Oh my stars, y’all—today might just take the cake for the most jaw-dropping day yet. To even get here, we had a little adventure before the adventure started. St. Andrews Bay has a tricky landing spot—sometimes a stream or meltwater blocks the path from the beach to the colony, making it impossible (or at least … More Half a Million Penguins and a Enough Guano to Fertilize Texas

Well, friends, today we pulled into Grytviken—the old whaling capital turned peaceful outpost and, most importantly, the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the man they simply called “The Boss.” Standing at his granite headstone overlooking the cove felt like stepping into history. Our whole group gathered, raised glasses of seriously strong whiskey, shouted … More Toasting Shackleton in South Georgia

Well, folks, we finally made it to Salisbury Plain on South Georgia, and let me tell you—250,000 king penguins is not a typo. It’s a full-on penguin takeover. The beach looked like someone spilled a giant bag of fancy tuxedos across the sand, with snow-capped mountains and glaciers standing guard in the background. God’s handiwork … More King Penguins, a Near-Miss Tackle and a Smell That Could Wake the Dead

South Georgia tomorrow! Today the expedition team turned into the strictest hall monitors on the planet, and we both loved and dreaded every minute. To keep the island pristine, the entire ship has to pass biosecurity with at least 95% compliance. With about 270 passengers, that means we’re allowed exactly 13 screw-ups total before the … More Biosecurity Boot Camp + How to Yell at Penguins Without Getting Arrested

First full day with zero excursions and no 5-something-a.m. wake-up call trying to assassinate us in our sleep. We treated it like the national holiday it deserved to be. We kicked things off pretending to be responsible photographers by attending a two-hour workshop on landscape and wildlife photography. Translation: we now have exactly zero excuses … More The Sacred Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing (With Fancy Tea and a Celebrity Iceberg Sighting)