Introducing the instant travel agent

Our unprecedented stranding in Antarctica meant we missed two scheduled flight connections and a pre-paid tour of Easter Island. As a result, when we finally touched down in Mainland Chile shortly before 5pm on January 1 we had no idea if our itinerary could be salvaged.  I had called the travel agent before boarding our flight from the South Shetlands (apparently this is the only place in Antarctica with mobile coverage).  He'd confirmed that an alternative itinerary was available and suggested we call back after landing in Punta Arenas. I'll never forget his shock after explaining that I was calling from Antarctica.

Upon landing, I spent the next two hours making frantic calls to hotels, airlines and travel agents. We established we could catch a flight to Santiago in time for a connecting flight to Easter Island the following morning if we could get everything reticketed in the time available. The travel agent finally confirmed everything was in place shortly after we reached our hotel in Punta Arenas – provided we immediately dashed back to Punta Arenas airport

In addition to the tight departure time, we grabbed the last two seats on a flight from Easter Island to Santiago three days later, and the only room still available at the island hotel we’d originally booked. Incredibly, we checked-in at Punta Arenas less than 25 minutes before our flight departed. By the narrowest of margins, our original itinerary was back on track, minus a three-day layover previously scheduled for Santiago. We also had to forfeit our business class ticket to secure seats on the January 2 flight to Easter Island.

I suspect everyone reading this post will have little sympathy for our cattle class plight. Garry and I totally agree that one Economy class leg won’t kill us and one city looks much like another when it comes to keeping Easter Island on our itinerary. We’ll still manage to squeeze in 1.5 days in Santiago before we leave South America so all is not lost. Of course, we’ve lost hundreds of dollars in tour bookings which Garry is already committed to claiming back on insurance. Fingers crossed he’ll be successful.

Regardless, we count ourselves lucky. Our extra three days in Antarctica came at a painful cost for the tour group that followed us. They lost these extra days and were forced to accept a highly truncated three-day tour. They also suffered the indignity of boarding their flight south on the second day of delay only to have it turn back an hour into the journey. Worse still, the small print in our cruise contract makes it very clear that no refund will be offered if the cruise is curtailed. If they get you to Antarctica, they've delivered their end of the deal. A partial refund is only available if the entire cruise is cancelled.

However, the experience is still worth every cent.  Antarctica really is the final frontier. It's a pristine, untouched wilderness where people are clearly just the visitors. The only crowds you'll encounter are captured in the video below. Go if you can!