{"id":61408,"date":"2023-06-09T03:02:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T17:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=61408"},"modified":"2025-03-12T22:16:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T11:16:20","slug":"how-visiting-antarctica-with-his-parents-changed-this-solo-travellers-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/how-visiting-antarctica-with-his-parents-changed-this-solo-travellers-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"How visiting Antarctica with his parents changed this solo traveller\u2019s perspective\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After recovering from back-to-back health scares \u2013 a heart attack and then thyroid cancer \u2013 Leslie Latchman, 60, suddenly started talking about bucket lists. With family ties in Jamaica and India, he\u2019s no stranger to travel, but in recent years his travel plans have gotten bigger and taken him further. Topping his list: Antarctica. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leslie\u2019s travel-savvy son Les, 29, was game to join him. His wife of 38 years, Kamla, was less enthusiastic. She’d much rather go somewhere hot. But they booked three spots on an 11-day Best of Antarctica adventure<\/a> aboard Intrepid’s Ocean Endeavour, and, true to form, Kamla started organising.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018My mum was really not that keen to go, to be honest,\u2019 says Les. \u2018She hates the cold. But if the last few years have taught our family anything, it\u2019s that life is short. My parents are now on a mission to make the most of their time together and see the world while they\u2019re still physically able.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kamla wrapped up warm for Zodiac trips<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The adventure begins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So in November 2022, they set sail. From their base off the coast of the icy continent, Les and his parents would often split up to explore and join activities \u2013 kayaking between icebergs, whale-watching from a Zodiac, waddling among penguin colonies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I did the polar plunge<\/a> \u2013 that was wicked,\u2019 says Les. We sailed into the crater of a collapsed volcano, called Deception Island, to do it. It was freezing, obviously. And afterwards we all had a vodka shot as the spectators cheered; that was a highlight for me.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Head first for the polar plunge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Bit chilly, Les?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
‘Enough with the photos – where’s my towel?’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the end of each day, they’d meet up for dinner and share their tales from the day. Five days in, Les asked his parents how things were going. \u2018My dad said, \u201cit’s amazing, beyond expectations,\u201d\u2019 Les recounts. \u2018I asked my mum, and she was looking at the menu. She slowly brought it up to cover her face and just started crying.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s like that when you’re out there, he says. It’s just overwhelming emotion. In tears, Kamla told him it was unlike anything she’d ever seen before.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kamla and Leslie with their expedition leader<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d assumed Antarctica would be quite desolate. But in reality it\u2019s teeming with wildlife. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Expect the unexpected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even for experienced traveller Les, surprises lay at every turn. \u2018I\u2019d assumed Antarctica<\/a> would be quite desolate. Very beautiful, quiet and serene,’ he says. ‘But in reality it\u2019s teeming with wildlife. From albatrosses tracking the ship, to whales breaching constantly, penguins launching themselves out of the water to avoid being caught by hunting seals \u2013 there’s so much action\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Intrepid kayakers observe a penguin colony from the water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Penguins are abundant in Antarctica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
As are their predators<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018And the landscape isn\u2019t a flat, white sheet \u2013 it’s incredibly mountainous, with peaks over 3000 metres jutting out of the sea like daggers. It\u2019s all so dramatic and our expectations were blown out of the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shift in perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Someone came up to me one day and said, \u201cI can’t believe you’re travelling with your parents,”\u2019 Les says. \u2018And then they said, \u201cI wish I could experience Antarctica with my parents.\u201d I realised then that I\u2019d probably taken the whole thing for granted. For us to have made this trip happen for my dad really was incredible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kamla and Leslie take a selfie on the icy continent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I’ve done a lot of solo travelling in my life, because I’m quite single-minded at times, and I’m not going to wait for anybody… But travelling by yourself can be quite lonely, and I don’t think it’s as enriching as when you travel with people. Dad has his sights on the Arctic now, so who knows, maybe we\u2019ll go together. Making more memories with people that I love, that’s number one on my bucket list now.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Itching to go (with your parents or otherwise)? Check out Intrepid’s Antarctica expeditions for 2023 and beyond<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antarctica is the ultimate bucket list destination \u2013 and, as Intrepid traveller Les found out, all the more memorable when experienced with loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15098,"featured_media":61419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3108],"tags":[105],"class_list":["post-61408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-good-stories","tag-antarctica","ipf_theme-polar","ipf_region-antarctica"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat it's like to visit Antarctica with your 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