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Already know HX and how to sell it? You can find sales and marketing resources, plus contact details for the sales team, at the bottom of this page.
Plus, discover how agent Sally Dixon booked £150,000 with HX after enjoying a cruise to Greenland, and why agents described a fam with HX to the Galapagos Islands as "the best ever fam trip".
But first, take a look at how HX is changing the way its guests see the world...
We asked Mark Walter to share expert insight into recognising when a client is right for HX, understanding the product and what makes it unique, plus his own tips for closing an HX sale.
The average age of our customers is 63, with 58% of them retired, and their average household income is £76k. This typical HX guest is fascinated by the natural world and travels to broaden their mind. They like to observe natural beauty and rare wildlife as well as interact with locals. They love to take on new challenges, seeing their holidays as a chance for an adventure packed full of unique experiences. They will travel solo or with a friend or partner and their interests include the environment, wildlife protection, hiking/walking, nature, bird watching, photography, adrenaline experiences, concerts and physical exercise.
For the majority of HX destinations you’re looking at between £5,000-£10,000 per person, but for clients with lower budgets, destinations like the British Isles and Iceland are more affordable.
The typical HX guest doesn’t want to just observe on their holiday, they want the opportunity to get involved through active experiences like kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and stand up paddleboarding. They want the chance to really immerse themselves in the destinations they visit by learning more about the history, culture and wildlife.
They are not interested in your typical cruise experience of black tie dinners and West End shows. They want to enjoy a relaxed and informal atmosphere where they can swap stories with like-minded passengers after a day exploring.
They also want to travel with a company that is conscious of the impact it has on the environment and so are taking steps to reduce it; and one that gives back to the local communities it visits whilst giving guests the chance to contribute research of their own.
Our fleet of expedition ships has been designed to give our guests the very best expedition experience, allowing them to delve into exploration and discovery, and enjoy premium relaxation when onboard. All are named after legends of the Golden Age of Exploration and the Science Centre is at the heart of all our expedition ships:
MS Fram (refurbished in 2022)
Destinations: Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland and South America
Guests: 250 (capped at 200 in Antarctica)
MS Santa Cruz II (refurbished in 2021)
Destinations: Galapagos
Guests: 90
MS Roald Amundsen (built in 2019)
Destinations: Antarctica, Alaska, Northwest Passage and Greenland
Guests: 530 (capped at 500 in Antarctica)
MS Fridtjof Nansen (built in 2020)
Destinations: Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, Northwest Passage, South America and Europe
Guests: 530 (capped at 500 in Antarctica)
Here’s a breakdown of all the destinations our expedition ships visit and when:
Antarctica – October to March
Alaska – May to September
British Isles – April
Europe – April and October
Greenland – May to September
Galapagos – All year
Iceland – May to September
Northwest Passage – August
Norway – January to March
South and Central America – April and October
Svalbard – May to August
On all expedition cruises, we offer small boat cruising and landings at no additional cost.
In Antarctica, we are able to offer kayaking, snowshoeing and even camping, which do come at additional cost. As we’re not able to guarantee how many places we can offer for these activities due to them being weather permitting, activities in Antarctica are offered using a lottery system.
We offer kayaking and stand up paddleboarding in many of our other destinations alongside hikes with the Expedition Team and more standard activities like town walks and museum visits.
Our cruises to the Galapagos Islands are the most active as we’re stopping more frequently. Here we offer kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, small boat cruising, hiking and even trips on our glass bottomed boat.
It’s important to note here that with small boat cruising, all guests need to be able to get in and out of the boat unaided. If guests have any mobility issues, it’s best to check with our experienced advisors when enquiring to see whether this would be a problem for boarding the small boats. We also use these vessels when we need to anchor to get to landing sites.
On every expedition with HX, guests will be joined an Expedition Team that’s made up of experts in various fields including biology, history, ornithology, glaciology and geology. They will lead activities onboard and ashore as well as giving a daily briefing at the end of each day to outline what’s happening the following day.
The Expedition Team is based at the Science Centre and loves to interact with guests as well as give lectures and lead hands-on sessions with microscopes, samples and more. The activities on offer vary by destination and sailing, but include things like photography workshops, wildlife watching out on deck, art classes and story sessions.
In Antarctica, we offer cabins to guest scientists from various global institutions so they can conduct important research. They will regularly give lectures on their work to guests as well as offer them the chance to see their research taking place first hand.
In this modern, digital-savvy, and well-travelled age, researchers and scientists are turning to everyday travellers and communities to help build and develop their understanding of the world’s most biodiverse habitats. Every year, thousands of people become Citizen Scientists participating in a range of global projects contributing to long-term research.
