“What’s the value of dreams if you don’t try to realise them.” This quote has been under my e-mails for several years now. Two years ago I was looking at it and thought,  but what about my own dream? For years I’ve been thinking about becoming a full time polar expedition guide… Isn’t it time to try to realise that one?

For a lot of people maybe a far fetched dream, but I’ve already been guiding during my  summer holidays for at least the past 10 years, so not completely out of reach for me. I only had to quit my job as a biology teacher at a secondary school… A big step, as I really liked my job there as well. After a try out for one year during unpaid leave from school, I’ve now decided to go for it. If I wouldn’t take this opportunity, I’m sure I’ll regret it later. It’s better to regret something you did (if it was well thought through) as to regret something you didn’t try at all.

This Friday I leave again on the Ortelius for the high Arctic. Looking forward to finding these guys again. This will be the start of 10 months of which I’ll be eight on a ship, taking me from Spitsbergen to South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula, the Ross’ Sea and a few New Zealand sub-antarctic islands.

What’s your dream? And what’s holding you back to realise it?