Awaiting at the Edge of the World: Traveling during the pandemic remains a challenge

For a brief moment, it appeared that the journey might not happen after all.

I had been on the road since departing New York City around 6 a.m. on Thursday, and now it was Friday evening. I was still in the same outfit I had worn when I left home. I was grateful I had my backpack with chargers and toiletries for the day; otherwise, I would have been in a much worse situation.

We had all traveled together, 89 of us, on a charter flight from Orlando (MCO) to Ushuaia, Argentina (USH), known as the End of the World, which took off on Thursday, December 9. Our cruise to Antarctica was scheduled to set sail on Friday, but that didn't occur — and we were beginning to question if it would ever take place.

Instead of disembarking in Ushuaia to board our expedition vessel, the brand-new World Navigator from the new cruise line Atlas Ocean Voyages, we were guided onto tour buses for an afternoon exploration of Ushuaia and the wild beauty of Patagonia.

Initially, I was thrilled to have the chance to glimpse the town and its picturesque surroundings. However, after a long lunch and a few unexpected detours, it became apparent that something was not right.

Eventually, we would discover that a few crew members onboard had tested positive for COVID-19.

Awaiting further updates

As the buses arrived at the port on Friday evening and we spotted the striking navy-and-white exterior of the vessel, a wave of relief washed over us. After an exhausting day — over 30 hours of travel — we were finally about to reclaim our luggage and set sail for Antarctica, still roughly two days away, across the infamous Drake Passage.

However, we were then herded onto a catamaran for a dinner cruise around the nearby islands in the Beagle Channel. We spotted Magellanic and imperial cormorants, along with a colony of sea lions, their powerful marine scent wafting toward us long before we heard the raucous barks.

We were treated to a meal and as much wine as we desired. But as the hours passed, it became increasingly clear that the future of our Antarctica expedition was in serious doubt.

I was enjoying complimentary travel as a guest of Atlas, alongside a small group of writers, videographers, and other content creators. We were disheartened by how the evening unfolded, but it paled in comparison to the mounting frustration among some of the other cruisers.

In an instant, all that wine felt like a decision I would come to regret.

Harrison Liu, the senior director of communications for Atlas Cruise Line, happened to be on the same sailing and was able to relay information to the frustrated group of prospective travelers. He later told me in an email that ship representatives were not permitted "to visit any guests shoreside while they awaited updates."

Around midnight, we were split up and taken by bus to various hotels around Ushuaia, with our Antarctica trip hanging by a thread.

Uncertainty on the horizon

In the lead-up to the trip, I found it quite challenging to discuss Antarctica, given the current unpredictability of travel plans. As I settled into my hotel room in Ushuaia that night, it struck me that I hadn't mentioned it to many people outside of work. It became abundantly clear why I had been so hesitant to share my plans for a bucket-list journey to the southernmost continent: Especially during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, nothing is certain until your boots are planted on the ice.

Although I don't consider myself particularly superstitious, this trip had, from the outset, felt susceptible to all kinds of jinxes and bad luck. Everything in the world, including the emerging omicron variant, seemed ready to prevent me from reaching Antarctica.

On Saturday morning, after finally getting some sleep — horizontal and on an actual bed, no less — we woke up to even more uncertainty. The voyage could be canceled, or it might go ahead.

The fate of our Antarctica expedition appeared to hinge on whether the Argentine port authority would permit Atlas to disembark the crew members who tested positive and their close contacts, and to allow a new group of eager passengers to board.

Guests were informed that a final decision would be reached that day.

We made the most of our Saturday, which included enjoying a few gin and tonics at the hotel restaurant. The End of the World is a stunning port city set against the jagged peaks of the Andes, but it is not Antarctica.

We remained uncertain about our trip until after dinner, when we were informed that buses were on their way to take us back to the port, where the World Navigator awaited our boarding.

Heading for the ice

I joined Liu in the ship's sunlit Dome observation lounge as we sailed toward Antarctica. The journey was underway — a conclusion that had seemed increasingly doubtful when I woke up in the same clothes on Saturday morning in Argentina. (Yet I wouldn't fully believe it until we made our first stop, setting foot on the rocky, windswept arc of Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands.)

Liu and I talked about the negotiations between the Argentine authorities and the cruise line, as well as the various time-consuming processes unfolding behind the scenes.

