The anatomy of an expedition plan with Felicity Aston MBE

In this talk recorded at the annual RGS Explore Weekend in November 2024, British polar explorer Felicity Aston MBE, the first woman to ski alone across Antarctica, shares with the audience her insight into putting together a robust expedition plan to bring that idea to fruition.

Never stop having ideas, and never stop turning them into realities.

What does this talk cover?

Whether it’s making hard decisions when building your expedition team or prioritising different aspects of project funding, Felicity’s long CV of exploration has armed her with a deep knowledge of what it takes to put together a successful expedition. As she shares: all that work for ten free pairs of socks could be time better spent elsewhere, so prioritise your time accordingly.

Felicity takes the audience on a journey backed by the experience of decades worth of exploration. From why it’s good to start small despite lofty ambitions, to playing the ‘what if’ game when putting together a risk assessment, she shares her insights.

Whilst expedition planning is a time consuming and rigorous task, it’s not all uphill – and the goal of turning that idea that just won’t go away into reality is surely attainable given the right preparation.

Key moments

• 00:35 – An all-women ski expedition to the North Pole
• 03:50 – The misconceptions about planning an expedition
• 04:50 – The expedition resources page at the RGS website
• 06:30 – There is no substitute for doing it yourself
• 07:05 – The good news: there are common elements to any expedition
• 07:25 – Developing the idea
• 10:17 – Build the team
• 12:26 – Funding and logistics
• 14:10 – The risk assessment, emergencies, output and outreach
• 15:15 – Equipment and supplies
• 16:35 – To do and not to do