From tincture of iodine to a urine pregnancy test recommended for those supporting youth group travel, the contents of an expedition medical kit will depend on skills, experience, environment, preferences, size and purpose of expedition and distance from help.

There is a number of exciting expeditions out there so trying to spread the word about your endeavour through that jungle of adventures might be a real pain. If you don't have a sharp machete in the form of the contact details to a well known adventure magazine editor then maybe few of the following points will be of some help.

"We can now remotely sense almost every inch of the Earths surface, above or below the water-line. The topography, vegetation, wildlife and human populations of our planet are, by and large, documented.

The UK still has huge potential for exploration, with about 20,000 miles of coastline, 10,000 miles of river and about 12,000 lakes (dependant on ones definition) and only a fraction of all this has ever been explored and observed by the human eye.

There are a few different ways for independent travelers to reach the South Pole and all of them are expensive. The first step is to decide on the right expedition for you - this will mainly be determined by time, finance and physical ability, plus of course whether you are motivated to ski for hundreds of miles or prefer the more sedate approach.