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’!

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

Not this hot, Mrs Smug

Also, it's a honeymoon... tends to be taken after a lovely June wedding....

I'm from Northern Italy, people from Milan etc. tend to escape to the mountains in the summer.
Unfortunately my little mountain village was 37C yesterday!

I think,also, it's fair to say if you book a trip to Morocco and 'the tropics' you expect (and maybe even want) scorching hot. If you book a late June holiday to Northern Italy, Austria , Germany you may not expect heatwaves. In fact, I'd expect rain and the odd hot day.

The weather is very very hot in central Europe - unusually so.

Personally I would not dream of going to France, Italy etc in June but maybe the OP does like reasonably hot weather just not as hot as it is?

There has been a lot of discussion around rome specifically atthe moment and all yhe red faced tourists wilting.

Its not ok to be dipping in the trrvy to cool off. Its considered very anti-social behaviour and disrespectful, i think its also prosecutable (whoever mentioned doing that).

I've been in the Middle East in temperatures like this. Even at night it's like stepping outside into an oven. Places like the UAE are set up for it. Everywhere has air con and everyone basically steps from one air con location to the next. You can't do that in places who aren't used to it. I remember ex H having a cross word with a cab driver and I was absolutely terrified the driver would put us out into the midday heat, that's how bad it was. Personally I wouldn't come home. I'd get up at six am and get out then but I can see why you'd want to OP.

If you book a late June holiday to Northern Italy, Austria , Germany you may not expect heatwaves.

Certainly in France this weather is exceptional not just because of the extreme heat but because of it being in June - hottest weather is usually late July-early August.

In June it is worse because the sun is higher for longer.

You'd expect 30 degrees in southern France and northern Italy in June - not continuously but you would be surprised by some 32-34 degree days. 40-45 degrees is a completely other kettle of fish and is incredibly rare - indeed as far as France is concerned it's unprecedented with all-time June records being broken in many cities by wide margins.

It's humid too, this is not dry middle eastern heat, and most places don't have aircon.

So OP is (a) not unreasonable not to have planned for this and (b) not unreasonable to find it fecking miserable. My teens are managing by being up all night and sleeping until late afternoon, I have to work and it's awful.

Jeez.

The temperature in France hit a record yesterday - the highest it's ever been in hundreds of years of records. These are not the highest June temperatures, they are the highest temperatures EVER recorded in France.

This is freakish & unusual heat. And it's probably due to our actions - heating up the earth with our carbon emissions.

It's only 29 degrees in Venice. Cooler than London today.

This weather is exceptional so all you smug "Well, it's summer" people can go and say it to locals and maybe wait in front of all the busy hospitals who treat unbelievable number people due to heat strokes Including locals.
"What are you doing? It's summer. What weather did you expect? I was in Middle East in summer, you are just doing it wrong." See how it goes.

It's breaking records. Not just in France. All over Europe.
Early summer heatwaves are extra dangerous for anyone including locals because bodies haven't fully adapted to warm yet. These are NOT standard nor expected temperatures.

Did you decide to stay the course OP? Or are you winging it home or fleeing for the mountains? It does sound pretty hard. Some cope and some don't, it's no good judging people for their capacity to cope with heat or not. I do think a siesta might save you - I know it's EXTRA hot, but there's a reason all hotter countries tend to have a siesta - it's because it works with those climates.

Also perplexed that anyone looking for comfortable weather in Europe would book a late June holiday. There's plenty of scope for heatwaves.

The OP has said that they booked based on average temperature for time of year. Thats 28-30. Its currently, and been since Tuesday, 10 degrees in excess of that which is a MASSIVE difference and almost unprecedented. 30 degrees is hot, but manageable. When you approach and exceed body temperarure, in a country not set up for that and generally lacking aircon, it goes from manageable to miserable very quickly.

We spent a week in Istanbul for my 50th birthday. The thermometer by the pool was showing temperatures of 47! There was a nice breeze though so it was bearable. That was August

skittlesabdbeer

Have you considered running ‘pivoting’ classes?!

I live in northern Italy and this week has been awful but it's better today and temperatures seem to be falling. I was surprised how many tourists were sightseeing at midday though! You need to he going out early or late and resting in the middle of the day - you're on your honeymoon- shouldn't be a problem!

Not covered under travel insurance as weather is actually an act of god! Unless the heat makes you ill you have no claim

Well, this has already been made abundantly clear user !
Noone seems to be under the delusion that yiu can claim if its too hot or cold,or wet,but you can claim for sickness, whatever the cause,unless its alcohol (some other exclusions apply).

So I spoke to insurance this morning and they basically said that if we hadn’t left the UK yet and wanted to cancel based on the government warnings currently in place then they would have covered us- but they won’t cover us coming home now we are already here.

I asked him what the point in taking out (expensive) insurance for an extended trip was if it doesn’t cover changes during the trip and he stammered around awkwardly repeating bits of the contract wording (which actually said ‘covers extreme weather’)

I was annoyed as when we set off from the UK weather was all business as usual- nobody knew what was coming 🤔 so I think they’re being very interpretive of their wording there!

It has been insane. For those who said ‘well it’s June’ 🙄🤔 read a news paper, it’s way higher than normal and people are dying!

Luckily it actually dropped a couple of degrees here today and by the late afternoon was bearable. I’m just hoping it continues this way!

🙄 I know you’re all being tongue in cheek with your ‘well honeymoon is perfect excuse to not leave the room’ but do you seriously think I should do nothing but have sex for 3 weeks? 🤔 I’ve also got a wonderful case of cystitis thanks to the heat so thanks...but no thanks x

I'd hate it.

I also agree with you, OP, that sometimes people don't get what super hot weather is and how limiting it is (unless you fancy risking death).

So you have your answer. What do you intend to do?

My mil can be like that. Looks at reports of Europe ATM and says 'ooh lovely. It rains too much here'. I'm like 'you're old, you'd die, stop being insane'. I blame the daily express.

I honestly don't think your insurance will pay, it was 38 degrees when I went to Venice a few years ago and hit 39 when I was in Provence 3 or 4 years ago (memory frazzled, it's 30 in my bedroom!) anyway, whilst it's very hot it's not that out of the ordinary in Southern Europe, I suggest you permanently avoid Spain as it's always that hot!