About Antarctica Travel Group and Let's Go Polar

Is Let's Go Polar a legitimate travel agency?

Yes. Let's Go Polar is a California registered travel agency and the booking side of Antarctica Travel Group, Inc., a California corporation based in San Diego.

Our California registration number is 2166968-70. Our Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation number is 710090. You can look both of those up yourself through the California Attorney General's official search.

We have been booking polar expeditions for 8 years and we have sent more than 2,500 travelers to Antarctica and the Arctic in that time.

If you still want to gut check us, call and talk to a person. That is the easiest way to find out if a travel agency is real.

Is Antarctica Travel Group a real company?

Yes. Antarctica Travel Group, Inc. is a California corporation. Let's Go Polar is a DBA of that company, so the two names sit on the same legal entity, the same registration and the same team.

Antarctica Travel Group started as a community. It grew into a polar travel agency. Same people either way.

What is the difference between Let's Go Polar and Antarctica Travel Group?

Antarctica Travel Group is the parent company and the community side. That is the Facebook group, the education, the podcast and our hosted group trips.

Let's Go Polar is the booking platform. That is where you compare ships, dates, itineraries and prices across every operator we work with, then book.

One company. Two names. If you booked with ATG in the past, you are already a Let's Go Polar client.

Who owns and who founded Antarctica Travel Group?

I did. My name is Neill Drake and I am the founder and sole owner.

I first went to Antarctica as a passenger in 2015. I started working down there as an expedition guide in 2016. Since then I have spent over 1,000 days in Antarctica across different ships, operators, seasons and itineraries.

I started the company after watching too many people book the wrong trip. They picked a ship off a brochure, showed up, and found out the itinerary or the cabin or the activity list was not what they thought they bought. That is a bad way to spend the money an Antarctica trip costs.

Where is Let's Go Polar based?

San Diego, California, and we book travelers from all over the world.

Our clients are in Germany, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and South America. We work across time zones and in whatever currency your operator quotes. Someone here is nearly always awake.

Our team also works directly with expedition operators, ships, guides and ground partners in Argentina, Chile, Antarctica and the Arctic.

How much Antarctica experience does your team actually have?

Our team has 15 plus years of combined experience working as polar expedition guides, plus my 1,000 plus days in Antarctica.

That means the people advising you have run the Zodiac operations, briefed the passengers, worked the landings, watched the weather turn and sat through the Drake Passage more times than they can count. We know these ships from the crew side, not from a brochure.

We also go back every year, on different ships with different companies. That is deliberate. Sailing them ourselves is the only way to tell you how one operator differs from the next, so we keep doing it. Different itineraries, different onboard programs, different expedition teams.

That is where the practical advice comes from. Which cabins get the worst motion. Which ships actually get you ashore. What the 10 day and 20 day itineraries really feel like. When the penguin chicks hatch. What to pack and what to leave home.

Does Let's Go Polar operate the ships?

No, with one exception.

For most bookings we are a specialized travel agency. The operator owns or charters the ship, employs the captain and the expedition team, runs the itinerary and delivers the expedition. Our job is helping you pick the right one, handling the booking and getting you ready.

The exception is our own group trips and full ship charters. On those, Antarctica Travel Group is the organizer and we run the group side directly.

Which Antarctica cruise companies do you work with?

Our current partners are Quark Expeditions, Albatros Expeditions, Polar Latitudes Expeditions, Poseidon Expeditions, Antarctica21, Aurora Expeditions, Oceanwide Expeditions, Swan Hellenic, G Adventures, Antarpply Expeditions, Terra Nova Expeditions and Arctic Tern.

That covers roughly 20 ships, from 68 passenger classic vessels to new build ships with helicopters and submarines, plus fly cruise options that skip the Drake Passage.

You can browse every company and every ship on our All Ships page.

How do you decide which ship to recommend?

We look at operator reputation, ship size, the expedition team, the itinerary, the time of year you want to go, activity options, cabin layout, onboard style and what you get for the money.

There is no single best ship. Anyone who tells you there is has one ship to sell. A 200 passenger vessel with a gym, a spa and a great wine list is the right answer for one traveler and the wrong answer for the next one who wants maximum time ashore on a 68 passenger boat.

So we ask questions first. Then we lay out the real advantages and disadvantages of each option and let you pick.

Does booking through Let's Go Polar cost more?

No. This is the one I want you to read twice.

We do not add a planning fee. We do not add a markup. You pay the operator's price, the same price you would pay if you called them yourself. Our commission comes from the operator, out of their margin, not out of your pocket.

On top of that we sometimes have group rates or promotional pricing on selected departures that you cannot get direct. So booking through us costs the same or less. It never costs more.

Why book through Let's Go Polar instead of booking direct with the cruise line?

