People react surprisingly similarly to the proposal to go on an excursion to the North Pole: they are surprised, they experience fear, distrust, and awe. After all, most choose the southern and central direction, in extreme cases, the resorts of the Baltic states or Finland. And only a few can proudly say: "I was at the northernmost point of the planet."
Traveling to the North Pole for tourists has become real recently. And, of course, not for the sake of any sights daredevils aspire there. They are simply not there. Someone wants to follow the routes of the great explorers of the north, others go to test themselves and change their lives beyond recognition, having bathed in the cold waters of the North Ocean, to feel completely different, ready for something completely opposite to what it was “before ". Well, someone just wants to see the Arctic and polar bears, and at the same time visit the “top of the planet”.
It is difficult to establish who was the first to come up with excursions to the North Pole. But the Arctic Ocean with its cold islands attracted researchers already millennia ago. Many sailors and geographers have devoted their lives to the search and study of something unknown. As the manuscripts say, for the first time an expedition set off from the city of Massalia to the north under the leadership of Captain Piteas, who lived before our era. Captain Piteas was once known as an astronomer, geographer, and navigator. Upon returning home, he described a strange glow in the sky, the sun that shone after midnight, and huge polar bears. But, unfortunately, no one believed him.
After this, there were many expeditions, but it is impossible to say for sure who the person who first reached the pole was. Different historians present this event in their own way. But in general, the North Pole is only a geographical concept, a point that can be determined using navigation instruments. In fact, in this place lies only a thick layer of ice and nothing more. There is no land, and therefore a person cannot leave any memorial sign about himself: neither a flag, nor a token, nor any other object.
Today, an excursion to the North Pole has become possible for anyone. The most convenient and practical way to get to a point on Earth with coordinates 90 ° 00'00 '' north latitude and not having longitude is a trip on an icebreaker. Typically, such a sightseeing tour starts at a port located close to the Arctic Circle (most often in Helsinki, the capital of Finland). The company organizing such trips brings together international groups from among those wishing to visit the pole.
Traveling to the Arctic on an icebreaker is a regular sightseeing tour. Passengers of the icebreaker can use not only warm and soft cabins and eat well, but also have a great time during the tour: use the gym, pool, dance floor and bar. On board there are satellite communication systems and even helicopters, which are most often not life-saving appliances, but entertaining - you can look at the ice from the air.
However, there is another way to get to the North Pole - skiing. This is where you really have to prove to yourself and to people who are nearby who you really are. Only strong people go on such a serious journey. Not everyone will be able to go hundreds of kilometers on skis, spend the night in tents, drag a sledge weighing a hundred kilograms with things, food and equipment to get to the point where the Earth’s rotation axis “digs” . Everyone is taken on the expedition: those who are well over fifty, and all the guys are fifteen years old. There are no health restrictions - everyone knows that he is not going for a walk. There is no entertainment on such an excursion, except books and chess. The biggest problem is the constant cold, and this is very difficult, especially moral. But people are sure that the experienced "northern guide" will not go astray, but at any time if necessary (illness, frostbite or other extreme circumstances) they will be evacuated to the mainland.
Two completely different ways to get to the pole, but the reaction of the people who did this is exactly the same - delight. When GPS determines the required coordinates, any group of tourists reacts very violently to such an event. Round dances around the earth's axis, a "North Pole" barbecue, dancing, songs, standing on one's head and swimming in ice water. And a sense of pride that he became one of the few chosen ones who visited the northern point of the planet.