Antarctica Adventure

At 2 a.m., most people are fast asleep. But Debbie Paseur was wide awake, scrolling through her phone, when fate intervened in the form of an email from Quark Expeditions.

“I saw that you clicked a link sometime back for Antarctica,” wrote expedition consultant Olivia Zimmerman. Without hesitation, Debbie called and left a voicemail in the middle of the night. Her mission: to surprise her daughter Jenna with the trip of a lifetime to the world’s last wilderness.

The Last Frontier Calls

For years, a well-worn National Geographic magazine about Antarctica had lived on Debbie’s coffee table. “I mean, who gets to go to Antarctica?” she wondered.

Both women were seasoned travelers who had conquered five continents by 2017, but Antarctica represented something different. Including their first trip to South America, this would be continents six and seven, Jenna explained. “And there’s something about going to Antarctica... it’s kind of like the last wilderness.”

For Debbie, who suffers mobility challenges, the trip represented the ultimate surprise. “I thought, where's the one place that I could take her that she would never dream of being able to go?”

When Debbie explained her situation to Olivia – “I am older. I am disabled. I am determined, Olivia, to get my daughter to Antarctica. But I’m also limited in funds,” – the consultant worked magic, securing a great deal. The secret? 

“We did this all in two months. So we got a last-minute deal,” Jenna explained. “If you're flexible in your departure dates, you can get really good deals to Antarctica within eight weeks.”

For Jenna, who was pursuing photography, Antarctica offered the perfect opportunity for wildlife photography in one of the world’s most pristine settings.

Adélie penguins pick up pebbles, preparing to give them to their mate before mating season begins. (Photo: Jenna Paseur)

Secrets and Surprises

Living in the same house, Debbie conducted whispered phone calls with Olivia, carefully planning while Jenna remained oblivious.

“I had already given up on that idea of going to Antarctica,” Jenna recalled. “And then one day, she’s like, ‘So, Antarctica.’ And I thought we were just going to have a conversation, which was going to end in us not going. And then it turned out that she had been working behind the scenes to book a trip.”

Within weeks, they were flying to Argentina using accumulated points and miles, then boarding their expedition ship in Ushuaia.

First Glimpse of Another World

The Drake Passage welcomed them with unusually calm conditions. “The captain told me later... We’re calling it ‘the Drake Lake’ because we’re not getting thrown about so much,” Debbie recalled. This stroke of luck got them to Antarctica half a day early.

Debbie’s transcendent moment came under the star-filled sky over the Drake Passage with her traditional travel hot chocolate. “I still get chill bumps when I think about it, the stars and the constellations and the black sky, and just such clean air... that’s what it reminded me of, when Star Wars first came out.”

For Jenna, revelation arrived when crew members opened their porthole. “For me, when we woke up in Antarctica, it was them opening the portholes and looking out for the first time, and all I saw was just massive mountains coming right out of the ocean. It was amazing.”

The expedition ship and penguins from a hill on the first Zodiac landing. (Photo: Jenna Paseur)

Life in an Icy Village

Their ship carried 198 other souls, creating an intimate community. This smaller size proved crucial: “If your ship has over 200 people, you can’t actually land on the continent,” Jenna explained. 

The ship was like a little village populated by experts, Jenna said. “It wasn't like a luxury cruise. It was really an expedition. There were glaciologists, marine biologists, historians.”

Best of all was a photographer who has since joined the team of National Geographic. For Jenna, this was invaluable. “He gave me a lot of really good tips, which really, really helped,” she recalled. 

Close Encounters and Conservation Awakening

Antarctica’s natural world revealed itself in all its glory. The clarity and freshness of the air and the water, the abundance of the wildlife, the amazement of 24 hours of daylight – all of it put the two women in another dimension. Peering over the side of the boat into the water was a revelation unto itself.

“I could see 100 feet down; the water was amazingly clear. It’s just so pristine,” Jenna marveled. The icebergs were mesmerizing: “When you look down off the zodiac, you can see how it expands, almost like the roots of a tree. It’s incredible.”

Conservation education is a core part of the expedition's focus, and it transformed both women. “Before I went, I was not as focused on that as I probably should have been,” Jenna admits. “There were no water bottles. They gave us a reusable water bag. Plastic was generally not used very much.”

“I started looking at the way that people care for Antarctica as the way we should probably care for most of the world. So it was life-changing in that way, for sure.”

Debbie steering the ship after bidding on the experience, with Mr. Bill – the small SNL figurine she’s taken to every continent – at the controls. (Photo: Jenna Paseur)

The Great Ship-Steering Caper

The crew held a conservation auction during the cruise, and Debbie found herself bidding against a British gentleman for the chance to steer the ship. When the price climbed too high, she employed her best persuasive powers.

“I got down on my knees and I crawled over to him and said, 'Please, please stop bidding. I want to do this so badly,’” she recalled. Then she made her case with characteristic Southern charm, promising to return the favor if he ever visited Houston and appealing to the spirit of hospitality at the “southernmost part of the globe.” Her heartfelt plea worked, and they agreed to split the experience.

