North Pole & Greenland adventure on Ponant icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot.

[@diannehavelberg5875]

Wow what a trip thank you for taking us along on your wonderfull holiday hope we see more so enjoyable❤

[@nextleveloz]

@@diannehavelberg5875 It’s a stunning place and so different. As always we love sharing and we know it’s a lot different from what we have been sharing over the past 18 months. Hopefully the van travel subscribers enjoy it and hopefully we might also get some shares so some others who don’t share our love of the van travel might also enjoy this bucket list location. We wanted to share this just because it is interesting and just maybe we could raise a but more for Legacy and RFDS. There is a lot more speccy scenery to come and we didn’t know of we would get to see polar bears and when, but we were surprised.Thanks again, we really appreciate the watch and comment as always. Cheers

[@kathrynyates8811]

Great video. Love the adventure travel both here and overseas

[@nextleveloz]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for watching and the comment. As we've had some issues with this vid, can you give me any feedback about when you first saw it? Was it because we alerted it? Or just come up in your home list ? Or because there is a lot on, is it that you've only just had a chance to see it? All are good either way and we really appreciate the feedback. All the best.

[@ClareMcDonald-i1c]

Definitely on our bucket list 👌 Thanks for sharing.

[@nextleveloz]

@@ClareMcDonald-i1c Thanks for watching. It’s amazing and hope you enjoy the next episodes. Appreciate the comment. Cheers

[@johnskillen734]

Oh wow, this looks like an amazing adventure, great first episode amd looking forward to the next

[@nextleveloz]

@@johnskillen734 Stay tuned mate. I know it’s a bit different and we will be back on the road in Australia before too long but this adventures and scenery was too good not to share. It’s causing a few issues on the channel though because it’s not being recommended to the usual audience and of course if it doesn’t get views it doesn’t get recommended wider, so we’re trying to work it out because those who have got it have all given good feedback so far so hopefully we can work out how to get those who don’t have notifications on to see it so they can decide rather than the algorithm. Anyway that’s my challenge. All the best and hope all at Sulbrick Farm is well.

[@duncanm6589]

Excellent video and editing. Looks like some amazing war memorial displays. Amazing scenery on the ship. Thanks for sharing your trip.

[@nextleveloz]

@@duncanm6589 Thanks for watching and the lovely feedback. Those War Graves and the associated museums are a touching tribute. They get us emotionally every time we go near one. The scenery around the ship is about to get so much better, so please stay tuned and hope you enjoy the next episodes. Stay safe and thanks again.

[@duncanm6589]

@@nextleveloz thanks, yes looking forward to the rest of the trip and updates.

[@kerryferrari226]

We want to do the war memorials in France, thanks for sharing. Very emotional watching.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Those battlefield War Graves cemeteries are moving and they get us every time. So sad and its was all carnage and war is never good - even in the rare times its just - but the sacrifice and waste warrants us Never Forgetting. If you get a chance you can easily spend a week in that part of France from Verdun - which is largely French , right up to Flanders and Ypres, Belgium (we didn’t have that time this trip), but we’d always suggest Australians try to get to V-B, Hamel and Mont St Quentin which are all a short drive from Amiens. If you have an extra day or two then Fromelles and further. In fact mix pleasure with a solemn hat tip to the fallen diggers and you aren’t far from Champagne country. Thanks again. We hope you enjoy this short series even though it’s not our usual content. Cheers

[@jenniferthompson4336]

What an amazing trip your having, thanks for sharing.

[@nextleveloz]

@@jenniferthompson4336 Thank you for the lovely comment. Yes, it’s stunning and we hope you and others enjoy it even though it’s very different to our Big Lap van adventures. We are hoping people stick with it, knowing we will be back for more van adventures before too long and of course if people 👍 and subscribe and maybe even share if they know others might enjoy something a bit different then we can also send some more money off to charity as 100% of our KZbin ad revenue goes to Legacy and RFDS. All the best and thank you. We really weren’t sure what people might make of this new, short series with a difference. Cheers

[@paulwilliams6424]

Welcome back we love your KZbin’s around Australia and this one was amazing can’t wait for the next episode

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks so much. That’s great to hear and glad you found it ok and enjoyed it. It’s a magic place and indeed so is, in their tragic ways, the War Graves we got to visit on the way. The next leg is even more amazing. Keep an eye out on Sunday and hope we can do it justice. cheers

[@nextleveloz]

@@paulwilliams6424 P.S have you guys got your new van yet?

