Which magical moment to describe? I was so elated once we embarked on our epic journey to South Georgia and feel ever so lucky to hit the big 3 colonies - St Andrews, Gold Harbour and Salisbury Plain, as well as King Haakon Bay and Drygalski Fjord. Yes my anxiety levels peaked at the start of our expedition with a flight cancellation and an aborted landing in the Falklands but yes, I am now proud to be part of a statistic shared - only 0.04% of the population has ever visited South Georgia. After dealing with the initial feeling of being overwhelmed when greeted by 150,000 pairs of kings plus their furry offspring, I discovered so much more to penguins - I love how they use their becks not just to feed but also to push themselves up or to climb hills. Their cuteness, curiosity and cheekiness is so mesmerising, and their inflappable nature - I could watch them for hours. Whilst I joined the expedition as an independent traveller, I disembarked from the Vavilov with some new found friends, some moving stories, magical moments and many cherished memories. If it wasn't for the photographic evidence, I think it was a distant dream!

Impossible to describe in one sentence. The landscapes, the penguins and my fellow adventurers I found were overwhelming, inspiring and moving. For some it was a trip taken every year or every few years. For me, its most certainly the trip of my life.

Maybe

For me, Tennessee at Swoop made this trip happen. I first enquired about various Antarctica trips a month before departure after eliminating a number of other South East Asia and South America holiday options. My usual adventure holiday agent came back with no availability for the ship operator's Expedition - South Georgia Photography Symposium on the Vavilov or on the group return flight to Punta Arenas, Chile, but somehow Tennessee worked his magic with an adventure itinerary that I couldn't resist. Not only did he find me a twin-share berth, he found me a route back to England flying with the RAF to Brize Norton. The only thing I would do differently is to continue my flight from London/Bogata/Santiago to Punta Arenas and stay there overnight rather than Santiago, given the expedition starts/finishes in Punta Arenas. The flight from Santiago to Falklands does transit in Punta Arenas and picks up passengers (including the primary expedition group), but the alternative saves time on Santiago logistics including immigration and check in.