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Antarctica is the ultimate bucket-list trip, and we're taking sixteen people with us.
You'll fly to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, and board the Ocean Explorer, one of the newest and best-looking ships in Antarctica, with Scandinavian cabins, private verandas, and a two-story library with floor-to-ceiling windows at the bow. After two days crossing the Drake Passage, you'll spend four days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands by Zodiac and on foot before making the two-day crossing back. This is where you'll see the penguin colonies and glaciers, watch for humpbacks surfacing, and take the Polar Plunge.
Here's what makes it a U30X trip rather than a cruise booking. Most other guests aboard arrive as couples, families, or retirees. We're bringing sixteen solo travelers in their 20s and 30s, plus a Trip Leader who sails the entire voyage with you, not someone who waves you off at the pier and meets you on the other side. You arrive with a crew.
We built it the way we build everything: small group, real community, honest terms.
Duration: 11 days, 10 nights
Price: 14,995 USD per person
Group size: 16 maximum · 10 minimum to operate
Start: Ushuaia, Argentina (USH). Arrive any time on Day 1.
Finish: Ushuaia, Argentina (USH). The ship docks between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. on the final day and disembarkation takes about an hour.
Airfare booking details will be sent after registration. Please wait to book your flight until you receive further instructions.
If you book after a scheduled installment date has passed, all installments then due are payable at the time of booking. Invoices and reminders go to the email on your booking as a courtesy, but it's your responsibility to pay by each due date. You can always pay early.
If a payment is late: your reservation may be treated as cancelled and the schedule below applies, unless you email bookings@under30experiences.com before the due date to talk it through. If you know in advance a date is going to be a problem, tell us early. Anything we can do is at our discretion and not guaranteed, but it's far easier to solve before the deadline than after.
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
All Under30Experiences trip prices are in USD.
This is for someone who has wanted Antarctica for a long time and is tired of it being a someday. It's for solo travelers who'd rather do the biggest trip of their life with a group than with strangers who are all there with someone else.
It is not a beach week. There are days at sea, the water gets rough, and the schedule bends to the weather. If you need certainty and a fixed itinerary, this will frustrate you. If the uncertainty sounds like part of the appeal, you're in the right place.
-Age requirement: 21+
-Group size: 16 max, 10 minimum to operate
-Physical rating: Moderate: see below
Moderate. You do not need to be an athlete. You do need to be steady on your feet and reasonably mobile.
What the trip actually asks of you:
You can opt out of any excursion, and plenty of people do on any given day. The ship is comfortable and there's always something happening aboard.
If you have a mobility issue, a chronic condition, or anything you're unsure about, talk to us before you book, while your deposit is still fully refundable. It's much easier to work through any questions now than once you're committed.
The operator requires a medical form from every passenger, due 90 days before departure. If something about your health is still up in the air, a surgery you're recovering from, a condition you're managing, tell us early so we can help you figure out the timing.
The Ocean Explorer is one of the newest and most beautiful ships operating in Antarctica, and she's a genuine highlight of this trip rather than just the way you get there.
Onboard: a two-story, light-filled library at the bow; the Explorer Lounge; an observation lounge and bar; multi-height outdoor viewing decks; a gym; a spa; sauna and jacuzzi; and a polar boutique. Cabins are Scandinavian in design, most with private verandas, and every one has a hair dryer and bathrobes.
Why ship size matters: the rules that protect Antarctica cap the number of people who can be ashore at one site to 100 at a time (guides don't count toward it). On a 500-guest ship, that means long rotations and a lot of time waiting your turn. On a ship this size, everyone who wants to go ashore gets ashore. When one group is on a landing, the rest are usually out on a Zodiac cruise, and then you swap, so you're not sitting on the ship waiting. This is the most underrated factor in choosing an Antarctic voyage, and it's a big reason we picked this vessel.
Travel connects us. Community keeps us connected.
This trip leans on that harder than any trip we've run. Sixteen people, a year of lead time, and a WhatsApp group that starts the day you book. Many of you will have been talking for months before you land in Ushuaia. People coordinate flights, meet up in Buenos Aires beforehand, and plan Patagonia extensions afterward.
