I can imagine that travelling to Antarctica might be on most people’s lists of things they want to do.

But what is it which makes someone actually book the trip, and which part of the Antarctic do they choose? For my part, there are a number of reasons why I have chosen to travel to the Ross sea region of the Antarctic.

The first is that I am in need of an adventure!

For those of you who already know me, you will understand the metaphor of my domain name, and will already know that the last few years have been tough.

For those of you who don’t know me, I may explain further over the coming months.

Regardless, my husband and I, together with our two daughters, have been pretty adventurous over the years; four-wheel driving to remote parts of Australia, going on sailing holidays and travelling to other not-so-well-frequented destinations. However, this hasn’t happened for a while.

And that leads me to the second reason. A trip to Antarctica was something about which Glen and I talked often. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Now, I am going for both of us. While he will not be with me in person, he will be with me in spirit.

Finally, I chose the Ross Sea region for my Antarctic adventure since, having decided to make the voyage, I wanted to take the route which I thought would be the most rewarding. The historical significance of this region, and the potentially extreme conditions, together with the prospect of being able to travel further south, all contributed to my decision. The fact that the journey starts in New Zealand was also relevant (to be explained in due course).

And so, on 8 February 2018, I will board a small Russian ship in Invercargill, bound for Antarctica!