HX Hurtigruten Expeditions

🌊 Exciting news! We are thrilled to announce our partnership with renowned marine biologist and broadcaster Monty Halls for The Big Blue Bag project! 🐋💙 The innovative citizen science initiative which aims to engage children, families, and communities in marine conservation right here in the UK. Thanks to a donation from the HX Foundation, participants will receive a specially designed "Big Blue Bag" filled with tools to collect vital data on marine health—like microplastic pollution and species biodiversity. The donation will fund a first pilot in the UK, with hopes to make this global. Together, we can make a difference! 🌍✨ Stay tuned for updates on how you can get involved and learn more in protecting our precious waterways and oceans. Read more about the project here: https://ow.ly/hrRo50TCYLj #TheBigBlueBag #MarineConservation #HXExpeditions

🌍 Travel as a Force for Good! 🌍    At the HX Foundation, we believe in the power of tourism to drive positive change. Since 2015, the wider Hurtigruten Foundation has donated over 15 million NOK to projects preserving wildlife, battling marine litter, and empowering local communities across 250 destinations.     Now, we have asked all the Travel Agents aboard our biggest ever FAM trip to become part of that positive impact!    For the first time, on our HX FAM, travel agents were able to participate in the grant allocation process, voting for one of three incredible charities:    · Oceans Initiative – Protecting endangered Southern Resident killer whales.  · Galápagos Conservancy WISE Program – Empowering women entrepreneurs in the Galápagos.  · Blue Corridors Project – Mapping & protecting whale migration routes.    Their selection will help us shape the future of conservation and community support, ensuring that every journey we take leaves a positive legacy.    Let’s continue turning travel into a force for good—together!    #HXFAM2024 #HXFoundation #TourismForGood #Conservation 

Reflecting on an incredible two days of hands-on science with travel advisors on HX’s largest-ever FAM trip!   We took to the water aboard our Science Boat, collecting samples for vital third-party research, a key part of our commitment to science and conservation. Advisors also had the chance to participate in Citizen Science projects, contributing to global initiatives like iNaturalist and NASA's GLOBE Observer — demonstrating how every guest can make a real impact.   It was an honor to share this experience alongside Allison Cusick from FjordPhyto, Dr Julian Mai from Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research and Professor Ari Friedlaender from California Ocean Alliance who exemplify the important research we support.   It’s days like these that remind us how essential science and education are to every HX journey.   #HXFAM2024 #ExpeditionCruising #HurtigrutenExpeditions #ScienceatSea #CitizenScience

Don’t Miss Classic FM’s ‘Race to Antarctica’ with Sue Perkins and HX! ❄ As part of our partnership with Classic FM UK, we’re proud to support an exciting four-part series hosted by celebrity and travel lover Sue Perkins. Join Sue on a captivating musical expedition from the UK to Antarctica, discovering classical music connections across diverse cities, countries, and continents. Tune in every Friday at 9 PM or catch up on Global Player to join us on this extraordinary voyage, discovering iconic destinations like Alaska, Greenland, the Northwest Passage, South America, and the breathtaking Antarctic. This series is the perfect way to take listeners on a mindful musical version of one our expeditions. It's a voyage you won’t want to miss! Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eqiAArAf

I want to personally thank all the #traveladvisors who joined us for HX’s Americas FAM trip—a significant event as we dedicated an entire ship exclusively to the travel trade for the first time.   It was a pleasure meeting so many of you and watching you experience the exceptional service we've delivered for nearly 130 years. With itineraries to over 250 destinations, our commitment to sustainable exploration, and our expert expedition teams balancing science, education, and wonder, we believe we’re offering something truly special for your clients.   This trip was a chance to show how much we value our partnership and underscore the importance of building a future together in the fast-growing #expedition travel segment.   We’re excited to continue this journey with you.   #HXFAM2024 #HurtigrutenExpeditions #HX #TravelAdvisors

Excitement is building! Tomorrow, we set sail from Vancouver on HX’s largest-ever FAM trip. #HXFAM2024 promises to be an unforgettable journey as, for the first time in our history, we’ve reserved a full ship exclusively for the trade, welcoming over 300 travel advisors, media, and guests aboard the hybrid battery-powered MS Fridtjof Nansen. As we sail through Gulf Island National Park Reserve to Seattle, our partners will experience a curated lineup of programming, including insightful lectures and intimate fireside chats hosted by myself, CEO Gebhard Rainer, and Chief Scientist Verena Meraldi. These sessions will explore our adventure-rich itineraries across 250 destinations, our unwavering commitment to sustainable exploration, and our industry-leading Science & Education program. This sailing underscores HX’s commitment to the Americas market and the travel trade. We look forward to welcoming our valued advisors on board and continuing to foster strong partnerships as we shape the future of expedition travel—the fastest-growing segment in the #cruise industry. #ExpeditionCruising #TravelAdvisors #HurtigrutenExpeditions #FAMTrip

