Antarctica – Recommended packing
check list
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Luggage
Suitcases take up a lot of space in your
cabin and cannot be stowed, so we ask you
only to use sturdy but soft luggage bags.
Baggage Allowance and
Recommendations
To avoid excess baggage charges on
international and domestic flights, check
with your ticketing agent about luggage
restrictions. In general, you are allowed
two normal-sized pieces of luggage per
person and one carry-on bag.
Luggage labels
Please make sure that you luggage is
clearly labelled with your name and
destination on the outside of your luggage
and also put a second label or big piece of
paper inside your luggage with detailed
information. Also mention the ship’s
Argentine phone number and name.
A small rucksack (daypack)
or shoulder bag is handy for walks ashore
to store your gear . Waterproof if possible
or put your kit in an inner bag that is
waterproof and sealed.
Documents
Bring vital documents in your carry on luggage but keep photocopies in your
luggage.
Passport For a number of nationalities your passport has to be valid for at least 6
months at the moment you enter Argentina. Please check the requirements for
your own nationality.
Visa It is important that you check with your own embassy for visa requirements
pertaining to each country. For a number of nationalities no visa is required for a
stay of maximum 90 days. Please check the requirements for your own nationality.
Certificates of medical and travel insurance.
Phone number of the Europa in case of delay on the day of embarkation
(Dutch) Ships’ cellphone nr.: +31-6-51 180 679 or our Argentine Nr.: from within
Ushuaia: 15 602030; from within Argentina: 02901-15 602030.
A Printout of email-addresses and telephone-numbers of loved ones at
home. (See communication)
Money
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ATM card, cash money, credit card. Ushuaia has several ATM’s for Argentine
Pesos. There’s also an exchange office on the main street San Martin.
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On board you can pay (your bar bill & souvenirs at the end of the trip) with
Argentine Pesos. We do not accept credit cards. Souvenirs/ postcards at one of the
bases we visit can be bought with Euros or USD
Clothing
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On board and ashore it is common to wear
casual clothing. Although it is summer
and it is probably not as cold as you might
think (on average about 1° C.), it is the
wind chill, hail and snow you are dealing
with. Staying warm, dry and comfortable
will allow you to maximize the enjoyment
of your experience.
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Layering for warmth is the best
approach. Loose layers will trap a film of
insulating air. If you plan to be outside in
windy or rainy conditions, we recommend
thermal, long sleeve shirt, sweater/fleece
and waterproof (not water-resistant)
windbreaker and rain pants.
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Wind and watertight gear. Sailing
jackets with high collar are great, but it is
even more important that it is waterproof.
It is not necessary to buy the most
expensive gear
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Rubber boots are necessary on
virtually all landings: for getting ashore
out of the zodiac trough ankle deep icy
water, walking through snow and
sometimes on deck during the crossing.
You will be wearing these daily so they
should be comfortable for longer wear and walking. If they are too tight they will give
you cold feet, space for 2 socks is great. We recommend simple rubber boots with a
shaft of at least 28 cm high with soft (for better grip on deck) non-slippery heavily
ridged/waffled soles. Yachting/sailing boots don’t offer enough grip ashore on snow,
ice and mud, better opt for Wellingtons/farmers boots. You can find these at
farm/fishing co-op stores, work clothing stores and garden shops between 20 to 60
Euros
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Thermal underwear. Preferably synthetic (polypropylene) or wool /wool blend
(outdoor store)
Cotton is not the best fabric as it keeps the moisture next to your skin
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Fleece or wool sweaters.
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Waterproof gloves/mittens 2 pairs (For example Gill Helmsman gloves).
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Scarf, 2 hats, warm socks(wool or synthetic blend)
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Enough clothes for 22 days.
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Swimwear for a polar plunge or possibly a thermal bath at Deception Island.
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Warm pyjamas (the cabins are less warm than the rest of the ship).
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Hiking boots.
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Extra pair of prescription glasses or contact lenses
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Sunglasses (uv filter) and sunscreen. The sun is very strong as the area has little
ozon and light is reflected by snow, ice and water.
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Clothes for gateway cities. It is summer in Buenos Aires and one can expect
temperatures of 30°C.
Note: Please make sure that your (rain) gear, daypack, camera bag, tri-pod and boots,
etc. are clean when you join the ship (Advisable is to use a vacuum cleaner to clean these
items). We like to prevent taking bacteria or seeds to Antarctica from your last visit
outdoors. Also on velcro small particles can be found.