During the expedition, your Trip Leader keeps the U30X group together, meals as a group, Zodiac assignments as a group, and the kind of open, supportive environment where people can actually be themselves. The ship's expedition crew runs the landings and the science; your Trip Leader runs the U30X experience.
Afterward you join a smaller circle inside our community: the travelers who've stood on the 7th continent with us. You're still part of the wider network of thousands of past travelers and the meetups that range from happy hours to hikes, but Antarctica puts you in the group that's done the big one. It's the first of the bucket-list expeditions we're building, and the people on this trip are the ones we'll be planning the next ones with.
More than 70% of our travelers come solo. They all leave with friends.
Expedition travel is not scheduled travel, and Antarctica is the clearest example of that on earth.
The Expedition Team reads the sea, ice, and weather each day and builds the plan around what is genuinely possible and safe. Landing sites and routes change constantly, excursions get cancelled, and stretches like the Lemaire Channel can fill with ice and turn impassable. That is normal, and it happens on every voyage.
No specific itinerary, landing site, or wildlife sighting can be guaranteed. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something. What we can tell you is that the team has been doing this since 1991 and is very good at finding the day that's actually available.
If we ever have to cancel the whole trip for reasons outside our control, a pandemic, a port closure, the vessel becoming unavailable, you're covered by our standard Forced Trip Suspension policy: 100% of what you paid as an Experience Credit toward a future trip. Note the difference from the minimum-group situation in the Cancellation Policy section below: if we can't hit 10 travelers, you get your money back; if a genuine emergency cancels a confirmed trip, you get full credit to travel with us later.
To arrange your transfers, we need your flight details at least 30 days before departure.
One night in Ushuaia. A mid-range hotel in town, with breakfast. The specific property is confirmed by the operator closer to departure, most often Hotel Las Lengas, Hotel Los Acebos, or Hotel Albatros. You'll share with your cabin roommate here too, unless you've booked a single room.
Nine nights aboard the Ocean Explorer. Every cabin has a private ensuite bathroom and a walk-out veranda, with beds set up as one double or two singles.
Everyone pays the same flat price. Your cabin will be a Veranda Stateroom or a Veranda Suite, assigned by us, the two are nearly identical in size and layout. About a third of the group will be in a Suite at no extra cost. Solo travelers are paired with someone of the same gender.
If you want your own cabin: Please let us know at booking and we'll try to arrange one for you. There are only a few, so they go first-come. If we can't get you a single, you can still have a cabin to yourself for an added charge on top of the trip price. We'll always tell you that number before anything is charged, and heads up, it's steep on a trip like this, so ask us early if a private room matters to you.
We will never charge you a single supplement because someone else cancelled or because the group splits unevenly. If we can't pair you inside the U30X group, you can share through the ship's room-share program, where you may be paired with another same gender guest from the wider ship at no extra cost, or take a single cabin at the single rate if you'd rather have the private space.
Want to guarantee a U30X roommate? Book early, ideally with a friend.
Travel insurance with a minimum of 200,000 USD in medical coverage is required to join this trip, and must include emergency evacuation and repatriation. You will be a long way from a hospital.
The operator provides emergency evacuation insurance as part of the voyage, but that does not replace your own policy, which covers medical treatment, repatriation, cancellation, interruption, and baggage.
On cancellation coverage: because your payments are substantial and largely non-refundable, we strongly recommend a policy with trip cancellation and interruption coverage, purchased at the time of your first payment. We don't refund payments your insurance may cover.
If you want protection for cancelling for reasons a standard policy won't cover, ask about a CFAR rider. These usually must be bought within 14 to 21 days of your first payment, and can't be added later.
Here are a few options that meet our minimum medical coverage requirements: Faye, Wanderwell, and World Nomads.
If you want CFAR coverage, buy your policy right after your first payment, and check the CFAR purchase window before you choose a provider. One catch to know: World Nomads can't be purchased more than 12 months before departure, so if you book early, it won't be available to you yet and CFAR through them won't be an option. Faye and Wanderwell can be purchased when you book.
Check your policy covers polar expedition travel. Some plans exclude it, or exclude specific activities like kayaking and camping. Read the exclusions before you buy, and if you're adding an adventure option, make sure it's covered.
