https://wandereatwrite.com/how-i-got-paid-to-live-in-antarctica/
Sharing how I got paid to live in Antarctica, how to get a job on the ice, and everything you need to know about life at McMurdo Station. With a lot of Bourdain quotes.
After six years of finding jobs that would pay me to travel the world, I was determined to somehow get paid to live in Antarctica, too– the final frontier and the last continent in my quest to visit all seven continents and sail through the Seven Seas.
The view on top of Observation Hill at McMurdo Station
It was only after seeing Anthony Bourdain’s trip down to “the ice” (Antarctica) on Parts Unknown (go ahead, roll your eyes; I have no shame) that I realized it was possible to see the white continent the same way I’d seen the rest of this planet: with a paycheck.
Related: 7 Continents & 7 Seas: How I Got Paid to Travel the World
Tony inspired a lot of people with that Antarctica episode– not just me– to see and experience life on the ice.
Now nearly four years into my ice career, I hope this guide serves to inspire and encourage the next; to spark an interest in the mesmerizing, unique, and last untouchable place on this planet that is Antarctica.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
While there are a select handful of tourist expeditions that offer overnight experiences in Antarctica, the only people who actually live on the ice are those working at research facilities.
If you work at one of the research stations in Antarctica, you can live on the ice for approximately up to a year and a half at a time before you need to go off continent for a few weeks.
Internationally, there are currently 43 active permanent research stations operating year-round in Antarctica with an additional 50 facilities with seasonal operations in the summer (as of 2020).
The United States has three permanent research stations in Antarctica: