To cut honeymoon short? Heatwave Hell

[hotasallhell]

NC as outing

DH and I planned a wonderful 3 week honeymoon around Europe months and months ago. We’re currently approaching our last week of it (9 days still to go) and in Northern Italy, ITS HELL!

It’s completely unseasonable weather - everywhere around us is on red alert and even the locals/hotel staff just don’t know what to do! We were in a city yesterday it hit the 40’s with 100% humidity and we couldn’t leave the room! Were due to go to Rome today but simply couldn’t face it so diverted to a lake nearby (lost several hundred pounds to do this) and tbh despite showing as cooler (mid thirties) it’s still crazy hot!
DH is really struggling huge heat rash all over his body and I feel unwell with it! We’re fed up and just want to come home but there are basically no flights (or INSANLEY expensive ones) so we’re here in this expensive hotel just hiding all day and venturing out for an hour or two each night to get food!

We have good travel insurance so I’m tempted to call them tomorrow. 😭 I just don’t know what to do! We are supposed to go to another Italian stop after this and then France 😒 all places are on Red alert!

But AIBU to call travel insurance and say ‘it’s too bloody sunny and hot’!

Yes! It works like a miracle for me. I was told by someone who flies for BA and it really does work IME. A complete game changer - I used to take antihistamines and sleep through my holidays but no more!

If you don’t like it hot why did you book a June holiday in Italy? It is always hot! D’oh...

I’d have to come home. I’d be seriously unwell in that level of heat - anything above 26ish is too much for me.

If you don’t like it hot why did you book a June holiday in Italy? It is always hot! D’oh

Nope - this is absolutely record-breaking heat.

A lot of posters are being so unsympathetic. Clearly they don't watch the news or the weather. Countries are not 'used' to this. There are red alerts (danger to life) in normally hot countries. People have died suddenly jumping into cooler water so please please please don't give that as advice. It is hot in the mountains; it is 40 degrees in Germany (where my DS is heading tomorrow ; it is definitely due to get a bit less hot by Monday there). It was 45 in parts of France yesterday.

OP it is your decision : but I agree that that kind of heat is too much , even for the locals. Stay indoors , drink lots. I would do that for a couple of days until it cools down a bit and then head somewhere.

I ended up in hospital in Turkey because of sunstroke (and aircon not working). Your honeymoon won't be your only holiday ever, to be honest.

I really sympathise, when you aren't used to that level of heat it is difficult. I would have to come home, anything above 25 is hard for me as I get heat rashes and it triggers my RA.

If your husband won't get up early,.explore late at night when it is cool. Pack yourselves a little picnic and just wander round. We have done that in the past even when it is not boiling and it is really memorable as places feel so different at night

Chewable calcium tablets will get rid of the heat rash - get some at the pharmacy.

What a great tip!

I get a heat rash if it goes above 90F, I'm going to get some and keep them in the house. I even got heat rash in the Lake District when it was unexpectedly warm.

OP, I'd come home and maybe try and get an Air BNB for the last few days. Sussex is lovely at the moment, warm but not boiling and with a nice breeze (well, it is in my garden, anyway, I daresay town centres are still pretty hot).

You don’t have to go to Switzerland to get up higher you could go to the Dolomites or Aosta. If you’re in the lakes they’re both near you.

I'd cut my losses and come home, you say fights are insanely expensive but presumably so is changing your accommodation plans.

I'd be surprised if easyjet couldn't get you home relatively cheaply. Looks at flights from Milan.

Though isn't the worst of it supposed to pass in the next day or so?

Nope - this is absolutely record-breaking heat.

True, but Rome at the end of June could easily be 30 in normal circumstances.

Find nearest caves and go for a tour.
I just came from 40 degrees on mainland and it's hell. But it's going now.
Lots of great advice on this thread.
Btw Ryanair flies from Milan quite cheaply.

True, but Rome at the end of June could easily be 30 in normal circumstances.

MASSIVE difference between 30 and 40.with high humidity 40 is quite unbearable.

Not disputing that, but sightseeing in 30 degrees isn’t that comfortable either.

Personally I’d avoid Rome from the end of June to the end of August.

According to mn museums abroad always have air conditioning! Yeah right.

It would be my idea of hell to be on holiday in that sort of heat. The hottest holiday I have had was the South of France (we went in September as it should have been cooler). It was about 35 so not as hot as the weather OP is getting. I hated it. We like sightseeing and I just couldn't do that. Was too hot even just laying in the shade.

