No experience sailing. No contacts or leads. No knowledge on how people get to the least traveled continent. I cannot count how many people told me how hard and even impossible it is to find a free ride to Antarctica. I am a person that simply believes that anything is possible. I smiled at any doubters and told them I would find a way.
This blog post will outline how I found a free ride. This is not the only way. There are multiple ways to experience success in anything you do. So take this as advice as one way to do this. I hope it helps.
1. Decide 100% you will go.
Write this goal down with the reasons you want to go, and what you will experience if you do not reach your goal. Read it multiple times in the days, months or years leading up to the moment you leave.
2. Timing is everything.
November through March. Every year. These are summer months, and the only possible months to travel. Trips generally last three weeks on supply ships and private and charter boats. Cruise ships trips vary from a week to several weeks.
3. Decide how you want to travel.
You can find a free ride by working for one of many companies or private charters. Your main options are: private charter (sailing yacht), private boat (sailing yacht), cruise ship, supply ship and airplane.
The difficulty varies depending on where you want to go.
If you fly, you will fly to King George Island, the most touristic location that is not really considered Antarctica but the Shetland Islands.
If you work on a cruise ship, you will be on the ship the vast majority of the time, working with organized schedules and catering to an older generation. You will see much more of the Antarctic Peninsula and may step off the boat to take a small hike.
If you work on a supply ship, you will be lucky to look out a porthole window every now and again while working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will likely not step off the boat.
If you work on a private or charter boat, you will have an intimate experience on many levels. You can explore places no other option can offer. You can get on and off the boat many times.
After learning about these options, it was clear to me I wanted to find work on a private or charter sailing yacht.
4. Travel to Ushuaia, Argentina and/or Puerto Williams, Chile.
Every cruise ship, private charter and boat leaves from Ushuaia or Puerto Williams. These towns have docks where all the boats stay up to a week to prepare before beginning their journey.
If you decide to fly, go to Punta Arenas, Chile. Visit DAP office to make connections to talk to a manager or anyone that is important and explain you want to exchange work for a free flight.
5. Introduce yourself to Everyone
This may be scary for some people, but it is necessary. You must introduce yourself to all the captains, managers of cruise ships and anyone who makes decisions with whether or not to hire you. Since I was determined to get on a yacht, I went to the dock at Puerto Williams and Ushuaia to talk to all the captains present.
How? I knocked on their deck. I climbed onto their boat from the dock, stood on their deck, knocked three times, and waited for someone to come outside. At this point, I simply introduced myself and asked them where they were planning to sail. I told them I planned to sail to Antarctica and I was looking to crew (work on the boat). The answer I heard from almost everyone was 'no.' I did not hear this 'no' but rather I viewed it as a numbers game. The more people I asked, the closer I would get to a 'yes.' This may be hard for you, as getting rejected is not very fun. But you must be persistent and realize their 'no' is not personal.
Since boats prepare for their trips for only several days before leaving again, this means there is movement between boats in the docks. So every couple days there are new people with whom to network. So keep going back every day! This also shows every person that sees you day after day that you are committed.
6. Be ready to go!
Sometimes a captain is in a hurry to hire a crew at the last minute. Maybe an injury, sickness or something random happens to a crew member and he is in a bind. If you are there and ready to go, you are in.
In my situation, I had a 'maybe' answer from a captain. I knew the date they planned to leave. They had two different crew members that were hoping would commit for the final spot before they could said 'yes' to me. They said they could not tell me until the day before they left, so I decided to be there, on the ground with my bags packed and a smile. Turns out the two others could not crew, and I was there. Smiling.
--Other miscellaneous tips that may help
Ask a captain for an exchange. Maybe you find other tourists that are willing to pay full price to fill their boat in exchange for a free ride. Then ask around at hostels or go to where people are entering tourist offices buying tickets on cruise ships.
Have a past manager send a recommendation letter to the captain's email address
Post flyers around Puerto Williams and Ushuaia
Be yourself!
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| Ushuaia Yacht Club |
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| Puerto Williams Yacht Club |
