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.

Hothouse should read gorgeous

Go to cooler climates, or holiday in the UK.

I also have skin which burns really easily.

I hate p20. Stains my clothes and sheets and doesn't really work for me - all that hanging around waiting for it to dry. I prefer a thick factor 50 water proof cream

If you want to holiday in a hot country, you need to ensure you have suitable clothes, drink lots of water and accept you will sweat.

Personally I stick to beach / pool holidays in the summer with a siesta in the shade in the afternoon.

If you want to sight see take your holiday at a different time of year like Easter hols or October half term.

We used to visit PIL in Spain every August for years and it is horrendously hot.

DH has a Spanish friend there who told us that their rule of thumb is that you don't go outside if your shadow is shorter than you.

Like Rubricenemy said, you can work around it.

IMO it is OK temperature wise early in the morning and in the evening.

Early start to 'do' something eg go to local beach or a market.

Back to the apartment for a long (boozy) lunch and board games on the balcony, then sleep.

Late afternoon out again. Maybe back to the beach, or a restaurant, or 'midnight' swimming.

The plus point is that you're at the beach at quieter times, either before everyone is up or after they've gone home.

Or if possible don't go in the summer.

We had great holidays (pre Ddog) at Easter. Weather was much more bearable and prices were cheaper.

Also, it is interesting to see how other countries 'do' Easter.

I'm a teacher and lots of my teacher friends prefer to take their main holiday in October half term and the Christmas holidays if you can make you AL align to that. Or go somewhere cooler or don't go! Personally we don't take the kids abroad every year but we find it stressful and very expensive so we do little weekend breaks in the UK throughout the year instead - seaside trips, city stays and so on. When they get older we will probably go for holidays in winter if we want to go abroad as none of us do well in the heat.

@whiteroseredrose

DH has a Spanish friend there who told us that their rule of thumb is that you don't go outside if your shadow is shorter than you.

I take it your Spanish friend is retired?!

The calpso one is okay but I find it stains swimwear where as P20 doesn't. We use it as a base layer to stop us burning especially around the edges of swimwear etc you don't get with normal cream

Do people find P20 better than Ultrasun?

Why not holiday in Scotland instead? Or Iceland? Take a mountain holidays rather than a beach or city one?

Please don't go long haul to escape the heat. The world is warming because of this type of behaviour. (Yes yes not just air travel but one long haul flight is more than my entire carbon footprint and I don't live a monastic existence by any means)

Travel to cooler places at cooler times of year OP

and we basically had to hide inside from 11-4

Yep, that's what the locals do..... get up earlier, do stuff if you wish, but be back somewhere cool by 11am. We don't generally do anything on summer holidays, we just lounge around and read by the sea/pool. until midday. Shower, lunch, sleep, back out at 4pm.

strangely yes my four year old doesn't wake up till 8/8.30 and neither does DH so early mornings just don't work. We actually lived in Switzerland for years and years but honestly the alps are even hotter and the sun is lethal.

do kids usually get annoyed if you end up having your main holiday not in the summer? we used to mainly avoid summer holidays due to the heat and sun, but feels like less of an option with a school age kid

Wear shorts and a loose vest and use p20/ 50 all day sunscreen ! I have never burned with this and I am fair !

Or as above go somewhere cooler or in October half term so it's not as hot !

We go to Cornwall!
we tried Italy one year and it was far too hot,

Mine don’t wake up until that time.

Quickly dress and out before heat of day. Enjoy 9-11
back for long lunch and chill out / siesta
Head out again 3pm

I don't think it matters what time of year you go away, surely?

I know you say you found them even hotter, but I always found the Alps much cooler than other places - yes, the sun is strong but if you go up on the tops, you get the breeze and it doesn't feel quite as bad as it does elsewhere.

Why not base yourself somewhere with the option of water and mountain tops - we used to go to places like Kitzbuhel in Austria - you could go high and get the breeze, walk in the forests for shade, or swim in the lakes or outdoor pools to cool off in the afternoons. It was normally in the high twenties, so not scorching, and that was in July/August time.

