My first Polar Expedition Cruise

"I'm out of the office for the next 12 days," says my auto-reply email. The truth is, I'm so far away from the office that it's almost impossible to reach me. I'm closer to the North Pole than I am to mainland Europe. I'm in Svalbard, about to go on the most exciting adventure of my life. Dreams I didn't even know I had are about to come true. All aboard, let's see what a polar expedition is all about.

I had no idea what to expect from my first polar expedition. I've always been more of a city person who enjoys her cappuccino at a coffee place downtown. I could quickly get motion sickness in a car. Stepping on board the expedition vessel, I felt like an impostor, asking myself: "What am I doing here? Am I cut out for this?" This feeling grew stronger as we left the port, and I met some passengers. Paul could name every bird we saw, David has been kayaking his whole life, and Susan and James sail on their boat every other weekend. And I couldn't remember if starboard meant left or right. But this feeling disappeared on the first day of exploration. As it turned out, having experience in sailing and cruising didn't matter. Anyone who craves new experiences and likes the taste of adventure belongs on board. We come from different countries and backgrounds but are united by our desire to explore.

On the day that would later become one of the best days of my life, I woke up to a crackling and rumbling noise. Silly me thought the sound was caused by something mechanical, perhaps an anchor chain. Still in a cloud of morning drowsiness, I went out on the deck. Cold air on my face woke me up in a second, but I couldn't believe I wasn't dreaming this. Our ship, Ocean Explorer, was making its way through pack ice.

Technically, Ocean Explorer is not an icebreaker, but seeing the X-bow cut through sea ice makes you feel like you are about to reach the North Pole. Being surrounded by an endless expanse of sea ice felt like landing on a different planet. I wanted to laugh and jump around, but I couldn't move at all. I was afraid I was going to wake up.

Once the ship stopped moving, the team checked the thickness of the ice and told us that we would be stepping on the sea ice. Before that day, I had no idea that this was even possible. I've never changed into my arctic gear faster than I did that morning. We boarded the zodiacs (inflatable boats used for shore excursions) and cruised right onto sea ice. Treading on the ice felt unreal. I could hear the ice squeeze and crackle with every step I made. I've walked on frozen lakes and rivers before, but it felt different. I couldn't believe I was walking on the Arctic Ocean. Under my feet was a thick layer of sea ice and water. I was on top of the world, literally and figuratively.

Suddenly, I heard the radio of one of the expedition team members. Someone had spotted a polar bear close to our ship and the landing site. For safety reasons, everyone had to return to the ship immediately.

Knowing that there was a polar bear around wasn't scary; it was exciting. We got back to the ship, and I ran to the observation deck to try and get a glimpse of the king of the Arctic. The bear came so close that we didn't even need binoculars to watch him. We were fascinated by his every move. The bear stopped just a few steps away from the ship, stood on his hind legs, and sniffed the air. I could swear he looked me straight in the eye.

"I'm not religious, but this is the closest I've ever been to God," whispered a lady beside me in my left ear. I felt goosebumps running from the tips of my fingers and toes to my chest. The clicking sound of cameras reminded me of the existence of a phone in my pocket. I took my phone out, put it on selfie mode and took a shot. I don't know how many people in the world could say they had a selfie with a wild polar bear, but at that moment, the number increased by one.

The bear slowly made his way to the area where we had our landing just under an hour ago. My stomach crawled up to my throat when I saw the bear stop at the exact same spot where I was taking photos. It was easy to take for granted all the work the expedition team did to keep us safe. Seeing a polar bear sniff our footprints and follow the same path we walked was a reminder to thank the team for their dedication and diligence.

Since the moment we boarded the ship, I had been looking forward to the day of the polar plunge. My biggest disappointment would have been going on this cruise and not having a chance to experience the plunge into the Arctic Ocean.

