The more secluded the better. The harder to reach, the more tempting. Travel as an adventure. That is the credo of photographer David De Vleeschauwer. When he’s not living on his Belgian farm, he’s exploring, alone and with others, unique travel destinations that others only dream of.
His motto: “We go where the masses can’t go.” For him, these are “remote experiences”, i.e. very remote, almost inaccessible, otherworldly experiences, and usually very far away.
This is also the name of his new photo book, in which one can relive his experiences around the world, from pole to pole, in amazement and leafing through it: “Remote Experiences. Extraordinary Travel Adventures from North to South” (taschen.com, 424 pages, English, 50 euros).
His recordings fuel wanderlust. Like a visit to the Eagle Festival in wintry Mongolia or a wilderness trip through Botswana. His panoramic views from the polar regions are particularly spectacular: the Arctic and Antarctic, you can hardly get enough of them.
Strictly speaking, such dream destinations remain what they are for most people: inaccessible corners of the world that only a few will ever see. Because many of these destinations are either super expensive or difficult to reach for political reasons.
Like the North Pole with a Russian icebreaker. You can delete that now. But the photographer was there, long before the Ukraine war, on the world’s most powerful nuclear icebreaker, 50 Let Pobedy. It sailed for several summers, until 2017, with a good 100 western passengers on board at 90° north.
Celebrities were also happy to be on board at the time: Anni-Frid from the Swedish pop group Abba, for example, traveled to the North Pole with her grandson, according to Poseidon Expeditions, the provider at the time.
The passengers then gathered in a circle around the geographic North Pole and cheered raising their glasses of ice-cold vodka. “The moment is almost triumphant,” says the book. “Then there’s the infamous Polar Plunge, perhaps the most iconic swim in the world. This jump is a unique thrill. Daredevils warm up with mulled wine and more vodka.” The price for two weeks started at around 30,000 euros.
But there is now an alternative, and one without nuclear power: the French research ship “Commandant Charcot”, with a hybrid drive that combines liquid gas and electric generators, minimizes the environmental impact to the greatest possible extent during expeditions to the highest latitudes.
It now takes guests to the geographical North Pole every summer, 17 nights cost from 35,000 euros, can be booked at polaris-tours.de, and instead of vodka there is champagne at the North Pole.
For photographer David De Vleeschauwer, it is important to encourage travelers not to “follow someone else’s script”. In particular, he recommends a visit to Antarctica, with its penguins and frozen deserts. But that has its price. So he visited the Antarctic with a chartered superyacht. Of course, that costs a good half a million euros a week.
The “Legend” cruises in winter, chartered for a handful of guests, in Antarctica, equipped with helicopter, zodiac, submarine, as amenities there is a whirlpool, onboard spa and a cinema.
Antarctic expeditions are very exclusive anyway and are only offered by a few shipping companies with smaller ships. These include, for example, Ponant, Silversea, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Hurtigruten. Expect to pay around 20,000 euros per person for 20 days in a balcony cabin.
Such an experience has its price. You can also wallow in a book for a few hours of mental cinema and dream yourself into the most remote regions of the world.
In the south of the Antarctic Weddell Sea, a research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute has found the world’s largest known fish breeding area. A camera system photographed and filmed countless nests of ice fish on the seabed.
Source: Alfred Wegener Institute
