilling expeditions. Since information about most of the landing sites is limited or unknown, this target itinerary can only mention scheduled landings and general information. All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. 

The on-board expedition leader will determine the final schedule and itinerary. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. 

- Arrivals: You MUST be in Ushuaia no later than one day before departure.  This is written into the agreement from Oceanwide Expeditions. Overnight accommodation for this night is not included in the trip. If you are able to come a day or two earlier I would encourage it. Reason being is that there are limited flights to / from Ushuaia. Last fall there were unexpected air strikes with Aerolinas Aregntinas Airlines which caused a lot of delays and delays = stress. We had one GLTer miss the trip entirely at the last minute due to flight cancelations. No one wants that! Also there tends to be some more discounts and options to use a lot less frequent flyer miles if you come a little early or stay a day or two after.  

- Departures: Oceanwide Expeditions encourages choosing departure flights on the last day no earlier than 1pm.  The ship will arrive back in Ushuaia and all will exit the boat after breakfast. If you have a flight out that same day, you can take the courtesy bus supplied by Oceanwide Expeditions to the airport. Since this is Antartica, there is a chance that weather might cause delays - which is why the company encourages that after-lunch flight time just in case.  

We have collected your non-refundable deposit to hold your spot. Payment plans for automatically set up for you already, however if you have any concerns regarding the plan, please let GLT know and we can work out an alternative plan that works for you.  

 - ALL payments must be paid in FULL no later than 75 days before the mandatory date of arrival. 

Important Dates: 

At time of booking: 20% non-refundable deposit to hold your spot  

Now-100 days before departure - will allow refund of any amount paid over the non-refundable deposit. 

99-76 days before departure - 50% of the package price will be able to be refunded. 

75 days-day of departure - package price is non-refundable in its entirety. No refunds will be given.

If you need to cancel for any reason at any time, please contact [email protected] right away! Unfortunately the deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

If the payment was made with a credit card, the refund amount issued will be the total original purchase price minus any credit card processing fees incurred by the company at the time of the transaction. These fees may include transaction fees, chargeback fees, or other related charges from the payment processor.

Additionally please note that no refunds will be given for weather cancelLations of any of the complimentary free add-on activities. 

This is Antarctica and part of this experience is the unpredictable weather. The staff on the ship are dedicated to do everything in their power and abilities so that you have a safe, and enjoyable experience!   You might get sea sick.  You might not camp or kayak or be able to get off the boat on certain days  - this is all a gamble due to the inconsistencies of Antarctica.   

Girls LOVE Travel and Oceanwide Expeditions are not responsible for the activities you are able to do, nor are we responsible for the weather conditions you might encounter.