Of 52 passengers who decided to polar plunge, I was the third in line. No life vest, no rope tying me to the ship, just me and the sky-blue surface of the water. I lifted my arms and jumped. All my senses and emotions intensified. As my body kept diving deeper, I started to feel like I was underwater for a long time. I mentally said, "Just don't start panicking. Don't do anything, and the water will push you up; if you start moving, you will spend more time underwater". I was right (I listened to my physics teacher in school). The natural buoyancy brings you back to the surface faster if you relax. The water pushed me up; I gasped the air and swam back; it only took two strokes. The team helped me to get on the platform and covered me with a towel.

I learned three lessons from polar plunging. The first lesson is that sometimes you need to trust the process and relax; being worried will only make things more difficult. The second is that I am stronger and braver than I thought I was. And the third one is that the polar plunge is awesome—one of the best experiences of my life.

Was my Svalbard expedition a luxury cruise? Ocean Explorer is a beautiful modern vessel. On board, we had access to a sauna with a panoramic window, a well-equipped gym and a dining room with countless meal options and fantastic wines. I very much enjoyed my modern suite with a private balcony. Even though Ocean Explorer provided us with a 5-star experience, for me, the level of comfort wasn't the real luxury of the trip. Sailing around Svalbard is a privilege one shouldn't take for granted. For me, the true luxury was to see something only a handful of people will ever see, to step on sea ice, sail through Heleysundet, take a polar plunge in Liefdefjorden, and look a polar bear in the eye.

I heard one of the passengers ask Mario, our expedition leader, if he ever gets tired of spending so much time on board the ship, so far away from the rest of the world. In response, Mario smiled and pointed to the view from the deck: "Look at this. How can you ever get bored here?" It's true. Just on the third day of the expedition, we spotted two polar bears, saw a pod of beluga whales pass by our zodiac and took a polar plunge. That day offered more highlights than most people would typically get in a year. Isn't this a luxury?

We were sharing our emotions during dinner on the last day on board. "If I could only relive one trip, this would be it," said Miranda, a fellow passenger who has been all over the world. Wow, what a statement! She has visited all continents during her travels, and Svalbard is the trip she would like to repeat. I've spent the last five years travelling as much as possible, and I'm way behind Miranda in this marathon of exploring new destinations. Is this the trip I would relive? It took me a long time to say that I wouldn't want to repeat this exact expedition. Please don't get me wrong. I would most definitely love to join a Svalbard expedition again.

Every polar expedition is unique. On day one of the expedition, even the captain can't predict the itinerary. In the land of ice, nature decides where to guide us in our journey. In a life where everything is scheduled and planned, where we count the calories we eat and the steps we take, where we know exactly what time we need to wake up and which route to take to work – the spirit of adventure is an endangered species. I wouldn't relive this trip because I want to experience the thrill of exploration again.

I said goodbye to Svalbard and took my flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo. My friend picked me up at the airport. The first words she told me were, "What happened? You look like you have sparkles in your eyes! Was it really that good?"

"No – I said – It was better".

The Svalbard expedition cruise was the greatest adventure of my life. I didn't know that leaving it in the past would be so hard. For some reason, nobody talks about getting back to "reality" after having been on an expedition cruise. I read so much about preparing for the trip that I didn't realise that I should've been preparing for life after the expedition.

Returning to the city and being surrounded by concrete instead of glaciers was more challenging than I could have imagined. Sailing around Svalbard was a transformational experience. The expedition helped me to believe more in myself. After all, if I could jump into the Arctic Ocean and look a polar bear in the eye, then there is nothing I couldn't do.

In only 12 days, the polar cruise changed how I see the world. It put into perspective the priorities I had. After visiting Svalbard, I acquired a new appreciation for nature. Every day of the trip, our expedition leader, Mario, would greet us by saying: "Welcome to the most beautiful place in the world… today" he was never wrong. Every place we visited was awe-inspiring in its own way. It got me thinking: how many more amazing places are out there waiting for us while we write emails or watch Netflix?

Of course, I returned to my everyday life, work calls, and social media. I put away my expedition parka and waterproof mittens, but I kept the adventurous spirit in my heart and the sparkles in my eyes.