Steffen is a passionate geologist from Berlin, Germany. He has a long history in guiding field trips on land and has also completed more than thirty voyages with Hurtigruten and is certainly infected with the “polar bug.” His work on the MS Fram offers him a great chance to share his fascination for planet Earth and the way it works. Among his many unforgettable experiences he recalls being drenched by the blow of a humpback whale.

Friederike Bronny, a German geographer and biologist, studied at Bochum University. She specialized in the ecology of the polar regions. Friederike
has been working in Greenland for more than 30 years and over 20 years in Antarctica. She has been a lecturer on cruise ships since 1985 and she has been working exclusively for Hurtigruten since 2004. She fell in love with the blooming Arctic tundra and the south Chilean forests in Tierra del Fuego. The leopard seals
and albatross are her best friends in Antarctica, and they are the reason she keeps coming back every year.

Anja is from Germany and holds a degree in Tourism Management. She started working in Greenland in 2000 and has been addicted to the polar areas ever since. Anja has worked for Hurtigruten since 2001 and says she has found her dream job. The reason is the combination of being privileged to see the most remote areas of the planet, enjoying life on board and traveling all the time. Anja loves Greenland and the moments of human warmth and understanding when meeting the locals. She says that Antarctica has to be experienced in order to understand the beauty and serenity.

Manuel is from Chile and an Ornithologist (researcher) by profession. He is also a wildlife photographer. He has been working for Hurtigruten the last eight seasons, with a total of 687 days in the southern hemisphere. During this time, there have been many memorable moments, and he thinks that it is difficult to pinpoint a single event - ranging from fantastic and unique encounters with wildlife to gorgeous
and unimaginable scenery that no photographs or words could ever match. He says that Hurtigruten has an excellent group of expedition team members, and that it is a pleasure to work with them.

Cathrine is a Norwegian who studied Tourism in Trondheim where she got the title “Trip Coordinator.” She is also educated as a teacher. 2010 is her 4th season working in Greenland – and second season on the Fram. Cathrine has a huge passion for Greenland, saying that the lovely people and the beautiful nature make it a wonderful place. Her most memorable moment was when she saw polar bears for the first time. ”The sun was shining on deck and it was amazing seeing these majestic creatures in their element. It is hard to find the words to describe an experience like that,” she says.

Karin is from Norway and started to work with Hurtigruten along the Norwegian Coast in 1998. She joined the Antarctic voyages with Hurtigruten in 2002 as Chief Purser and in 2005 as Expedition leader. She has been working on board Fram since 2007, on all the destinations she offers. She has been bitten by the “polar bug” and loves the life of traveling to some of the most remote areas of the world, being able to share it with new people, where every trip is unique. She has come to terms with the fact that words do not exist to describe the wildlife, nature and experiences in Antarctica, Greenland and Svalbard. “You simply have to come and see for yourself.”