Wanderwell donates at least one percent of your insurance purchase to Explore Austin, a sustainable youth outdoor education program, via 1% for the Planet, selected by Under30Experiences.
We receive a fee if you purchase products through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using our affiliate links. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
This trip does not use our standard 30-day policy. It's the single biggest difference between this trip and every other trip we run.
This trip requires us to commit cabin space and pay non-refundable money to the expedition operator more than a year before departure. That money does not come back to us, which means once it's committed, we can't return it to you.
Before October 13, 2026: fully refundable. Until that date, everything you've paid, including your deposit, is fully refundable, every dollar, no questions. We don't commit your money to the operator until the trip is confirmed, so until then you carry no risk.
On October 13, 2026 we will make the call. If we've hit 10 travelers, the trip is confirmed and your deposit is committed from that point. If we haven't, the trip doesn't run and everything comes back, deposit included.
Once the trip is confirmed, cancelling forfeits amounts on this schedule:
The percentages above show what you'd lose if you cancel at each stage. Once you cancel, you owe nothing further, no future installments, no extra charges.
Two things can reduce what you lose:
This is exactly why we require travel insurance, and why we push so hard on Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. A covered cancellation, illness, injury, a family emergency, gets reimbursed by your insurer. It does not get reimbursed by us. CFAR goes further, covering you even for reasons a standard policy won't. Buy the policy when you make your first payment, not later, because CFAR has a tight purchase window (more below).
This departure needs 10 travelers to operate.
If we don't reach 10, we will tell you no later than October 13, 2026, and you will receive a full refund of everything you've paid, deposit included.
We're asking you for a non-refundable 3,749 USD, so we owe you a promise in return: if the trip doesn't run, you get your money back.
If you can't travel, you can give your spot to another traveler, a name change, as long as the incoming traveler meets the same eligibility, medical, and passenger-form requirements. Timing:
After a name change, the incoming traveler takes over the booking as-is, including its place in the payment schedule.
If you can't go, this is the best way to avoid losing what you've paid.
How to do it: email bookings@under30experiences.com. Booking changes have to go through email so we have a record. A WhatsApp message or a DM doesn't count, and it's not done until we email you back to confirm.
Every Under30Experiences trip is accompanied by an experienced Trip Leader, and on this trip your Trip Leader sails the entire voyage with you, Ushuaia to Ushuaia, every day at sea.
Some group travel companies hand off at the pier and meet the group again on the other side. Ours doesn't.
Your Trip Leader isn't there to guide you around Antarctica, the ship's Expedition Team does that, and they're world-class at it. Your Trip Leader is there for the U30X group. They're your point person on board, the link between you and the ship's crew, and the one making sure the sixteen of you eat together, explore together, and look out for each other. If someone's having a rough day, your Trip Leader is the person they can turn to.
Like most of the group, your Trip Leader may be seeing Antarctica for the first time too. They're a U30X community leader, not a polar scientist. The expedition knowledge comes from the ship's team; your Trip Leader makes sure it's a U30X trip.
Tipping your Trip Leader: gratuities aren't mandatory, but if you're happy with the experience, 5–10 USD per person per day is customary and meaningful.
Tipping the ship's crew: at the end of the voyage it's customary to tip the expedition team and crew, and the operator suggests around 25 USD for each day on board, roughly 225 USD total. It's pooled and shared across the whole crew, so there's no need to tip anyone individually.
Please be eco-friendly!
The three things that actually matter:
Outerwear & Layers
On Board
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Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the last date of your trip, with blank pages available.
Make sure there's no damage to your passport. Water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing or torn pages, or a hole punch can all mean you're denied boarding.
US, Canadian, UK, EU, and Australian passport holders do not currently need a visa for tourist entry to Argentina. Requirements change and depend on your nationality, verify for your specific passport well in advance.
Antarctica itself has no immigration and requires no visa. You will not get a stamp for it. (Port Lockroy will stamp your passport as a souvenir, unofficially.)
A medical form is required for every passenger, due 90 days before departure. We'll send it to you along with everything else you need to complete before the trip, including your parka and boot sizing. Please fill it out honestly and completely. It matters more on an expedition than on almost any other trip, because medical help is limited once you leave Ushuaia.
