summer holidays how to manage heat

[hilblaudh878]

Just back from Italy and really hated the heat but mostly the sun as I easily burn. It was 36c and we basically had to hide inside from 11-4. DH and DCs wake up super late so it felt like the day was basically just 4-7 which didnt seem worth it. DC is starting school so we'll be stuck with the summer holidays i.e. going away to Italy in June will no longer be an option.

How does everyone else manage your summer holidays abroad? I've actually spent decades living somewhere pretty sunny/hot but that's fine when you live there because most of the time you're just working and the evenings are lovely. But the idea of traipsing around in the sun looking at stuff seems like hard .work.

Go somewhere cooler?

I’m there now, and I have no advice for you, as I’m hating it. That and the mosquitoes. It’s not fun at all. I’m setting my alarm for 5:30 am, so as to get a decent walk in before 8:30 when it starts to get unbearable again.

I am told that it’s not usually this hot in Tuscany in June…

P20

If you don't like heat, then you head for destinations that are likely to have lower temperatures - northern Europe perhaps?

Or if you can afford long haul, go well into the opposite season of the southern hemisphere

Go to Sweden etc

You don’t have to go abroad - plenty of options in the U.K. or cooler places. Go on winter holidays instead? I usually have my main holiday at Christmas.

Go to cooler places or up in the mountains instead.

I used to go Europe abroad in Easter April or May half term and then stick to uk for summer hols. But scandi is a good idea tho expensive. Or long haul Caribbean etc where they dont tend to get heatwaves. It's more constant year round heat. It may rain a bit tho.

@SummerPuddings, is there a new version with temperature lowering properties...?

OP says she usually burns. I have kids with very pale skin. This helps.
Don't be sarky!!

We don't go away in the summer holidays - too hot, too crowded, too expensive. We take our holidays in the February or October half or Easter holidays.

Be near a lake or ocean. Swimming/kayaking sort of holiday. No traipsing hill towns in 36C.

Also: Get up at 6 am (even the teenagers). Activity. Breakfast. Fun stuff.

Lunch

Sleep.

Get up at 6pm. Shower. Activity. Fun stuff. Dinner.

Bed at midnight. Repeat.

I wouldn't go somewhere that hot in the first place. Having said that I think that the current weather is unusual so you are unlucky.

I’m not great with really hot temperatures. I find going away first week of the school holidays often get cooler temps.

Also if you can afford it ( and don’t mind environmental impact) having a room with air con to go back to makes it bearable.

Ive accepted as well that with smaller kids I just don’t do the ‘looking at lots of things’ type holiday in the summer tbh. Both my primary age DC just really enjoy being in a pool. It’s not my dream holiday but as they are happy does tend to make it more relaxing! Or as others say if you want active holidays go in U.K. in summer or abroad other times ( just had an amazing May half term in Austria on a very active holiday - having said that even there it does get hot and then you are a bit more stuck).

Don’t go?

it sounds pretty miserable

I feel you. We either stay in the UK for the summer holls, or go to the Southern Hemisphere. I am miserable in the heat, and escape it if possible.

Some friends own a house in France and we’ve been there in July when it’s been 38 and other times it’s been 30.

We’d have a relaxed breakfast then leave, do things like kayaking, local lake, markets etc and take a picnic lunch to eat under a tree. Come home, chill in the pool, late walk about five, dinner and then something like tennis.

Always p20 for the skin and agreed the night before what the plan was so we all knew when to be ready for (usually a group of about 8 of us went with kids under 10).

We’d plan in a lot of shade but tended to be on a veranda or under a tree rather than in the house.

Meant to add - the other thing that’s made a huge difference for me is accepting I’m on holiday. So as long as there is a pool or something to do if I decide on the day don’t want to do the ‘must see’ as it’s just too hot/too much I don’t. Somehow makes it more bearable if I do decide to go! And if it’s just too hot when there we’ll can always leave early.

Perhaps others don’t have this problem. Was genuinely a revelation to me that happened when I first went away as a single parent with my DC.

Cooler places, but also starting earlier in the day, especially for museum visits.

For summer book beach holidays, take P20 so we don't burn and drink plenty of water. We also go to place like Egypt that have a dry heat.

For sight seeing holidays like Florida or med cruises we go early (Easter) or late (Florida in October is amazing).

Yes, we used to avoid hot countries in the summer holidays for this reason. We used to do a Med holiday at spring bank, and a UK holiday (not by the coast) during the sumer holidays.

If you must go abroad during the summer holidays @hilblaudh878 I would choose Northern Spain, Scandinavia, France, the Netherlands or the Azores.

We don’t do Europe in the summer months, keep those for Easter, May or October.

Why do people m recommend P20 specifically?

You shift the timing or location of the holiday to get the weather you want.
So Easter/may half term/october half term to somewhere hot, or summer holidays to somewhere cooler.

Your pre school aged child wakes up so late that only 4-7 is available to you??

I love love love summer in UK. Probably because I live in a hothouse SE town that enjoys generally a brilliant summer

so I take the children away in October half term for some sun and heat, and then also in Easter holidays.

works really well.