Call an operator directly and you get a salesperson who represents one company. They have four ships. One of those four ships is going to be your answer, no matter what you asked for.

We represent twelve operators and around twenty ships. If the right trip for you is with a company we barely sell, we will tell you.

You also get the prep. Packing, seasickness, camera gear, flights into Ushuaia, buffer days, travel insurance, what the Drake Passage is really like, what activities are worth the add on cost. That help continues after you book and does not stop until you are home.

Same price. More options. Honest answers.

How much does an Antarctica trip cost?

Our departures start around $5,995 and run past $30,000 for longer itineraries, better cabins and specialty voyages like South Georgia, the Weddell Sea or the Antarctic Circle.

The advertised price on our site is the all in price after taxes, port fees and permits. The main extras are mandatory travel insurance, your flights, optional gratuities and add on activities like kayaking, camping, diving or paddleboarding.

You can see live pricing and availability on our Dates and Rates page.

How are payments for Antarctica trips handled?

The vast majority of the time you pay the operator directly. Your credit card or wire goes to Quark or Albatros or whoever you booked, not to us. We never touch it.

There are two exceptions.

Our own group trips and charters. Antarctica Travel Group is the organizer on those, so payment comes to us.

Certain foreign based operators. Wiring money overseas gets messy for US travelers, so in some cases we accept the payment and pass it through to the operator on your behalf. We tell you upfront when that applies and why.

You will always know who is receiving your money before you send it.

What happens after I book an Antarctica cruise?

You get a confirmation from the operator with your booking reference, your cabin and your payment schedule. If anything looks wrong, tell us and we fix it with them.

From there we walk you through the pre departure paperwork, medical forms, flight timing, hotel nights in Ushuaia or Punta Arenas, packing and any activities you want to add like kayaking or camping. Most people also join our private WhatsApp group and the Facebook community, where you can talk to travelers who already did the exact trip you booked.

What if I need to cancel or change my trip?

Cancellation and refund terms come from the operator, not from us. Every operator has its own policy and you will see it before you pay a deposit. Read it.

If something goes sideways, we act as your advocate with the operator. We have relationships with these companies and we use them. That is worth more than a form email from a call center.

On our own charters, we handle it directly.

Do you sell travel insurance?

No, and that is on purpose.

Every polar operator requires travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage. It is not optional. But the moment I take a commission on your policy, my advice about your policy is no longer clean. So we do not sell it and we do not refer you to one company.

We will tell you what coverage limits the operator requires and what to watch for in the fine print. You buy from whoever you want.

Does Let's Go Polar book flights?

No. We will still help you pick them.

There are two reasons we stay out of the booking itself. The first is what happens when something goes wrong. If a flight is delayed or cancelled, you want that ticket in your own name so you can walk up to the airline desk or call the hotline and get rebooked on the spot. Put us in the middle and you are waiting on someone who might be asleep in another time zone at four in the morning while your connection falls apart. The second reason is your miles. Book it yourself and the points are yours.

So send us your dates and your home airport. We will tell you which routing works, how much buffer to leave before the ship sails, and which connections we would not risk.

Does Let's Go Polar run its own Antarctica group trips?

Yes. Antarctica Travel Group hosts group departures and full ship charters every season.

A hosted group trip means you sail with our people on board and a group of travelers who booked through us. You get the ship's expedition team plus our team. Around half of our group travelers come solo, which is a big part of why these fill up. Nobody feels like the odd one out.

Charters are the bigger version. We take the whole ship and build the itinerary and the activity mix ourselves.

Where can I read Let's Go Polar reviews?

Most of what people say about us happens in our Facebook group and in private conversation. We grew on word of mouth and repeat travelers, not on ad spend. A lot of our clients found us through a recommendation in a travel group.

Reviews from past travelers are on our Guest Reviews page. Our Facebook community is public, so you can go read what people post about their trips without anyone filtering it first.

How do I verify your company or talk to a real person?

Three ways.

Look up registration 2166968-70 through the California Attorney General's official search.

Read our Guest Reviews and scroll the Antarctica Travel Group Facebook community.

Call or message us and ask anything. Phone +1 (858) 914 6682. Email info@antarcticatravelgroup.com. We also answer on WhatsApp.

We do not keep set office hours. Our team is spread across time zones, so someone is almost always around. If you reach out at a strange hour and nobody answers immediately, you will hear back quickly.

Can you help if I am traveling solo?

Yes, and you are in good company. About half the people on our group departures travel solo.

Some ships have dedicated single cabins. Others waive or reduce the single supplement on certain departures. Some will match you with a same gender roommate so you pay the standard rate. Tell us your budget and we will find the departures where solo pricing actually works.

What is the first step?

Fill out the trip request form or call us. It takes two minutes. We will come back with real options that match your dates, budget and what you actually want out of the trip.

No deposit, no pressure, no obligation.