If you asked me a year ago where I thought I’d be traveling to, I can’t say that Svalbard would have been on my list. To be fair, this is primarily because I didn’t really know this arctic gem even existed.

In my mind, the Arctic was the overarching name for a far-off frozen tundra that was equal parts barren and daunting. I pictured it to be an inaccessible landscape visited only by smarty-pants researchers, Santa Claus and fancy National Geographic photographers who ventured to the top of the world in order to give the rest of us proof that polar bears really do exist.

Fast-forward a year and I am now an expert in polar travel and have seen polar bears in the wild. Life is wild, my friends.

When it comes to my experience while traveling through the Arctic, I don’t quite know where to begin (dare I say that I’m speechless). From the chilly glacial landscape to the walruses lazily sunbathing their massive 2,000 pound bodies on the ice, it was phenomenal through and through.

the logistics

I had the privilege of sailing aboard the Ocean Adventurer, a ship operated by Quark Expeditions, a fantastic company that specializes in polar travel. Seeing as this was a work trip, the ultimate goal was to experience the region in all its glory and familiarize myself with the ship in order to accurately share my thoughts to both colleagues and clients. And to have the time of my life, that was on my list of things to do as well.

I flew from Seattle to Oslo (which was surprisingly very warm), then moseyed up to Longyearbyen in Svalbard (which was unsurprisingly very cold). From there, I hopped aboard my new home for the week, the Ocean Adventurer, and off we went into the Arctic abyss! One thing to keep in mind with expedition-style travel is that it is, in fact, an expedition. Traveling in such a remote region means that flexibility and adaptability are key; Mother Nature is a beautiful beast that can sometimes change your plans at a moments notice and you can count on wildlife to only appear as it pleases. As an expedition traveler you are a keen observer of the world, privy only to what nature wants to deliver to you, when she wants to. Luckily, Mother Nature was extraordinarily kind to us.

The weather was beautiful – I even napped on the deck in my parka under the warm-ish Arctic sun – and there were only two days that we couldn’t reach land or go on a zodiac cruise (zodiacs are the little boats that allow you to get up close and personal with the land). We were also honored by the presence of five (!!!) polar bears, a startling amount of breeding birds with fancy names I did not commit to memory, and my personal favorite – walruses. I LOVE THE WALRUSES. With their adorable chunky bodies splayed on the beach like enormous misplaced russet potatoes, how can you not love them?

a day in the arctic

As for the day-to-day, I was up each morning at 7am for breakfast, boarding a zodiac by 9, gazing lovingly at beautiful 2,000 pound potatoes at 10, back on the boat eating lunch at noon, cruising through ice-filled obstacle courses via zodiac at 2, scarfing down dinner at 6, getting pruney in the outdoor jacuzzi from 9pm-1am, and doing it all over again a few hours later.

It was perfect in every way.

Also, I 10/10 recommend getting in a hot jacuzzi while sailing past snow-capped mountains in the frigid nighttime air - it’s a fantastic use of time.

The trip also happened to coincide with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. While everyone was getting jazzed about 18 hours of sunshine back home, I was on top of the world under the mighty midnight sun that never dipped past the horizon. My solstice was spent exploring, followed by lazily soaking in a jacuzzi under the Arctic sunshine at 2am with a cold beer in hand and a pod of dolphins gracefully diving in and out of the water right beside our ship. Yes, that happened. I couldn’t have made it up if I tried.

The downfall of constant sun is that you truly lose track of time. When it gets dark, your body typically sends the “wrap it up we, time for bed” memo to the brain, and your brain says “thanks, that was a solid idea, glad we’re asleep.” That memo definitely does not get received in the Arctic; I would find myself walking around the ship at 3 in the morning perfectly awake. It’s a strange feeling that gives me a new found appreciate for the nighttime.

I also had the chance to get very up close and personal with the environment by plunging in the chilly waters of the Arctic Ocean. To be honest, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It mostly felt like 1,000 steely knives going into my chest at the same moment, followed by a full-body numbness, then a kick of adrenaline, and finally pure happiness. 10/10 recommend.

As far as trips-of-a-lifetime go, this takes a pretty high ranking in my book. If you are in search of a unique off-the-grid journey filled with jaw-dropping scenery and fantastic wildlife viewing, then I highly recommend meandering up to the top of the world. It is possible for any type of traveler - all you need is an adventurous spirit, a sprinkle of flexibility, and a whole lot of curiosity, and you are good to go! Plus, how can you resist the chance to see a polar bear!? (And walrus.)