• Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Follow
  • Destinations
    • Africa
    • Asia
      • China
    • Australia
    • Central America
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • North America
    • South America
    • Oceania
  • Travel Blog
  • Travel Tips
  • World Photos
  • Contact
    • Advertise

The Traveller World Guide | Best Travel Tips and Vacation.

Surviving the Arctic for Idiots

Destinations, Travel Tips - Ross French - February 22, 2013

By: Jessica Kamikaze

I’ve been to the Arctic. Now, you’re probably thinking, “Jessica, you are so incredibly tough to brave such a perilous wasteland of extreme temperatures!” To you, I say: Yes. I am. Or, you may be thinking, “Whatever, it probably wasn’t even winter time and she could wear her stupid dresses the whole time.” To you, I say: Shut up, you big dummy! It was early MARCH and it was between -30  and -40 degrees the whole time and I had to wear PANTS every single day!! Today, friends, I will tell you how to outfit yourself for an Arctic adventure.

Bundled-up-arctic

I will not insult you by telling you that north of the Arctic Circle it’s cold for most of the year. You are perfectly capable of googling the average temperature for any given month. However, unless you’re spending entire days outside in the dead of winter, you don’t have to fear for your life or adorable little limbs. For your super cute Arctic explorer outfit I recommend that you splurge on boots and a jacket (I borrowed both from a more outdoorsy friend). Add some inexpensive snow pants (I know you can get snow pants woven from Teflon and meteors and the blood of brave Arctic explorers, but I was ok in regular, no-name puffy pants). Slip on some fleece gloves with a pair of those waterproof padded mittens on top. I topped my ensemble off with a pink toque and a wooly yellow scarf.

Just for reference, in my outfit I walked to and from work every day (20 minutes) and did a three hour tundra hike one day (by the end I was cold, but not freezing). Also, the kids at the local college were wearing skate shoes, jeans and basic snowboarding jackets – not recommended for non-locals, but my point is that you’re not going to die.

Everyone told me that food would be really expensive in the North; so expensive that you need to bring your own. That is a little misleading. Really expensive things include junk food, pop and frozen prepared foods. Fruits, vegetables and fresh meats are more expensive than home, but it depends on the season and the variety you want. If you’re not a total drama queen, you can find affordable food items. If you’re a fantastic and creative chef extraordinaire, like me, you will have no problem throwing together a pizza night for you and all your companions! Toilet paper is expensive, though. Bring toilet paper.

Also, bring indoor shoes – I recommend fuzzy slippers in the shape of your favourite animal or cartoon character. Wearing winter boots inside is not allowed, but if you’re still in a public place like a school or a health centre, you will want something on your feet.

There’s so much more I could tell you, but I will save it for another post. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks for looking and feeling delightful on your Arctic expedition!

 0 24

Share This Post!

About Author / Ross French

24 Comments

  • lola February 22, 2013 at 2:41 PM

    yeah, my number one tip is DRINK BOOZE. always have a full flask on ya. it keeps me warm anyway.

    Reply
    • Hogga March 23, 2013 at 9:42 AM

      That’s my number on tip for everything!

      Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:13 PM

      Fantastic tip!!!

      Reply
  • Levey February 22, 2013 at 5:03 PM

    WTF you have to bring slippers to wear in public places? I’m apalled, and that takes a lot.

    Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:12 PM

      It’s the best. I’m wearing slippers right now!!

      Reply
  • Gorilla Bananas February 23, 2013 at 10:05 AM

    I never knew toilet paper was expensive in the Artic – I’ll remember that if I ever become a douche salesman.

    Reply
  • Scott - Quirky Travel Guy February 26, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    I am currently wearing giant Goofy slippers purchased from the thrift store, so I am all set for the arctic 🙂

    Reply
    • Hogga March 23, 2013 at 9:43 AM

      HAHA…. I’m OCD about slippers, my feet are ALWAYS cold!

      Reply
  • Scarlett February 27, 2013 at 12:25 PM

    I own giant novelty penguin feet slippers.. would they work? xx

    Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:10 PM

      Those would work perfectly! Though there are no penguins in the arctic. That’s more an Antarctica thing.

      Reply
  • Paul March 1, 2013 at 4:25 AM

    Very cool – where about in the Arctic were you? I can’t imagine how cold it would, sheesh

    Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:11 PM

      I was in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. It’s right where the Mackenzie River meets the Arctic Ocean. It’s a really friendly place!

