HX EXPEDITIONS
Change the way you see the world.
John Milbrath
...is the Business Development Manager for HX Expeditions responsible for the Pacific Northwest-US.
He has been in the travel business for many years, on the agency side with AAA, and most recently with Seabourn, before making the move to HX Expeditions.
He loves travel and particularly the Expedition Cruise business. It is such an incredible part of the travel business and delivers truly life-changing experiences to clients. He has been able to cruise all over the world including Antarctica, Alaska and Norway on Expedition Cruises.
John enjoys working with agents and their clients to make their travel dreams come true!
"Change the way you see the world" — that's the line HX leads with, and unlike some cruise taglines, it's a fairly literal description of what the company sells: expedition cruising to places most travellers never get close to.
HX traces its roots back to 1896, when the DS Lofoten charted a course from Hammerfest to Svalbard — a route no one had sailed before — and the company now markets itself as having invented expedition cruising itself. That history is central to the brand's identity; 2026 marks its 130th anniversary, and the milestone runs through nearly every corner of the site, from anniversary sailing offers to a dedicated "130 Years of Adventure" story.
The product is built around remote and dramatic destinations: Antarctica, the Galápagos, Greenland, Svalbard, Norway, Iceland, Alaska, the Northwest Passage, South America, and the British Isles. Ships are small and expedition-focused — carrying between roughly 90 and 500 guests — with no dress code and an informal, intimate atmosphere the company positions against the scale of mainstream cruising.
HX puts a heavy emphasis on expertise and science. Every voyage is led by handpicked specialists who guide hikes, kayaking outings, community visits, and onboard talks, and the company runs what it calls the most extensive science programme in the expedition category, with onboard scientists and a dedicated Science Centre on several ships. That positioning — travel for "curious travellers" who want to learn as much as they see — runs through most of the site's messaging.
Inclusivity is another pillar. HX bundles daily excursions and activities into the fare alongside meals, drinks, wifi, and gratuities, arguing that "adventure is all-inclusive" rather than a paid add-on. Suites are marketed as shaping the entire journey rather than simply offering more space, with private balconies and elevated dining among the perks on upper-deck cabins.
Sustainability is woven in as a genuine differentiator rather than an afterthought: HX highlights its hybrid-powered ships, efforts to cut single-use plastics and heavy fuel oil, and a 2023 recognition from Morningstar Sustainalytics for the best ESG ranking of any cruise company — branding itself, with an asterisk, as "the world's most sustainable cruise."
The company also courts solo travellers directly, offering reduced or waived solo supplements on selected sailings and building a visible community around independent travel — a notable departure from lines that treat solo cabins as an afterthought.
A loyalty programme, HX Explorers, rewards repeat travellers with newsletters, partner discounts, and community perks from the first sailing onward. Combined with a large subscriber base (the site cites over a million newsletter subscribers) and frequent seasonal offers — suite upgrades, air credit for Antarctica, and anniversary discounts up to 25% — HX positions itself less as a luxury cruise line and more as a specialist expedition operator with more than a century of polar and remote-destination experience behind it.
Meet John & HX Expeditions at the Nanaimo Travel Expo on November 7, 2026, and discover your next great voyage.