I would also say that summer holidays aren't the time to "traipse around looking at stuff" (as per your OP) - the weather just isn't cut out for that kind of thing, so maybe you need to change your expectations a little bit. Summer holidays (to me) are for things like swimming, lake cruises, going in the sea, lazy afternoons in the shade by the pool or in a nice restaurant on a mountain top, naps on a sun lounger and long, late evenings out eating dinner and doing more active stuff once the sun starts to go down.

If you want to explore cities and do things, then you need to go in more April/October time when it's cooler and much more bearable. There's a reason many cities close down in summer!

Cotton and natural fibres, t shirts and shorts, hat, factor 30 not 50 to allow skin to breathe. Cooling towels, lots and lots of water. Plan the day in two, morning and evening with the hottest part of the day back in your villa/hotel for a rest.

We live near Italy. It’s 34 already today.
We also live on a lake, where most tourists travel to daily.

I gardened at 8am this morning an hour, took toddler out 9-11am to park, walk, play in shallow water. Now home for lunch and toddler playing with aqua play toy outside on terrace under large shade awning. He will nap or play indoors soon. We have plans to picnic at the lake with friends later, but won’t go until 5pm. 5-8pm ish is lovely outside.

If I was on holiday here, I would use 12-3pm daily to eat inside restaurants or in shade somewhere, head to shade outside at outdoor pool or lake, or go inside to a museum or something. Or just back to accommodation to rest with book, kids play and eat whilst it’s hot. If you get an apartment with own outdoor space it’s ideal.
I shall be doing chores or some work indoors if toddler naps

We’re not fond of very hot weather, but I think the 6 weeks of school summer holidays are too long for the kids to be in holiday clubs all the time, I want to take two weeks off then. So we stick with northern / mid France or Holland, went to Germany once. If we had the money we’d maybe go the the Med at Easter, but not in the summer.

@ohthatsexciting. No. He works in an office. Indoors!

This. It's really not complicated.

Come to Scotland, it’s fucking freezing!

I've read through all the replies to check I am not missing something, but isn't the rather obvious answer..... Don't book a holiday somewhere hot ???

So either stay in the UK, or travel to more Northern Countries of Europe.
or
IF there is a reason you need to go to Italy, then go at Easter or October or February half term.

strangely yes my four year old doesn't wake up till 8/8.30 and neither does DH so early mornings just don't work

erm...... have you heard of this new invention, called alarm clocks? I believe you can set an alarm on most phones so you probably won't need to buy one. Then get out and about for a few hours, come in and have a 4 hour siesta then go out again

do kids usually get annoyed if you end up having your main holiday not in the summer? we used to mainly avoid summer holidays due to the heat and sun, but feels like less of an option with a school age kid

Well, most small dc get annoyed at the most bizarre things, like why their plate is blue and not yellow or why they can't wear their wellies in bed, but generally, people use their parenting skills to deal with it.

Both me and my son are really anxious about an upcoming school trip where he will be going on a year 5 trip 2 hours away in Kent. The problem we have is the type of activities that they will be doing. It is highly intense stuff like zipwire, climbing walls, boating and the like, all things that my son is fearful of and me to be frank, he is worried about being made to do risky stuff he does not want to take part in, and 8 too worry about him taking part in these types of activities. This has added to his already existing anxiety about being away from me for 4 days. They are not allowed to have contact with their parents except for by post. Am I being over protective? My 9 year old son is absolutely certain he does not want to go and gets tearful at the thought of being forced to go. I know they will have health and safety measures in place but I also cannot shake off the anxiety of something bad happening and my son has never been interested or had a desire to take part in these slightly high risk type of activities. Would you still send your child on the trip with all of these worries? Many thanks.

You have a pre-school DC who has lie ins until "super late"?? You lucky, lucky person.