It's also rubbish that it cools down in the evenings. Maybe a bit but if you don't like heat it's still awful. It's not like the UK where it can be pretty warm during the day and then chilly in the evening.

I feel sorry for you OP. I would probably have to find a way to come home.

We managed to enjoy a holiday in the US where it was 40C plus outside by doing what others have suggested which is getting up at 5 am. We were doing proper hikes - it was fine as long as we were back in our air conditioned room by 11 to 11.30 ish. The morning is a lot cooler than the evening so really is the best time to be out.

I get your DH doesn't want to be up early because he thinks it's like work - but it won't feel like that once you've had a 3 hour siesta. You will get your lie in, it's just in the middle of the day post siesta. The next morning getting up early is fine because including the siesta you've had plenty of sleep.

No new advice really but I would find it impossible to do anything in that heat too. If your travel insurance covers you to get home, maybe take it and enjoy your honeymoon at home. If not then make the most of the situation and go out super early and rest during the day.

You aren't far off Switzerland if my memory serves me rightly 🧐🤔

Just as hot!

I really don't think some people realise the difference between 30c and 40c. Once temperatures approach body temperature then it is very difficult. After all if core body temperature goes above 40c then life threatening heatstroke can occur.

These are extreme temperatures, France reached its all time record yesterday. Things will start to cool down across much of Europe starting from tomorrow in the north and working it's way steadily down, though southern parts will stay pretty hot.

I'd hang in there as you've got quite a lot of holiday left. Head for indoor shopping centres, modern cinemas, caves (book ahead!) etc.

I live in a European country affected by the heatwave. It's horrible - it's nearly 40 degrees and I feel sick most of the time.
The temperatures are going to start dropping on Monday and it should be a reasonable temperature on Tuesday or Wednesday. You've only got a couple of days to get through.
You'll have to do what everyone here does in these conditions - and that is to stay inside during the day. Stay in the hotel with aircon and enjoy the time with DH. Get a pack of cards and play games or read books or have sex (loads of couples never leave their rooms on honeymoon!). Lots of showers and a light meal at lunchtime in the hotel and lots of drinks.
If you want to go out you'll need to get up at 6 am and be back inside by 10 am. Also it does cool down in the evenings from about 6 pm.

Or if you have a rental car with Aircon - get in it and drive up to the mountains - there are some interesting first world war museums on the border with Austria and you are much higher up so it is much cooler.

I wouldn't fly home for the sake of a couple more days of this heat.

Don't know why some people are giving the OP pissy responses - this is their honeymoon and DH is covered in a rash and the OP is unwell, plus they have had to spend loads of extra money just to get to that state of discomfort.

Because this is MN and people aren’t allowed to complain about anything without being called whiners and babies. Any kind of dissent is weakness and how dare anyone find things problematic. Also, MN can’t actually grasp that people are different. They hate that and think we should all be one great homogeneous mass.

OP it sounds miserable.

I’d be booking a flight home. Don’t suffer just because it is bought and paid for. The money is gone whatever. No point in staying where you are miserable and getting nothing out of it.

This is a result of the climate crisis. Extreme heat events like this will become far more common - people will need to rethink if they want to visit European countries where you usually go in the expectation of good weather in Summer because they are going to become unbearable.

And we need to start doing something about it - cut down on flying, eat less meat (especially beef and lamb) and become much more energy-aware.

They hate that and think we should all be one great homogeneous mass.

Who is this 'they' that you speak of? Are you not a mn user too?

We did Rome in summer, we went out after dark, got food, then walked the streets of Rome sightseeing until the early hours then slept most of the day. It was still lovely, most places were still busy through the night (couldnt get a seat at the fountains at 2am still) Coliseum looks beautiful all lit up.

We went to Vegas for a few days in the summer one year. It was 50c - we managed by being up early. So dh and Dd were in the pool at about 6am whilst I read and snoozed on a sun bed. We did a lot of indoor air conditioned activities. We went outside briefly only until it was evening. It was still 37c at 11pm at night! but we went for walks etc once the sun had gone down and it had cooled a bit.

It was really hot but we coped. You just have to slow right down and drink tons of water, and change your times - up early, afternoon naps, earlier than normal bedtimes if you can t sleep in the day.