Extreme Travel

The recent deep dive by James Cameron to the bottom of Mariana Trench resonated well with me because I have always been fascinated by extreme travels. How can a person go to the far ends of the earth?

Some extremes require great deal of physical fitness. An average Joe cannot climb the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest. I have personally been up to 16,500 feet and, believe me, it is tough to get even that high.

Some extreme travels require, in addition, a bit of luck and being at the right place at the right time. It is not easy to go to the farthest point away from Earth---going around the Moon for example. Lots of people are physically fit to do that but the last trip to the moon was more than 40 years ago.

I am talking about places that an average person can go. Some of these require a lot of money, but some can be reached by spending a modest amount, particularly if you are willing to accept something not quite as extreme. So, here is a list.

Going North

The Northern most place in the world is of course the North Pole, and you can get there for about $25K. Check out http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/arctic-expeditions/north-pole-cruise-ultimate-arctic-adventure/overview

However, for a much more modest amount, you can get to Longyearbyne, on Svalbard island of Norway. There are direct fights from Oslo and the cost is 600 Euros round trip. You would not be at 90 degree, but at 78 degree it is as close as you can get without spending a ton of money. Personally, I have not been there yet but have been close to the Arctic Circle three times---in Alaska, Iceland and Baffin Island.

Going South

Similarly, one can travel to the South Pole if one has oodles of money. Adventure Network International offers flights to the South Pole for about $45K. http://www.adventure-network.com/experiences/south-pole-flights

However, for significantly less amount of money, say about $5K, you can take a ship from Ushuaia which takes you to about 65 degree south, to the Antarctic Peninsula, which in fact is a far more interesting place with mountains and penguins than is the South Pole. I took such a trip in 2006 and had a great time.

Going High

Virgin Galactic will take you to space for about $200K, but hurry, only a few seats are left. This adventure will whisk you to 68 miles above earth, and give you the bragging rights few human beings would ever get. http://www.virgingalactic.com/

If you are a bit short of cash, there used to be an option---Concorde, which flew more than 10 miles above earth (56,000 feet). I had the good fortune to take it twice in 1995, entirely out of frequent flyer miles (125,000 miles). However this option is now gone. So, the regular commercial flights that go about 7-mile high are the only option available.

Going Deep

No one is taking deposits for a tour to the Mariana Trench, which at 36,000 feet is the deepest location on earth. However, there are plans under development to do just that. When would it be feasible to go that deep and how much it would cost is anybody’s guess but a figure of $200K or so will not be out of bounds.

 If you don’t want to wait and burn through that kind of money, there used to be a less expensive option. On Cayman Island, there was a deep dive submarine excursion in which one could go up to 1000 feet deep. I took that in the 90s but it looks like they do not offer that ride anymore. For only about $275 I experienced a world without light but containing a variety of corals and creatures that exist on the great wall of Cayman.

There are other submarine rides you can take. For example you can ride an Atlantis at several locations (Hawaii, Cayman) http://www.atlantisadventures.com/ These submarines take you up to 100 feet deep and the view is quite nice.

I hope I have whetted your appetite for doing some extreme travel.