Etain O'Carroll

Travel writer and photographer Etain O'Carroll has been traversing the globe picking up stories, researching guidebooks and dodging death on clapped out buses for the last 10 years.

Although work has seen her sleeping under the jungle stars, following pilgrims on barefoot trails and climbing snow-capped peaks, it is the Arctic that holds a lasting fascination for her. Several years spent on the tundra left her smitten for life.

"People always ask what's my favourite place and seem slightly bewildered when I mention the Arctic but the incredible people and landscapes of the polar world are unlike any other. The vicious storms, bitter temperatures, vast landscape and real life danger conspire to make you feel utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of things and yet incredibly alive. A trip to the far north truly is a trip of a lifetime. "