Cameras and other gear
Please ensure you test your equipment before
you leave
Digital photographers spare (rechargeable)
batteries, memory cards Bring twice as much
storage as you think you might need! In case you
bring your own laptop along: empty CD’s or a spare
memory stick to store your photographs onto.
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Analog photographers: sufficient rolls of film
(100/200 ASA for sunny days, 400 ASA for cloudy
days)
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If you have one: a tele zoom lens (~300mm)
allows you to take good pictures of wildlife
without disturbing it.
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A polarization filter is not a must, but it can be
useful to bring if you have one.
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Binoculars for watching wildlife (birds, cetaceans) 7x or 8x is fine
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Electricity on board is 220Volt/50Hertz, standard European plugs with two circular
metal pins.
Wall socket adapter
Note:
Eating and drinking: It is not allowed to bring your own drinks or large amounts of food
on board.
Sleeping
Your bunk has a duvet with cover, one pillow with pillowcase and a sheet, so you do not
need to bring a sleeping bag. Towels will be provided too. If you sleep light you might like
to think about taking ear plugs.
Medical care:
If you have or have had a disorder or sickness for which you use medication we ask you to
inform us in advance and we ask you to bring enough medication for the entire voyage.
Because on board the ship we live close to each other, colds or influenza are easily passed
on to others. We advise you to take an anti-influenza injection before departure. In the
Netherlands you can visit www.reisdokter.nl to make an appointment for the vaccination.
If you have questions about a specific health problem, we advise you to get in touch with
the office. We can put you in contact with one of the ship’s doctors.
Seasickness
A sailing ship under sail is steadier in the water in strong winds than a motor vessel. Once
in Antarctic waters, we will be sheltered and the wind will be calm, so no one should suffer
from seasickness. In the Drake Passage, the winds can be very strong and some people on
board will get seasick. Most will get used to the motion of the ship after one day. Healthy
eating and sleep are the best ways to prevent seasickness. If you fear that you might be
susceptible to seasickness, you can take anti-seasickness pills. Please buy these before
you leave home. We advice Primatour or Cinerazine. We don’t recommend strong (Belgian)
pills or plasters to stick behind your ear. If you have any more questions please don’t
hesitate to contact us.
Keeping in touch with home while you are away
In case of an emergency, the ship can be contacted 24/7
via the office of the Europa. They keep contact with the
ship on a daily basis via ships’ radio or Satellite
communication.
Tel: +31-10-281 0990, Fax: +31-10-281 0991, Email: [email protected]
There are two ways to send small messages directly to
the ship:
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Messages for somebody on board can be sent to
[email protected]. The ship will download
these messages directly via satellite
communication. Make your message in plain text
(so no HTML). Mention the name of the receiver in
the subject field. And do not save this address in
your contact persons or use this for bulk mail.
The receiver on board will pay for the
message. The costs are about 1.50 euro per
kilobyte. Half a page of plain text is about 2KB
(kilobyte). A larger message for example in HTML
text, with colours, fonts etc can easily cost about
15,- euro
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The second option is to send emails to our
Inmarsat C terminal. To be able to do so, the
sender has to subscribe to the provider of the
satellite connection to be able to send emails
directly to the ship. Please contact our office at
[email protected] for further information.
Trainees and crew aboard the Europa can send text messages to any onshore address, and
have to pay cash at the end of the voyage. The messages you want to send must not
contain attachments or pictures or any other graphical items. Sending plain text without
layout will keep your messages small and therefore cheaper.
The satellite telephone number of the ship is: Iridium +88 163 182 9696.
Costs may vary with your own telecom company. But they are extremely high in any case!
Please remember that there might be a time difference.
You can also send a letter or a card to our office in Rotterdam. When new crew or trainees
fly from Amsterdam to the ship they can take the mail to the trainees and crewmembers
on board. Please check with the office in the Netherlands if crew is flying and if it is
possible for them to take mail.
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There is no internet connection on board.
Note that: cell phones will stop operating once we get out of the Beagle Channel.
Note that some email accounts, like hotmail, will be blocked after not being used
for 1 month.
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Remember to write down the correct email addresses and phone numbers of the
people you would like to contact from the ship (otherwise your emails will be
automatically returned at your cost)
All guest will be asked to provide a next kin address in case of emergency.
Stories about life aboard will appear regularly on our website under ‘Logbook’ at
www.barkeuropa.com Furthermore you can check the locations of the ship under ‘follow
the ship’. We have frequent contact with the ship so in case you contact us we can tell you
about the whereabouts of your relatives/friends.