Coolcation Adventures

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
Coolcation Adventures

Travel Advisor, fueled by Fora / Virtuoso / CLIA
Immersive. Ethical. Elevated.

Coolcations, Adventure, Expedition & Ethical Wildlife 🐋
Next stop: Svalbard w/ Aurora Expeditions

08/24/2026

A little bit of island hopping and a whole lot of gorgeous. 🇬🇷

08/21/2026

Most Antarctica cruises show you the same stretch of coastline everyone else sees. Not this one!

The Explorer's Route is 16 days aboard the MS Roald Amundsen, with 9 full days in Antarctica including places most ships never reach:
🧊 The Weddell Sea — where Shackleton's Endurance was crushed by ice, launching one of history's great survival stories
🚢 Gerlache Strait — where the first humans ever overnighted on the continent, back in 1898
🐧 Penola Strait — off the standard route entirely, and thick with wildlife

I'm hosting a small group on this HX Expeditions journey, and I have 4 cabins left. If Antarctica's been on your list — or you've read a Shackleton book twice, I'd love for you to join my crew. Nerds rule.

08/17/2026

Alaska deserves your attention. And if 2027 is the year you want to experience it, now is the time to start planning.

The right route, the right season, and the right mix of land, rail and sea can make all the difference. The 2027 season just opened for bookings.

What's your ideal Alaska adventure?
I'll help you make the most of it, and you won't have to lift a finger.

| Immersive. Ethical. Elevated.

08/15/2026

Most Antarctica cruises show you the same stretch of coastline everyone else sees. Not ours!

"The Explorer's Route" is 16 days aboard the MS Roald Amundsen, in March 2027 offers 9 full days in Antarctica (2x the norm) and unprecedented access to some lesser-explored areas like:

⛺ Gerlache Strait — where the first humans ever overnighted on the continent, back in 1898
🌬️ The Weddell Sea — where Shackleton's ship Endurance was crushed by ice, kicking off one of history's greatest survival stories
🐧 Penola Strait — off the standard route entirely, and thick with wildlife

We have 4 cabins left before this one's full.

If you know someone who's always had Antarctica on their list, or who'd read a Shackleton book twice — tag them below. And if it's you, comment and I'll send you the details.

07/26/2026

I am booking more flights than ever. With Fora Travel’s super simple booking platform and 24/7 concierge service for emergencies, it’s a no brainer for clients who prioritize ease of travel. Nobody wants to deal with an airline, am I right? 🙋🏻‍♀️Plus, quotes are free.

07/12/2026

I almost didn’t do the polar plunge.
“You’re too fat.”
“You’ll look ridiculous.”
“You’ll make a fool of yourself.”

I almost didn’t post this…
“You’re so fat.”
“You look ridiculous.”
“No one cares.”

My anxiety/imposter syndrome brain is an opinionated, workaholic monster.
Meanwhile... everyone else was busy having a great time. So I took a deep breath and jumped anyway. The water was cold. My anxiety was loud. Neither lasted very long. I survived. I did a shot of ouzo.

One of my favorite things about travel is that it keeps giving me the chance to prove my brain wrong. The stories we tell ourselves are far worse than the reality. Thank you Bruno Cazarini and Samantha Deer and Reza for the assist!

If you can relate, please share in the comments. In silence, anxiety wins.

07/11/2026

The best holidays are booked early. I automatically monitor all hotel bookings for price drops, so there’s no reason to wait!
❄️

07/09/2026

It all started with a small ship leaving northern Norway for Svalbard….
Today marks 130 years of HX Expeditions that began with a captain, a crew, and a few travelers curious enough to venture beyond the familiar.

I love that story and I love expedition travel. In March, we’re headed to Antarctica and you can travel with me!

For the silence.
For the wildlife.
For impossible landscapes.
For the privilege of visiting one of the last truly wild places on Earth.

If Antarctica has been on your “someday” list, I’d love for you to join us. 4 cabins left! Link in bio

| Immersive. Ethical. Elevated.

06/30/2026

Things that are totally normal on an Arctic expedition:

🐻‍❄️ Spotting your SECOND polar bear.
🥹 Casually bumping into a rare Greenland bowhead whale on a Thursday afternoon.
😴Walrus snores.
🦕Funding dinosaur footprints before lunch.
🥶👙19+ lunatics voluntarily jumping into the Arctic ocean. (More on that later.)

Totally normal. Nothing to see here. Except everything.

| Immersive. Ethical. Elevated.

06/27/2026

Expedition Diary, Svalbard
June 23-24 | Ice Edge, Pack Ice & Ice Landing
Sylvia Earle, Aurora Expeditions

81°14.9’ N, 021°39.8’ E
81°20.8’ N, 025°36.8’ E
We spent two days in the pack ice with kittiwakes, black guillemots, bearded seals, harp seals, and a large pod of belugas moving through the ice. (Yes, I cried.)

In the early evening, a very curious male polar bear appeared on the sea ice ahead of the ship. He walked towards us, crossed the ice, sniffed in our direction, paused, sat down, and slipped into the water. He swam towards us and onto to another piece of ice even closer to the ship, to take a closer look at us. We all held our breath, trying to make the moment last, and after a few minutes he quietly swam away.

Clear skies, more seals, a fin whale in the distance, and then the kind of expedition moment you hope for: a thrilling Zodiac landing on the Arctic pack ice.

Two days I will never forget. Arctic summer is the only way I want to summer.

| Immersive. Ethical. Elevated.

Address

Chicago, IL
60605

Website

http://www.coolcationadventures.com/, http://coolcationadventures.com/antarctica2027

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Coolcation Adventures posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Coolcation Adventures:

Featured

Regal Coach Lines
1111 W. 48th Street

Want your business to be the top-listed Transport Service in Chicago?