How to Plan a Coolcation: Beat the Summer Heatwave
The Honest Truth About Coolcations: Is It Worth It?
Summer vacations are supposed to be relaxing—but it is difficult to enjoy sightseeing when temperatures are soaring and every afternoon feels like a survival challenge!
In this episode, we explore the growing travel trend known as the “coolcation”: choosing cooler destinations instead of the traditional summer hotspots. Is this a smarter way to travel, or are expensive destinations such as Scandinavia simply replacing one set of vacation problems with another?
We discuss family-friendly coolcation destinations in the United States, the UK and Europe, including places where you can enjoy beautiful scenery, outdoor activities and cultural attractions without spending your entire vacation searching for air conditioning.
We also look at whether families can afford countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, the best times of year to visit cooler destinations, and why pleasant weather alone may not be enough to attract travelers.
Finally, we break down the pros and cons of coolcations and ask the big question: Is this just another temporary travel trend, or will extreme summer heat permanently change when and where people take their vacations?
What do you think? Would you trade a hot Mediterranean beach vacation for Scotland, Scandinavia, Alaska, the Great Lakes or another cooler destination? Share your ideal coolcation in the comments!
Episode 8 of The Honest Travel Podcast with Mark Wolters and Shebs Alom
Chapters
0:00 Teaser
0:27 intro
1:50 Heatwave in Europe
2:42 What is Coolcation?
4:13 Where can you travel as a family in the US?
9:40 Where in the UK and Europe can you go?
13:24 Can people afford Scandinavian countries?
16:23 Coolcation going to be permanent?
19:47 Time of the year to travel & cooler places need a pull to travel there?
22:38 The pros & cons of Coolcation
27:52 Viewers comments
30:42 News
31:04 Outro
Links to coolcation articles in the past couple of days.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/surging-temperatures-transforming-global-travel/
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/most-popular-coolcation-destinations_uk_6a4f9f1ae4b04b52a93e9366
https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/booming-demand-coolcations-brits-escape-37508714
https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/i-chase-cold-weather-on-purposehere-are-the-5-best-coolcations-ive-ever-taken-ranked-222327165.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADLjR0Q4jIMHrQhOUmcz-l5Yov5psl8oJe-mXgir2eFFzKcYBIi-Msv51OoZ9Xm-TLpWPwpojlMgqu_l-n1TJNYZe8v-3kj14e6sOObKc4aEjHIcNXSiWevboVlGk6csrmCwuFLo2NPrnGzfhybwvfLaANVg8-XKUgzUqjPWLa3x
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/07/30/will-the-coolcation-travel-trend-change-the-geography-of-international-tourism
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq568j06zgxo
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