How we research
Every number on this site comes from a source you can open yourself.
Where facts come from
We start from primary sources and save a copy of each page with the date we read it:
- Operators' own voyage, ship and terms pages for itineraries, prices, ship sizes and what is included.
- The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) for visitor rules and tourism numbers.
- The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat for site guidelines at landing sites.
- Governments, including the Governor of Svalbard, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Visit Greenland.
- Science bodies, such as national Antarctic programs, the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International, for wildlife and climate figures.
Each page lists its sources at the bottom, numbered to match the notes in the text.
We write from these sources, not from our own trips. When a page describes a ship or a voyage, it reports what the operator publishes and what the rules require, side by side with the alternatives, so you can compare like for like.
How we check
Every page goes through a second, separate review before it is published. The reviewer re-checks each fact against the saved source, checks that the page answers the question it sets out to answer, and rejects pages that repeat operator marketing. A page that fails stays unpublished.
How we use AI
We use AI tools for much of the work: gathering sources, comparing them, drafting text and the first review. They work to written rules. Every figure must match a source we saved and cite, the review is a separate pass that re-checks claims against those sources, and a page that fails stays unpublished. We do not use AI images of real places; photos are real and credited. If you spot an error, the correction form at the bottom of every page comes straight to us.
How we keep it current
Prices and departure dates change every season. We recheck them at least every 90 days, and each page shows the date its facts were last checked. Prices are shown in the operator's own currency, as the lowest published fare per person, so they are easy to compare with the operator's site.
What we will not do
- Take payment for coverage, placement or verdicts.
- Let an operator review a page before it is published.
- Rank or recommend a trip because a link to it earns us money.