Quark Expeditions is a polar travel company headquartered in Seattle, Washington that offers small-ship expedition cruises aboard expedition ships and icebreakers in the Arctic and Antarctica. The company is a subsidiary of the UK-based travel group Travelopia and conducts seasonal itineraries in both polar regions aboard ice-class vessels.
History
As of 2025, Quark Expeditions, a travel company, was headquartered in Seattle, Washington.[1] Quark Expeditions was founded in 1991 by Mike McDowell and Lars Wikander when they took the first group of commercial travelers to the North Pole abord the nuclear-powered icebreaker, Sovetskiy Soyuz.
In 1990–1991, McDowell chartered the MV Frontier Spirit during its inaugural season of operations for several voyages to Antarctica from Hobart, Australia and Bluff, New Zealand. After these voyages, Mike McDowell partnered with Lars Wikander. In 1998, McDowell sold his interests to Lars Wikander, who then became the company's majority owner. Three years later, Patrick Shaw joined the company as president and CEO, and Wikander moved to become chairman of the board.
In May 2007, the company became part of the UK-based TUI Travel group of companies; subsequently, in 2016, it became part of Travelopia, a division comprising some brands from the former TUI Specialist Group.