Rob Clabbers

Chicago-based globetrotter, cruise and travel specialist runs award-winning leisure travel agency

Would you rather have someone “who has been selling travel for over 25 years” plan your vacation?  Or someone who has personally lived, worked and traveled on seven continents?

A hotelier by trade, I was born and raised in the Netherlands. Following my education, I was fortunate to live in Macau, Hong Kong, Paris and the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten and Curacao. My role for luxury hotel operator Hyatt International took me throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and South America before settling in Chicago.

There I opened the award-winning boutique leisure travel agency that evolved into Q Cruise + Travel.

With over 150 cruises and expeditions to all 7 continents under my belt, I am widely considered a cruise and expedition expert and frequently asked for print and media interviews. I am the resident cruise specialist of the Travel + Leisure Travel Advisory Board and a T+L A-List Top Advisor since 2020. Having been the Chair of the Virtuoso Cruise Committee and now the Chair of the Virtuoso Global Member Advisory Board, I also serve on Virtuoso’s US Member Advisory Board and a variety of cruise line advisory boards, including Seabourn and Cunard Line.

What I love in travel?

• Ocean Cruises – especially on our favorite cruise line partners like Cunard Line, Celebrity Cruises or small luxury ships of Seabourn, Silversea, Explora Journeys and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Favorite ports? Less visited destinations in Asia, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and the South Pacific.
• River cruises – the best way to travel in the heart of Europe on the Rhine or Danube. I like a glass of wine, so exploring the Bordeaux and Provence and Burgundy wine regions in the South of France, by river cruise is fantastic. Something completely different? A river cruise on the majestic Mekong river in Asia, in Cambodia and Vietnam.
• Expeditions and safaris: whether an expedition to Antarctica or meeting the wildlife in Africa, I like escaping the urban “jungle” for a more natural setting.
• Western Europe: I grew up on the border of the Netherlands and Germany. I travel to Holland and to my family in the United Kingdom at least five or six times a year. Europe is still my “home”. That means I can tell you about the latest and greatest in Amsterdam or Monte Carlo, or explain what it is like to cruise around the British Isles on Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth.
• All things Asia and Australia: I lived in Hong Kong for five years and visited many major cities in China, South East Asia and Australia for business and pleasure. I go back once or twice a year to see what’s new. I am a certified Australia expert, or “Aussie Specialist”.
• Great hotels and fabulous resorts. As a hotelier (I was in the pre-opening team of Park Hyatt Tokyo, a Virtuoso preferred hotel famous from the movie “Lost in Translation”), I love excellent hotels. I adore historical “grand dames” as well as modern boutique properties. (Our clients benefit from extras like breakfast, upgrades and other amenities at no extra charge at thousands of the world’s best hotels.)
• Traveling in comfort: I know how to skip the lines, know my way around the world’s airports, enjoy the lounges and can help you pick the best business or first class airlines – and seats.

My team and I look forward to helping you plan the perfect cruise, polar or warm weather expedition or land vacation.  We’ll customize it with hotels, flights and excursions. Take a look at our blog for travel stories and inspiration – or just give us a call!

My Most Recent Travels

• Crossing the Pacific with a group of Virtuoso clients on a small Silversea luxury ship, visiting Easter Island, Robinson Crusoe Island and French Polynesia.
• Unbelievable India: enjoying the vibrant colors, heartfelt hospitality and immersive experiences of Delhi, Udaipur and Jaipur at amazing hotels with my T+L Advisory Board friends made this an extra special occasion.
• Maldives: snorkeling straight off the deck of an amazing overwater bungalow at Nautilus private island
• Australia’s Kimberley region: zipping in a Zodiac by crocodiles, horizontal waterfalls and unique rock formations.
• Turkey, or Türkiye as the country is now officially called: an amazing amalgamation of cultures. History or hip; vibrant city or relaxed resort; archeology or culinary splendor – it’s all there.
• Antarctica – five times so far, and twice in two months! Comparing the soft adventure of Viking Cruises Viking Octantis with the full-on expedition on Aurora Expeditions Greg Mortimer.
• Exploring the unique and quiet island of Lana’i, in Hawai’i, the perfect getaway for those who want to feel the Hawai’i of yore, with a bit of wellness thrown in for good measure.
• Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda – being just a few yards from those magnificent creatures is amazing, and so is the lushness and beauty of Rwanda.
• Virtuoso’s Chairman’s Event in Bangkok, Thailand, with side trips by private jet to a luxury residence in Phuket, beautiful beach resorts in Samui, and the Belmond Eastern & Oriental Express train from Bangkok to Singapore.
• Relais & Chateaux “Route du Bonheur” in France, with culinary highlights in Provence, Cannes and Antibes.
• Learning about the difference between Tuscany and Umbria in Italy.
• Magnificent Luxury Lodges of Australia, including Lizard Island, a nature reserve in the Great Barrier Reef; Southern Ocean Lodge, on Kangaroo Island (“Australia’s Galapagos”) and The Louise in the Barossa Wine Region.
• A luxury Caribbean festive season vacation on Seabourn, an ultra-luxury cruise line
• Lake Como, Italy at the gorgeous Grand Hotel Tremezzo,
• Like to fly comfortably? Let me tell you about my recent experiences in business class on Turkish Airlines, Qantas, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Japan Air Lines, American Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airways, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Air, United Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways and Air New Zealand.
• Exploring Sydney, Melbourne and Australia’s Outback in the Red Centre – Uluru/Ayers Rock and Alice Springs
• A safari in Botswana (with an elephant visiting our plunge pool at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge) – the wildlife viewing was simply spectacular!
• Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium). An opportunity to get to know the history, culture and culinary excellence of the gorgeous towns and quaint cities like Mechelen, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels.
• The famous Keukenhof flower expo in the Netherlands.

Rob’s Qualifications

• 2020 – present,  Travel + Leisure magazine A-List Travel Advisor
• 2020 – present, Travel + Leisure magazine Travel Advisory Board
• 2022 – present, Chair, Virtuoso Global Member Advisory Board
• 2021 – present, Virtuoso US Member Advisory Board
• 2018 – 2022, Chair, Virtuoso Cruise Committee
• 2018, 2019, Virtuoso Cruise Ambassador of the Year – Nominee
• 2017 Virtuoso Award: Most Innovative Advisor – Cruise Sales – Finalist
• 2016, 2017 Global Travel Marketplace Advisory Board Member
• 2014, 2015 Global Travel Marketplace Travel Advisor Ambassador
• Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) certified Master Cruise Counselor
• Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
• Certified Cunard Line Commodore Agent
• Certified Princess Cruises Commodore Agent
• Australia Aussie Specialist
• Certified Hawai’i Destination Specialist

Contact Rob Clabbers via e-mail or by phone 312-266-7447.