The main requirement is mobility. You must be able to walk and to step into and out of a Zodiac unassisted. Mobility aids can't be accommodated ashore, for safety reasons. The operator handles medical clearance directly, and declines are rare. If one does happen, it's handled as a cancellation, which is exactly why we require insurance and push CFAR: a covered medical cancellation is reimbursed by your insurer, not forfeited. It's also why we ask you to talk to us and your doctor while your deposit is still fully refundable. That's precisely why we require insurance and urge you to consider CFAR coverage. In sympathetic cases we may offer Experience Credits at our discretion, though we can't guarantee it.
The Ocean Explorer carries a doctor and a medical facility, but it is a small clinic on a ship, not a hospital. The nearest real hospital is two days away across the Drake Passage. A serious medical event in Antarctica means an evacuation that is complex, slow, and weather-dependent.
If you have a condition that could deteriorate, talk to your doctor specifically about Antarctic expedition travel, not just travel in general, and do it before you book, while your money is still refundable.
Before you go:
Water aboard is safe to drink. Tap water in Ushuaia is also safe.
Most things on the trip are already included. That keeps your day-to-day spending low.
What you'll actually spend money on:
Most of this is gratuities: roughly 280 to 335 USD for the ship's crew and your Trip Leader combined. Add your lunch in Ushuaia plus a few snacks or drinks, and 400 to 600 USD covers most travelers. The boutique and spa go on your cabin account, so they don't change the cash you need.
Onboard purchases are charged to your cabin account and settled by credit card at the end of the voyage. There is no ATM on the ship.
In Argentina, the currency is the Argentine peso (ARS). Ushuaia has ATMs, but withdrawal limits are low and fees are high. Cards are widely accepted in town. Bring some USD in good condition, notes that are torn, marked, or faded can be difficult to exchange.
Tell your bank and credit card company you're traveling before you leave. Argentina and a shipboard merchant account are both excellent ways to trigger a fraud hold.
Basic Wi-Fi on one device is included, permitting email, browsing, social media, and voice apps. Premium packages for data-heavy use can be purchased aboard.
Set expectations low. Satellite connectivity at 63° south is subject to geography, weather, and factors nobody controls.
Tell people at home that you'll be out of contact for stretches and that this is normal, not an emergency. Then put your phone away, the two days across the Drake with no signal are among the best parts of the trip.
The Ocean Explorer is ice-strengthened, carries a doctor and medical facilities, and the Expedition Team is trained specifically for polar operations. Every excursion is supervised. Safety calls are the Expedition Team's alone and are not negotiable, if a landing is cancelled, it's cancelled.
November is early in the Antarctic season, late spring heading into summer, and one of the best times to go.
What that means for you:
Temperatures on the peninsula in November typically run from about 20-35 degrees Fahrenheit (-7-2 degrees Celsius). Wind is the real factor, a calm day around 30 degrees Fahrenheit is pleasant, and a windy one is not. In sheltered sun, people occasionally end up in t-shirts.
In Ushuaia in November, expect roughly 40–55 degrees Fahrenheit (4–13 degrees Celsius), changeable, and often windy.
Expect anything. Rain, snow squalls, fog, whiteouts, and brilliant blue-sky days, all potentially in the same 24 hours. Come prepared for all of it and you'll be fine.
One note on what you won't see: there are no penguin chicks in November, those hatch later in the season. And it never gets fully dark, so no southern lights. If either of those is your priority, tell us and we'll be honest about whether this is the right departure for you.
Antarctica has no permanent residents, no towns, and no local culture in the usual sense. What it does have is a set of shared values among the people who travel and work there, built around protecting one of the last truly wild places on earth.
The expedition team will brief you on the rules that keep Antarctica pristine before your first landing. You'll clean your outer gear before and after going ashore so you don't carry seeds, soil, or anything else between sites. You'll keep your distance from wildlife and let the animals decide how close the encounter gets. You'll stay with the group inside the areas the team marks out, and you'll leave everything exactly as you found it, no shells, no rocks, no souvenirs from the ground.