When Debbie's turn came, the Russian captain was delighted. She made a ship-wide announcement: “I said, from Texas, to all over the globe, I just need to say yippee-ki-yay. Y'all take that with you.”

Her companion for this triumph? Mr. Bill, the small Saturday Night Live figurine she'd found in Edinburgh for “maybe 50 American cents” and taken to every continent. The captain recognized the character. “He said, ‘I'm truly loving Mr. Bill here.’”

When Adventure Meets Reality

Despite mobility challenges, Debbie never let physical limitations dim her spirit. When she slipped on black ice, her rescue became a cherished memory. “Out of nowhere, running towards me were three men... these guys were muscular, good-looking, like firemen,” she recalled.

The German crew member was particularly gallant. Debbie mimicked his deep German accent as the two laughingly recalled the exchange: “He said, ‘Miss Paseur, I’m going to now lift you into the air with my arms and put your head at my chest.’ And he said, ‘Are you okay with this?’ And I said, ‘Oh, gee, let me think.’ Yeah, that’ll be okay.”

For anyone with concerns, Jenna offers encouragement: “If somebody is thinking that maybe they can’t go because of issues like that, they even told us that there was a guy who was wheelchair-bound, and even he went.”

SMALL BOATS, BIG VIEWS An Antarctic mountain rising from the sea with fellow passengers on Zodiac cruises. (Photo: Jenna Paseur)

A Mother’s Gift

The trip’s most profound impact was on their relationship. “I think it made us closer,” Jenna reflects. “There was no internet. So we couldn’t be scrolling our phones. We really spent a lot of quality time together.”

Late one night, Debbie experienced a moment that crystallized the journey's meaning. “I looked over and Jenna was asleep. And I was just watching her sleep... And I thought, here we are in Antarctica and this is my baby. And I’ve been able to bring her to one of the most incredible places in the world... and I surprised her with it.

“I said, thank you. Thank you for letting us get here. It was like a blessing. Everything fell into place, whether it was the money, the timing, everything.”

Transformation in the Ice

Both women returned fundamentally changed. “Going to Antarctica really reminded me that we’re just another species on Earth, and we’ve got to really take care of this planet,” Jenna explains. “That was probably the biggest way that it changed me.”

Debbie’s change was equally profound. “I came back thinking of myself more as a steward of the Earth rather than just a passive participant in the environment. It was probably the most joyous, peaceful, and beautiful moment of my life.”

Their memories serve a deeper purpose. As Jenna explains: “These are long-term memories that we’re creating. It’s something that we’ll always remember.”

The Last Word

Antarctica remains exclusive – “less than 5 percent of the people on the planet have been there,” Debbie noted. For the Paseur women, it represented the culmination of a mother’s love and the power of shared adventure to deepen bonds across generations.

“It absolutely brought us closer because we were in an environment where we had to be present. We had to be in the moment, totally different from Houston where you have everything at your fingertips all the time.”

In a world where experiences trump possessions, their Antarctic adventure proves that the most precious gifts can't be wrapped – they must be lived, together, at the ends of the Earth. Sometimes with a small figurine named Mr. Bill, who has now seen all seven continents and helped steer a ship through the world's last wilderness.

Tips from Our Travelers

By Debbie and Jenna Paseur

Worth the splurge: Go 2-3 days early, stay at a nice hotel, enjoy Buenos Aires at night! 

Don’t miss: A real tango in Buenos Aires, and the beef! Buying a tourmaline. Walking through the main square in Ushuaia. Lemaire Channel, watching or participating in the polar plunge, Deception Island

Favorite restaurants: El Sanjuanino for empanadas in Buenos Aires. Any Churrascaria. Coffee bars!

Currency exchange: US Dollar is okay in most locations. If you choose to do exchanges – do them before you leave. 

Packing: Minimal as possible. Travel-size toiletries. Moisturizers! Hand and foot warmers. Completely waterproof pants (you can't go ashore without them), three base layers, waterproof glove liners to take off your outer gloves but still be warm when you want to shoot with your camera. Balaclava for facial warmth on the Zodiacs, a warm hat, two warm scarves, a swimsuit for the polar plunge, waterproof camera bag, waterproof backpack.

Don’t bring: Anything you would be devastated if you lost it. Anything that makes your bag overweight for the charter flight – they weigh your luggage and you'll have to leave things at the airport. 

Don’t forget: Camera with multiple lenses, specifically a telephoto lens, and extra batteries, memory cards, and battery charger. Adapters South America specific.

Avoid this local scam: Unlicensed taxis

Local favorite: Penguins in Antarctica, a tango experience in Buenos Aires, steak and chimichurri, Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires

Safety tip: Arrange travel within Buenos Aires through your hotel – they will find reliable drivers.

Not really worth the trouble: Arranging your own way to Ushuaia; let your expedition company do that. 

Beware travel rating scams: Look at multiple sites for hotel and restaurant reviews. Some people are compensated for good reviews – check Google, not just Yelp. 

Unexpected hit: Going to an art exhibition in a gorgeous colonial-era post office (the Kirchner Cultural Centre).