Maddison

I grew up in the British countryside just west of London, spending weekends walking our dogs through woodlands. I had a passion for travel from a young age, having heard all my mum's stories from her own adventures in her ‘20s. We spent every summer holiday at the beautiful Cornish coast, where I fell in love with the ocean and learnt to surf at age 10. 

As an adult, my passion to see the world only kept growing and I have now taken myself on multiple solo adventures. I trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, where I fell in love with extreme cold climates and the beauty that remote lands have to offer. I also spent over 10 months exploring beautiful Central and South America. During this time I hiked up active volcanoes in Guatemala, trekked through the jungle in Colombia and learnt to scuba dive in Honduras – all while trying to improve my Spanish. 

On my first visit to Antarctica I distinctly remember walking into my cabin and jumping up and down with excitement that I was finally going to see the White Continent. Sailing the Drake Passage was an experience in itself. We were instantly greeted by huge albatross flying overhead, then, as we got closer to Antarctica, the odd humpback whale spouted in the distance.

On this first trip, I was taken aback by the vastness of the icy land. I couldn’t believe I was still on Earth; I’d never seen such raw beauty. I look back at my photos regularly and have to remind myself that it is actually me in those images. The experience seems like an incredible dream.

It is the excitement of waking up in the morning and not knowing what you are going to see that day, just knowing whatever it is, it’s going to be beautiful. When someone asks me to describe Antarctica using one word, my answer is: “magic”. Every day was different, but every day was guaranteed to be magical.

How can it not be, when you are surrounded by icebergs the size of buildings, curious gentoo penguins, and humpback whales bubble-net feeding 20 metres away from your Zodiac. Antarctica made me feel small and insignificant, and I loved it. 

As part of the Antarctic team, I enjoy helping people find the right trip for them. I know from personal experience how important it is to get any trip right, but especially a polar trip. It is vital to have your holiday exactly how you want it, and it brings me joy and excitement knowing I am able to help people do that.

I want people to experience the same feelings of awe that I did when I was in Antarctica for the first time. It was the most special trip of my life, and it excites me knowing I am helping someone see this beautiful environment and feel as entranced by the Antarctic magic as I did!