About Amanda

I’m Amanda Cahill, an independent polar travel advisor based in Valatie, New York. I help travelers plan trips to Antarctica, the Arctic and Alaska, and I’m happiest somewhere cold, dressed for it, with something wild to look at.

The Person Least Likely to Be Seen at the Beach

When I was 18, my mom told me it was embarrassing to take me to the beach. I didn’t like being hot and sweaty with sand stuck to me, and I couldn’t go in the ocean without getting incredibly itchy. Only recently did a dermatologist give it a name: seabather’s eruption. Being too hot makes me cranky. Give me a cold place, the right preparation and proper clothing, and I’m in my element.

Alaska Changed Everything

Alaska was a place I thought I would never see. When I finally went in 2023, it changed the entire trajectory of my life, and it’s the reason I became a travel advisor.

Svalbard, Solo

In May 2026, I sailed to Svalbard on my own with Quark Expeditions. I saw the Arctic ice pack, polar bears and Svalbard reindeer up close. I can still smell the walrus haul-out, and it makes me want to go back and experience it again and again.

The Quiet You Can’t Explain

The polar regions are so diverse and epic that it’s hard not to fall in love with them. Each place offers wildly different wildlife and landscapes, and a kind of quiet you can’t explain. Sitting in a Zodiac with the engine turned off, floating through a fjord while the wildlife checks you out, the silence hits different.