Your journey begins and ends in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, tucked between the Beagle Channel and the mountains at the tip of Argentine Patagonia. It's a small, friendly port town that has become the gateway to Antarctica. Spanish is the local language, the Argentine peso is the currency, and it's worth arriving a day or two early to explore the town, the national park nearby, and the end-of-the-world scenery before you sail.
Alongside the daily Zodiac cruises and shore landings that are included for everyone, the expedition offers a handful of optional adventures you can add for an extra cost. These are run by the ship's specialist guides and are weather-dependent, so they only go ahead when conditions allow. If an activity is cancelled for weather, you're refunded.
To book any of these, email us and we'll arrange it for you. Spots are limited and they fill up, so reserve early rather than waiting until you're onboard.
While we'll help you arrange optional activities, please note they are not part of the Under30Experiences itinerary. We offer no guarantees on the safety or standard of any optional activity.
Under30Experiences has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, harassment, and hate speech, and it is grounds for immediate removal.
Respect the people around you and the environment in which you're traveling. This includes, but is not limited to, fellow travelers, your Trip Leader, the expedition crew, the local community in Ushuaia, and above all the wildlife and landscape of Antarctica.
Antarctica is a protected wilderness, and the rules that keep it that way are not optional. Follow the expedition team's instructions on every landing, keep your distance from wildlife, stay within the areas they mark out, and never leave anything behind or take anything with you.
Always do your best to ensure your own safety and the safety of your fellow travelers.
The environment here is remote and the weather can change fast, so when the team gives an instruction, it's for a good reason.
Know your limits in every situation, whether it's physical ability, emotional space, social situations, or alcohol consumption. If you can't participate in something, be upfront about it. If you need a break from people, take it.
It's important to obey local laws and customs, both in Argentina and aboard the ship. If you're not sure about something, take the time to ask.
Lying or withholding information about any physical or mental condition that might affect your ability to participate may be grounds for removal from your trip with no refund. This matters more on an expedition than on almost any other trip we run, because medical help is limited once you leave Ushuaia. Be honest on your medical forms. It's for your safety.
We strongly recommend arriving in Ushuaia at least one day before the trip begins. Flights this far south can be delayed, and you do not want a missed connection to cost you the ship, which sails whether you're aboard or not. An extra day also lets you explore Tierra del Fuego National Park, take a boat out on the Beagle Channel, or just settle in and meet other travelers before embarkation.
If you'd like help planning extra nights in Ushuaia, ask us and we'll point you in the right direction.
Hotel recommendations in Ushuaia:
Many travelers also extend their trip with a few days in Buenos Aires on the way home, which is worth building in if you have the time.
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U30X is such an amazing travel community. Once your trip is over, the experience is not. They keep in touch with their alumni & provide platforms for travel questions, personal development, & community connections in your own backyard! If you're a young person looking to travel I highly recommend U30X!
There are not enough ways for me to describe how amazing this company is. After my first trip I always told people, it wasn't about the location, but the experience that u30x gave me. I have some of the best experiences of my life with u30x, and now a passion for travel. Also, their alumni community and groups are awesome too!
Traveling with U30X has been life changing for me. I've made lifelong friends with both travelers and staff. I can't come up with enough good things to say about the company, the people, and the experiences I've had!
Just returned from my second trip with Under30Experiences. My first trip was to the Costa Rica rainforest. My most recent trip was to Iceland. Both trips were such an amazing experience. I loved learning about Iceland and its origins. I enjoy the small groups and I made some great new friends! Recommend them for anyone wanting to travel alone or with a couple of friends.
I was so scared to travel abroad alone and then I came across their website and they made international travel so easy! And the people I’ve met on the trips are some amazing individuals! I’ve done 6 of their trips and plan on continuing to do even more!!
Just came back from their Egypt trip. Definitely one of my top favorite trips I’ve ever taken! I knew ahead of time that I would want to go with a tour to Egypt, and under30experiences seemed like the best fit. I met amazing fellow travelers and loved our guide Mohamed who did an amazing job! Our days were pretty packed while also having some time for rest. Expect to wake up early to beat the crowds and to overall enjoy your time at the sites! Definitely planning on doing another trip with Under30experiences in the future!
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