[@goeffburdon7351]

great video guy's looking forward to the next one ⛄

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and stay tuned. The scenery and action is only just beginning. cheers

[@damianvears4149]

Loved the France cemeteries and how respectful you guys were. High on our next os trip wish list. The North pole was just amazing. ❤❤❤

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you. The War Graves Commission do a sterling job and the French respect for the sites is amazing. You could spend weeks along the whole front and up into Belgium. We only had a short stopover this time and particularly wanted to go to those sites because they’ve been updated since we were there over 30 years ago - and in Fromelles case that cemetery didn’t exist at all then. The North Pole and Greenland scenery and activities is going to get better. As we said, we know this is different but really hope people who’ve followed our adventures do get something out of it also. All the best and thanks again. cheers David

[@jeetts59]

Wonderful interesting video. Very skilled editing.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and the feedback. It is much appreciated. This is a very different vid for us compared to our last series. So quite unsure about it. If you found it interesting, perhaps you. Might not mind sharing it on your social media or send the link to friends and help us raise a little bit of money from the ad revenue to charity including Legacy which seems appropriate for that part where we visited the Somme Battlefields. Thanks again and safe travels.

[@michaelnugara1]

Forskinspark 😂 Might give that a miss. Loved the episode and thanks for sharing.

[@nextleveloz]

@@michaelnugara1 😖😖😫😓🤣🤪😂 Yes. I wasn’t in a rush to go there! It’s Nordic for Science Park as it works out, but how were we to know ? Thanks for the feedback. The feedback has been very positive and those who are seeing it are watching more than usual, so we are looking forward to the next share, but for some reason the youtube algorithm isn’t putting it to peoples youtube accounts anywhere near the regular level of recommends we get (about a third the number of recommendations as usual) so we’re worried people aren’t getting it and it’s impacting views and view time. So please don’t forget to like if you haven’t already done so and maybe share to people who you might think will enjoy it as we try to get more eyeballs on it and views while we try to work out if we’ve done something wrong or the “key words” are impacting search etc. It’s a problem when you aren’t professional youtubers and don’t work all the channels and this can affect what youtube do to recommend future episodes - so we have to try to work it out (assuming of course it’s not just us or lack of interest 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️. But it’s great that the people who have seen it have given positive feedback. So we hope and think it’s just the temporary change of topic. All the best and the next episode is looking really good 🤞🤞 as we finalised the editing. At least we think so.

[@robyndehavilland1609]

Wow, so exciting and some spectacular scenery already. Adventure and luxury at the same time. Really looking forward to the next episode 😊😊😊😊

[@nextleveloz]

Thankyou. The scenery gets so much more spectacular. Yes it's luxe, probably much more than we seek. There's only two passenger ships that can get there and one really isn't a passenger ship - the Russian nuclear commercial icebreaker 50 year of Victory. It's not really accessible to the West at the moment, it's not much cheaper and it only goes to and from the North Pole - not the other spectacular locations we hope to to get to. But if you like it, we are asking people to consider sharing with others who might not be as interested in our loved van travels but might like this trip with a difference. And then we get to send some more charity money off to Legacy and RFDS. Either way, we hope you enjoy it and thank you for your ongoing follows and lovely comments. We really appreciate it. cheers

[@heathvamp1711]

Love it

[@nextleveloz]

@@heathvamp1711 Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it and we appreciate the watch and feedback. It’s a brilliant place. cheers

[@dianafraser6915]

Found the video very interesting thankyou

[@nextleveloz]

That’s great. Thanks for watching. Something a bit different for us for sure. We think the next leg is really good so stay tuned. All the best and thanks for the feedback. cheers

[@Wilbargosh]

Very interesting. Your vessel was much nicer than a P&O Tiki tour. Only saw one Ad at the very end for Budget Direct?

[@nextleveloz]

Its a very nice vessel and a small ship so far fewer passengers which is ideal for expedition type travel - but its very luxe as well. More luxe even than our Antarctic voyage with the same company on a smaller ship (we think we like smaller - but of course this is the balance between all the factors AND and icebreaker). Only one ad? Curious. We don't control that (we can but as we do want to raise some money for charity we accept the ads part of it). But normally there would be at least 2 ad breaks in a vid that length - assuming you're talking aboutnthe main vid and not this update which I haven't monetised because it was more important to alert viewers to the issue, so we could raise more money in the main vids. Thanks for watching and the comment and hope you stick with the series. All the best.

[@cmdavey]

Another fantastic video! The first part was so moving and respectful, thank you! The quality of the video and the editing is amazing. Looking forward to the next part. Can I ask what time of year this is? I had no idea the seas could be so smooth!