We are proud to be supporting the scientific community by hosting researchers and supporting many vital Citizen Science projects onboard our ships as they venture to off-the-beaten-track locations such as the Northwest Passage, Svalbard, Antarctica and beyond. Onboard each voyage we engage guests in at least two Citizen Science projects as part of our onboard Science & Education programme, which aims to increase guest knowledge and interest in the areas they are sailing to.
For some examples of projects guests can get involved in, follow this link: Citizen Science Projects | HX Hurtigruten Expeditions UK (travelhx.com)
MS Roald Amundsen, MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Fram have three restaurants. Aune is the main dining room, included for all guests, that offers buffet-style breakfast lunch and a la carte dinner. Fredheim is our international kitchen, which is open all day and included for all guests. This is a more casual option offering dishes like hot dogs, burgers and tacos. Finally, there’s Lindstrom, our fine-dining restaurant. For suite guests, all meals are included here and non-suite guests can upgrade for a small supplement if they wish.
Santa Cruz II’s Beagle restaurant serves cuisine fit for the modern explorer. Here guests will find a wide range of dishes made from local ingredients by local chefs, often with a South American twist. MS Spitsbergen also only has one restaurant – Aune – due to the size of the ship.
We do welcome children onboard. However, HX doesn’t allow children under the age of five to travel with us to Antarctica and South Georgia. For safety reasons, children under 12 years of age will be considered for participation in excursions at each landing.
Those travelling to the Galapagos on Santa Cruz II should know that parents with children below the age of 6 need to present at embarkation a release form signed by their parents or guardians to board their Galapagos cruise. If children between the ages of six and 18 are accompanied by one parent or legal guardian, a minor consent form signed by the other parent, or both parents if the minor is accompanied by a legal guardian, must be presented upon boarding.
An HX cruise is ideal for solo travellers. The atmosphere onboard fosters a sense of community amongst our guests and so enables solo travellers to make new friends and not feel like they’re alone. We regularly provide no single supplement offers on select departures so it’s worth bearing this in mind if you have clients who travel solo.
We are the experts in expedition
No matter where you go, you’ll be led by experienced expedition experts who will guide you on your adventure. Whether that's on an expedition boat landing or a fascination talk in the onboard lecture hall. Our Expedition Team have a range of expertise from ornithologists, geologists, climate researchers, historians, professional wildlife photographers and more. They’re all fully certified by IAATO, AECO and Galapagos National Park to safely lead you on your adventure.
We lead the way in onboard science
HX ships have the industry's largest and best onboard Science Centres packed with state-of-the-art equipment such as microscopes and underwater drones. Guests can take part in Citizen Science conservation projects and mingle with international scientists doing important research on and off the ship.
We have the best ESG ranking of any cruise company
We believe when done right, travel can be a force for good. It can open minds, strengthen local communities and change the way you see the world. HX is a leader in sustainability in the expedition cruise industry, which is why our guests can choose to sail on one of our hybrid-powered expedition ships with no heavy fuel oils, no single-use plastics, and reduced waste and emissions each year.
Our ships perfectly balance adventure and comfort
HX ships have a relaxed, informal atmosphere where guests enjoy a boutique hotel feel with chic Nordic design touches, incredible all-inclusive food and drink and plenty of ways for guests to treat themselves. All without the fuss of dress codes, butlers and strict hierarchies.
The best time to book to get the most availability and best cabin options would be at least nine months prior to the departure date.
The HX Price Promise means that if you make a booking, and you or the guests find the same cabin for cheaper, we will give them back the difference. This is currently valid on bookings made before 11 November.
We have a range of marketing assets available for travel agents to download available on our agent portal: agentportal.travelhx.com.
We also have an image bank, where agents can download the latest HX images.
All travel agents are welcome to join our Facebook group. Here we post flyers, posters, selling guides, brochures, training videos, images and much more!
HX has a dedicated UK sales team made up of two trade partnership managers: Hayley Vandersteen and Sophie Nelson. Megan Lewis is inside sales for the UK, while I am the UK sales director.
We also have dedicated HX online travel training. On our Facebook page, we run training sessions on different destinations we travel to, which are also available to download to watch afterwards. If you would prefer a dedicated training for your store or your agency, please get in touch with one of the team!
CONTACT THE HX SALES TEAM ONLINE TRAINING TRAVEL AGENT PORTAL (DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES AVAILABLE) CONSUMER WEBSITE HX BROCHURES FACEBOOK PAGE FACEBOOK GROUP INSTAGRAM (B2C) INSTAGRAM (B2B) X TIKTOK YOUTUBE LINKEDIN
This page has been produced in partnership with HX Expeditions.
info@expeditioncruisenetwork.com
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