The “Don’t Forget” List for Antarctica

Packing for an Antarctica expedition can be a daunting task. You need to think about your time in South America, where it’s summer, and then think about all the layers you need in frigid Antarctica.

We have a great general Packing List that you can check out, but we wanted to dig a little deeper into what Antarctic travelers recommend or have told us they wish they had brought.

The Freestyle Team has shared their top “Must Have” items in Antarctica.

Sarah: Ship shoes! Comfortable closed toed shoes or slippers to wear around the ship during downtime and lectures.

Gabriel: A thermal coffee mug! It’s great to have a coffee mug with a top so you can take it outside and sip your coffee or tea without it getting cold in 30 seconds

Carolina: Sunscreen, chapstick & sunglasses! Although you are not going to the Caribbean, the sun can be very strong in Antarctica, and the snow reflects it from every direction. If you have a bluebird day, you might get sunburned!

Yesica: A plastic phone case! These cases that go around your neck protect your smartphone while on zodiacs from water or from falling in! And also bring something for downtime – a good book, a deck of cards or a journal!

A few more recommendations from Freestyle travelers:

Buy your postcards in Ushuaia and write them when you have down time on the ship! Then, when you visit a base with a post office, you are ready to mail them.
Warm, high socks! Toes can get cold on the zodiacs!
Extra batteries and memory sticks for your camera
Converters for all your electronics
Sea sickness patch!
Binoculars