Ben Lyons

CAPT Ben Lyons of Bozeman, Montana, has spent his entire life captivated by ships and travel. After graduating from Groton School in Massachusetts, Ben decided to follow his passion and attended the US Merchant Marine Academy. In 2003, Ben was asked to join the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 ocean liner, then under construction in France. Consequently, he became the first (and still only) American officer hired in the company’s more than 170-year history. Ben served for five years onboard, leaving as the ship’s chief officer. An avid traveler to unusual, less-developed regions, Ben has also been an active travel writer for over a decade. His articles and reviews appear in a wide range of guidebooks, magazines and newspapers. After several years specializing in writing about expedition cruising, he traveled to Antarctica in 2007. Immediately, he fell in love with the seventh continent. Soon thereafter, he left Cunard to join Lindblad Expeditions to explore more of the world’s wild, polar regions. He sailed on National Geographic Endeavour and National Geographic Explorer, first as chief officer and later as captain.