📣 New Season Launch 📣 We're proud to mark our 130th season of exploration with our 2026-2027 season lineup. Featuring new itineraries in Antarctica, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and the Galápagos, reflecting the spirit of mindful adventure that has defined us since our inception.     In 1896, we launched the "Sportsman’s Route" to Svalbard, the last inhabited outpost before the North Pole. At a time when only explorers ventured into these remote regions, HX brought travellers to the edge of the world, laying the groundwork for the expedition cruise industry. Now, 130 years later, HX continues this legacy, deepening connections with the people and places central to each destination.    “These are the best destinations done better than ever,” said Alex McNeil, Chief Expedition Officer (CXO). "We're building on over a century of maritime expertise by enhancing local partnerships and community-focused experiences, ensuring a lasting, positive impact wherever we go." Find out more here: https://ow.ly/Wjfc50Tp0hn 

🏆 Another Win 🤩 We're delighted to announce that the HX 'Rapid Response Fund' has won in the Seatrade Cruise Awards in the Expedition Cruise Initiative of the Year Category.   The fund is a specialized grant mechanism that empowers HX ships to take immediate action and give out donations from the HX Foundation if they encounter an urgent need in the local communities we visit. The innovative framework was developed from the experiences of Expedition Leaders and Science Coordinators who interact with local communities throughout HX sailings.   This win also coincides with the launch of the HX Foundation as a dedicated charity - signifying an evolution of the Foundation and a deeper commitment to the 250 destinations we explore.   “We are delighted to formally introduce the HX Foundation,” said Henrik Alexander Lund, Managing Director of the HX Foundation. “This new phase allows us to sharpen our focus on the coastal communities HX visit, ensuring that we can better support their unique needs while continuing to battle issues like plastic waste and wildlife conservation. Our goal is to have a lasting, measurable impact everywhere our ships and guests travel, and we are excited to welcome new applications from around the world.”

Unlocking the Power Citizen Science for Polar Research.   Yesterday I had the honour of presenting our findings at the @SCAR Open Science Conference with Elizabeth Leane from the University of Tasmania (UTAS). This partnership has been key in tapping into UTAS’s ocean conservation expertise and elevating our efforts to harness the power of our Science & Education Program.  In the 2023-24 Antarctic season alone, over 1,600 cruise nights aboard our vessels welcomed 80 researchers working on 30 different projects, and our guests contributed over 23,000 data submissions to citizen science projects! These contributions are invaluable for advancing research in hard-to-reach polar regions where funding and infrastructure are often limited.  But the real beauty of this collaboration is the transformative experience it provides our guests. Preliminary results from our ongoing research with UTAS suggest that many of our guests leave with a deeper understanding of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems—and a renewed commitment to conservation.   This is just the beginning. With the polar expedition industry only scratching the surface of its potential, we’re excited to continue exploring how tourism can be a powerful force for scientific discovery and environmental protection.   I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next!  #PolarResearch #CitizenScience #OceanConservation #TourismForGood #Collaboration #UTAS #ScienceInAction #HXHurtigrutenExpeditions

We're proud to present our project ‘’Exploring the Unseen’’. In partnership with Marine Biologist Dr Manuel Novillo, we used Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) from our hybrid-electric ship MS Roald Amundsen to study the ecosystems of the West Antarctic Peninsula. The footage and samples from the ROVs help with important scientific research led by Dr Novillo to reveal ecosystems hidden deep beneath the Antarctic Ocean. These ROVs also allow guests on our expeditions to explore the environment at a deeper level, sometimes even taking the controls. Learning more about our world and contributing to the science that helps us better understand what an expedition is all about. "Exploring the Unseen" is supported by Hurtigruten Foundation and was shown this week at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference, the world's largest Antarctic science conference. HX’s Chief Scientist, Dr Verena Meraldi, and Tudor Morgan, VP of Sustainability, Guest Learning & Industry Relations were there in person to present.