      Reply
  • Jessie Festa March 4, 2013 at 1:25 PM

    Love the toilet paper tip. That is definitely essential information! 🙂

    Reply
  • Tawny of Captain and Clark March 6, 2013 at 7:37 PM

    Oh, toilet paper. Good to know that I’ll need to smuggle that in whenever we visit!

    Reply
    • Hogga March 23, 2013 at 9:43 AM

      I think it’s good to always travel with an emergency TP roll

      Reply
  • Leigh March 12, 2013 at 3:47 PM

    Love this post and the photo made me laugh. It is amazing what you can survive temperature wise – if you’re dressed for it.

    Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:14 PM

      Totally! I never notice a difference in temperature through my layers…it’s all just COLD.

      Reply
  • Jemma March 23, 2013 at 12:10 AM

    Haha… I love your outfit in the photo above. I hope you’ll post more photos of the Arctic. What animals can we find there?

    Reply
    • Jessica Kamikaze March 25, 2013 at 5:17 PM

      Haha, that’s not a photo of me, but I probably looked a lot like that when I was there. And there are so many animals!! It can be hard to see them because they are elusive but there are foxes, wolves, bears (grizzly and polar bears, but not that many), whales (narwhals! belugas!), caribou and I think even moose sometimes. But it really depends where in the Arctic you are.

      Reply
  • Leah April 9, 2013 at 9:21 PM

    Toilet paper is expensive everywhere, especially if you buy the kind that doesn’t chap your ass. Why is it so expensive? It’s paper for god’s sake. It’s not even close to the quality of wedding invites. I can only imagine the cost in the Artic. That really chaps my ass…so to speak.

    Reply
  • Victor Tribunsky July 4, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    It is cold in Arctic! Are you kidding or what?
    If seriously, it is very funny story, and tips; I was reading with pleasure.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  • sanchezmark January 20, 2014 at 12:13 AM

    Young Sam Branson, experiencing his first dog sled expedition, learning about sled dogs, about climate change in the Arctic, about the Inuit culture, and about surviving the cold, journals his adventure. The journal includes excerpts from the journals of others sharing this expedition, directed by explorer Will Steger. Arctic Diary shares Sam’s remarkable opportunity as he lives it

    Reply
  • Marysia @ My Travel Affairs January 31, 2014 at 7:19 AM

    I support the idea of drinking! And drinking proper spirits, they keep your body warm and your mind smiling lol

    Reply
  • agrario game download September 1, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for info approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the greatest I have found
    out so far. But, what concerning the bottom line?
    Are you sure in regards to the supply?

    Reply
  • Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Previous Post
    Next Post

    About Me

    About Me

    Ross French grew up outside Toronto, blah blah… he went to the University of Western Ontario for fine arts and like any degree, has since done nothing in that field. More seriously, Ross French is a travel junkie & a tech nerd with a slightly concerning love for beer & wine. he a has a great awareness of life outside the 9-5 and hopes to aspire to be a hammock bum one day.

    More

    Hand Picked Posts

    • Ways to Eat Like a Local Travel Blog, Travel Tips

      8 Ways to Eat Like a Local No Matter Where You Go

      March 23, 2023
    • Maldives Asia, Travel Blog

      How to see the Maldives like a local

      March 21, 2023
    • Sun Shine Quotes Travel Tips

      150 Inspiring Sun Shine Quotes to Brighten Your Day and Light Up Your Life!

      March 18, 2023
    • Fund Your Retirement Travel Blog, Travel Tips

      Best Practices for Using Home Equity to Fund Your Retirement So You Can Travel

      March 15, 2023
    • Things to Do in Vancouver Canada, Travel Blog, Travel Tips

      Top 30 Things to Do in Vancouver, Canada in 2023

      March 11, 2023

    • Ways to Eat Like a Local
      8 Ways to Eat Like a Local No Matter Where You Go
    • Maldives
      How to see the Maldives like a local
    • Sun Shine Quotes
      150 Inspiring Sun Shine Quotes to Brighten Your Day and Light Up Your Life!
    • Fund Your Retirement
      Best Practices for Using Home Equity to Fund Your Retirement So You Can Travel
    • Things to Do in Vancouver
      Top 30 Things to Do in Vancouver, Canada in 2023

    Follow me on Twitter

    Tweets by @worldguideblog

    Alison is a creative soft blog theme made with by angrygorilla. Shared by Themes24x7