[@nextleveloz]

Wow, thank you! While this adventure is clearly a bit different it just so happened we had to travel through France to join the expedition. And with our natural interest and the fact Legacy is one of our preferred charities - we wanted to make the time for the diversion to pay our respects. If you like it please like and maybe even share with others you think might enjoy that part or the wider adventure and that might help us send a few more dollars off to Legacy and RFDS as 100% of our ad KZbin revenue goes to charity. This was July-August and summer is the only time you can get into some of the places this adventure is heading toward. We had a good run with seas, the ship is very stable (but the ice crunching can upset the balance for those prone to sea sickness… keep watching!). While the ice free part of the Arctic Ocean can be very exposed of course, and even the sea ice moves and shifts and drifts with currents, the ice of course also helps flatten the water itself. But that particular day with the sun out and near glass smooth seas and building ice flows was like a dream. The weather changes in future episodes as we expected - and the ship crew told us that particular day is quite rare. All the best and thanks again.

[@peterbullen3347]

I have a question, do these ships not break the ice up and affect the polar bear's habitat and ability to move around??

[@nextleveloz]

It’s a good question. The bears operate from ice flow to ice flow during this period, they are very good swimmers and they are hunting seals as their main prey. There are very few ships in this region and the icebreakers actually try to go for natural channels or even paths broken by them and the other ship previously. So it’s not willy nilly. While the bears aren’t actually at the very thickest ice near the pole - but they can operate there. They are in a bit of belt broadly online and just above the land masses - but they head out to the pack ice (hundreds of km offshore). Charcot belongs to an association of polar tourism which outlines standards they should some ti all sorts of environmental considerations. So, for example we disinfect our boots after each landing and we vacuum and inspect outer layers to avoid spreading grasses, seeds and contaminants. The channel this ship carves is only the width of the ship. I can only pint to the fact the polar bears while curious, and approach with caution, don’t get spooked for the most part. One did on this cruise, eight didn’t. The ship goes silent and invariably it’s up to the bear how close they want to come. The ship won’t chase them. Same with whales. The ship will get to where they can be seen and parallel then etc and slow and even stop and sometimes the whales get close. By far the biggest impact with ice formation, thickness etc is climate. They are coring ice, we can see how much glaciers have receded, they can map and do satellite imagery of multi year ice and one year ice and there is increasingly less of the multi year harder ice (and this ship tried to avoid that hard ice where it can. A large part of the track of this ship was to find tow channel it had been on a previous cruise. I might had the powerful nuclear breakers can and do go through harder ice to and extent. At the end of the day any human activity has a footprint. but they do appear to try very hard with this ship to keep that minimal and by comparison with other natural forces it’s a minuscule impact. Had a good discussion with the Captain - who is a very experienced Ice Pilot and Ice Captain and they acknowledge there is balance between showing people and making sure there isn’t an undue impact. Sorry long answer, interesting we had that very discussion with them.

You were going to post a review…..but I can’t find it?

[@nextleveloz]

Hi. Sorry, we’ve posted a short that we weren’t able to post a vid this week. We will finalise the ship expedition next week and the review and our thoughts on how this compares to other trips and our van life in Oz is coming. Thanks for following along and see you next week. cheers

@@nextleveloz … enjoyed your film ! We’ve booked the cruise now …. So talk it up will you !! I’ll be stressing if you say it was bad 😂

[@grahameroberts8109]

Perhaps ALL elected heads of nations should visit those types of cemetery/memorials. Sadly, senseless wars still go on around the world. 😢 Thanks for covering this and also for the rest of your trip so far. 👍🏻🙏🦘

[@nextleveloz]

@@grahameroberts8109 Thanks for watching and for such a thoughtful comment. I think they do visit from time to time to pay respects - such as major commemorations and of course there is nothing - except possibly a few of the opposed amphibious landings of the second world war that comes close to the wanton destruction of life of WW1, but they are all a poignant reminder of who pays the price. I’m ex service so of course I understand what the purpose of all that is , but you still hope it’s for a good reason don’t you? Liberating: defending western Europe was probably a good reason, but the execution and tactics, pretty much until Monash and a few of hos contemporaries, resulted in unacceptably high losses. Trivia fact, the designer of the new (current) Australian Parliament (Girgola) ensured the centre line including the entry windows and doors were perfectly aligned with ANZAC parade and the front entry of the war memorial. For a similar sentiment to your comment. We were very keen to visit and share these little corners of Australia located in France and the rest of the trip is shaping up to be stunning. Thanks again. Much appreciated.