Anita Speier

"When I saw Antarctica for the first time I remember thinking ‘This is out of this world, it doesn't seem real - the dimension of the experience, the moving beauty, the experience of untouched wilderness, the wildlife interactions'."

I've worked in the Antarctic travel industry since early 2019, wearing different hats. I started with Spirit of Sydney Expeditions then as Ground Operations Manager for Intrepid Travel's Antarctic Program. In this role I coordinated all ground logistics for our 200 passengers and expedition staff. I hosted meet-and-greet sessions and built a local team in Ushuaia.

While working in Antarctic tourism, I was able to meet many of the Chimu sales reps, managers and other key stakeholders. Chimu stood out as a responsible company, with B-Corp values and a big interest in promoting sustainable travel and fostering positive impacts in the places they travel to, so I’m proud to now be part of the team.

I am from Latin America and have visited much of the continent, including Argentinean Patagonia, Costa Rica and Brazil. I lived in Uruguay for four years, visited Chile a few times, and also visited Colombia and Nicaragua. I've stayed in lovely posadas in different parts of Brazil on holidays and also lived out of Ushuaia for work, exploring most of its hikes and tours. I travelled with a group through Peru, seeing the highlights of Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu.  

My favorite destination in Latin America is El Chalten, Argentina. I love the fact that you only need to book accommodation and then you can explore by foot. It's just easy and beautiful with its dramatic mountain peaks like Fitzroy. Buzzling with climbers going on expeditions to climb these mountains, I get a feeling of adventure from this place. I have stayed for weeks just going on multi day hikes and sport climbing and still feel I have not seen it all.

I have a passion for travel, having travelled to the United States, including staying in Montana for a couple of months and exploring Glacier National Park. I lived in Traverse City Michigan as a teenager for 6 months and visited Miami, NYC, Chicago, Philly and skied in Denver, Colorado. I've also been able to travel to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Spain, France, and Austria.

I’m so excited to help you plan an amazing adventure to Latin America or Antarctica! A few of my top tips for travellers include:

-Do a multi-day hike in Peru
-Try to get loads of time off, because there is so much to see
-Remember to bring sea sickness medication and remain flexible with your itinerary
-Peruvian food is my favourite - be sure to try Ceviche, Anticucho, Causa and Lomo Saltado
-Don’t miss out on the opportunity to do the Polar Plunge- you won’t regret it!