"Because of its remote location, it's not possible to have a lot of enforcement of anything in Antarctica," said Ashton Palmer, president of Expedition Trips, based in Seattle, which specializes in selling small-ship cruises.
Adventure Network International 's flight to the South Pole has a $26,000 price tag, while Quark Expeditions ' nuclear icebreaker voyages to the North Pole start at $16,000 and Deep Ocean Expeditions ' trip via submersible to the Titanic wreck runs $36,000.
Aurora Expeditions trips aboard the 54-passenger Polar Pioneer depart from the far southern ports of South America.
All the staff members on Lindblad Expeditions' trips to Alaska and the Galápagos have been trained to deliver programming geared to a young audience, and on sailings called family cruises, mostly in summer and the holidays, each family is given a book about the region being visited.
Mr. Rashid was one of the guides for an annual pearl-diving expedition, a trip the organizers call a simple attempt to connect young Kuwaiti men with their largely forgotten past.
Like the Lagos expedition, the trip was unannounced.
For a real sense of adventure, consider an overland specialist such as Dragoman (dragoman.com) that offers expedition-style trips.
Specializing in small-ship expedition-style trips to Alaska, Antarctica and the Galápagos Islands, the Seattle-based ExpeditionTrips.com, (877) 412-8527 or online at www.expeditiontrips.com, has 25 itineraries to Antarctica.
That's heartening news for those who want nothing more than to follow in Shackleton's wake.Challenge Adventure Sailing, Victory Adventure Expeditions, Hamish and Kate Laird and Pelagic Expeditions offer trips in high latitudes.