"The Antarctic expedition season has only just begun," Liu explained to me. "There hasn't been enough precedent... for us as a cruise company or for the government authorities to follow."

In the end, Liu noted, the cruise was permitted to proceed after the affected crew members and those in close contact with them were removed, followed by a thorough deep cleaning of the ship to reduce the risk of transmission.

For me and the other members of the media group, there was no financial stake involved. We had lost a day in Antarctica alongside our fellow travelers, but we hadn’t incurred any monetary loss.

However, for the travelers who had each paid over $9,699 (based on double occupancy) for this nine-day journey to Antarctica, the feeling of loss was understandably more intense, even as we finally sailed toward the continent.

In a letter sent to paying guests, Atlas offered a $100 onboard credit, complimentary Wi-Fi for the entire voyage, a 10% refund, and a 50% credit toward a future cruise if booked within 18 months.

To me, the gesture appeared fair — passengers received compensation for the lost day, enjoyed extra perks, and theoretically could book a return trip at half the price if they wanted to.

I can't say for sure if I would feel the same if I were funding my own trip to Antarctica, but I can confidently advise against traveling during the pandemic if you want your journey to be hassle-free.

Challenges of the pandemic

Since 2020, it has been apparent that travel would change post-pandemic. Travelers were eager to invest in longer, more extravagant adventures, and they refused to wait until retirement for those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

As the months passed, many resolved not to postpone their travels until after the pandemic, either.

However, traveling in these unpredictable times does come with its challenges.

You can buy as much travel insurance as you wish (for this trip, medical evacuation coverage was included in the fare; Argentina mandates separate COVID-19-specific insurance; and if Atlas had to cancel the voyage, travelers would receive at least a refund), but nothing can shield you from the heartbreak of having a lifelong dream trip canceled or disrupted at the last moment.

This has always been a possibility, but the pandemic has shifted the balance.

Even after navigating several obstacles to enter another country, your trip can still be derailed by COVID-19 cases. For an Antarctic journey with Atlas, for instance, you might test positive (even if you show no symptoms) during the required on-arrival testing at MCO, which is essential for entering the cruise line's bubble. If you test positive then, your adventure would end before you even left the country.

In some respects, this is the best of the worst outcomes.

Alternatively, as happened on our journey, crew members might become unwell. In an era of significant staffing shortages, particularly in remote locations, finding a replacement crew member (or flight attendant or pilot) could be nearly impossible. Additionally, you might receive a positive test result before returning home, forcing you to quarantine in a foreign country.

At TPG, we often discuss how to safeguard your travel investments. Yet, when you find yourself confined in an Argentine hotel with your bags packed for an Antarctic adventure, it's likely that no amount of compensation can truly alleviate the emotional toll.

I discovered firsthand just how complex travel during the pandemic can be.

End of discussion.

You can take all possible precautions to protect your health and travel arrangements. However, for those considering booking a bucket-list adventure now, keep in mind that we are still navigating the pandemic, and just one positive test result at any point can completely derail your plans.

Having a backup plan—and a contingency for that backup—is essential. But most crucially, travelers must adjust their expectations. I now realize that by keeping my travel aspirations close to my chest, I was attempting to shield myself from the disappointment of a potential lost journey.

We are all familiar with the sharp pain of acknowledging loss: For me, it felt easier to act as though my trip to Antarctica might never occur than to admit that it had fallen through.

"We are still in the midst of [the coronavirus pandemic]," Liu remarked. "And we are still grappling with the far-reaching effects this pandemic has on every aspect of our lives." He added that travelers need to understand that "when opting to travel ... they should really approach it with a strong sense of patience and adaptability."

"These are truly extraordinary times," he remarked, "and although travel is partially open, it will never return to how it once was. ... We're all striving to find a sense of normalcy again, but that will take some more time."

So, should you delay that dream trip you've envisioned since before COVID-19 struck?

While it often seems the pandemic has brought our lives to a standstill, I would argue it hasn't — it has simply heightened our awareness of the time that continues to flow.

Antarctica symbolized numerous milestones for my fellow travelers aboard the World Navigator: the last continent, the final frontier. We don't always have the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment to tick an item off our bucket lists.

As Liu pointed out, maintaining flexibility and an openness to change — especially now as we navigate a third year of uncertainty — is essential for us to move ahead and continue exploring the world.