Airbnb Is Offering a Lucky Few a Month-Long Trip to Antarctica

Ever wanted to explore Antarctica while helping the planet? Airbnb and Ocean Conservancy are searching for five curious individuals to to join Antarctic scientist Kirstie Jones-Williams, for a research trip this December.

The Antarctic Sabbatical’s mission is to bring increased awareness to global climate change and the huge impact humans have on the growing crisis. With the primary area of focus being plastic pollution, the “citizen scientists” will participate in a packed schedule of informative projects designed to strategize how the human community can protect the planet.

“Most people think of Antarctica as a pristine and isolated continent, but recent evidence shows that even the most remote locations are affected by plastic pollution. This expedition will help us understand the pathways of microplastics to remote regions such as Antarctica and comes at a critical time to highlight our responsibility to protect our natural world,” said Jones-Williams. “This expedition will be hard work, with scientific rigour required during unforgiving wintery conditions. We are looking for passionate individuals, with a sense of global citizenship, who are excited to be a part of the team and to return home and share our findings with the world.”

Over the month-long expedition, citizen scientists will attend an immersion training in Punta Arenas, Chile, where they will prepare themselves with courses on glaciology and field sampling as well as lab work and equipment practice before traveling to Antarctica to begin their excursion. They’ll have the opportunity to collect snow samples from the interior of Antarctica and study them for microplastics to determine how far waste and pollution has traveled across the world, visit the South Pole (where they can walk around the globe in just a few steps), and plenty of other once-in-a-lifetime activities with purpose.

Interested parties can submit their applications through Tuesday, October 8 by visiting airbnb.com/sabbatical.