Surviving the heat on holiday with DC - tips please!

[4fingerKitKat]

Against my better judgement DH convinced me to book somewhere hot this summer so we are going to Croatia. Forecast max temperatures currently look to be between 33 and 42 (!!) degrees for different areas we are staying.

For most of the trip we have a villa with a pool so we could just chill and splash about but I also want to do some sightseeing, visit beaches etc and we have a big of travelling around.

We normally stick to Northern Europe for holidays and I’m feeling unprepared for how to make the trip enjoyable for primary age DC.

Top tips please on what I should pack, how to plan our days to make it enjoyable and not torture!

I’ve no advice but I just wanted to say I feel your pain .
We are just back from Turkey . I left the hotel twice for about 15 minutes !!!
The heat was incredible . Saw absolutely nothing of the area . Embarrassing!
I’m really not sure what you could do , even early mornings and evenings were too hot .
Your kids will love the water etc .
Lesson learned for us , Austria next summer !!!

Don't try to head out for sightseeing between 11 and 3/4pm

Use cool/tepid showers including wetting your hair thoroughly to bring core temperature down.

Do you have a freezer/fridge? Air con?

Start your days very early. In hot places we usually head out around 7 or 8am and return to the hotel after lunch. Then we may go out again for dinner.

We hire drivers or take taxis. Loose clothing in natural fabrics, hats and portable electric fans. Lots of ice cream and cold drinks.

I quite like that kind of heat Big hats, water bottles and low expectations of what you can manage. Go out early morning or late afternoon, poolside at the hottest part of the day in shade. Cooling towels are great - soak, wiggle around in the air and drape around your neck, repeat when it dries out/warms. Realistically it’s not going to make a huge difference but it makes you feel like you're doing something and I’m never very sure that tiny fans are worth the faff. For water bottles, I make sure there’s a loop on each one and have a huge carabiner to link them together, saves them getting instantly lost and easier to carry or attach to a day bag without fear of leaks. Keeping properly hydrated really helps. We tend to add a tiny bit rehydration stuff to water all day every day when it’s super hot, and throw a bit of fruit in to make it more exciting. If you overheat, drink room temperature water and run cold water on your wrists. Linen or sweat wicking fabrics. Covering up in heat can be surprisingly more cooling than having skin exposed to sun. Hope you have a great time!

Do thinks early in the day....nap at lunchtime then stay up later in the evening

It might mean we can’t do some of the day trips I’d hoped we’d do as it’s not compatible with taking an afternoon siesta.

I also don’t know how the DC can be encouraged to rest/nap - I’d happily get up early and have a nap in the afternoon but the DC just aren’t wired to do that so getting up and out early just risks them being hot tired and cranky. How do you encourage an afternoon wind down?

We find the they don’t need encouragement in that climate, they will naturally get lethargic and want a lie down or a chill out in the aircon room, mostly mine will have a rest on sun lounger in the shade if during the afternoon or some quiet activities in the room before going out in the evening

Pre-DC we went to Turkey and we ventured to the beach early one day when it was particularly hot and gave up by about 9am as it was unbearable. It was only June as well!

Cooling towels like PP said are ace.

Get one of those water bottle sprays with a fan.

Take a portable dvd player (are they still a thing?! #old) or if the villa has a dvd player, some kids’ DVDs, or download lots of films and stay inside in the cool for the hottest part of the day.

I'm in Austria at the moment. It has been 31 and humid as hell most of the time. A few weeks ago it was hotter.

To the OP, run sunhats under the tap regularly. Stay out of the sun and away from concrete. Carry umbrellas for shade.

iPads in Your air con room….this is what my DD does with her 2 DD….they go out early 8.30ish….back to the hotel by 11….swim until 1ish…..hotel room until 5….another hours swim….back to room….then go out around 7.30 ish ….they are 9 and 5.5 now …but she’s done this since they were small….took a buggy for evenings until last year

That's very hot too, it was much cooler last week.
What part are you in and can you do 'stuff' ??? I am not going on another holiday where I just run from pool to air con.....

I’ve said this…we were in Croatia last month and it was 28ish most of time…more than hot enough….I think that’s my limit now I’m older (59)

You'll be ok. Croatia is hot but not humid, so it doesn't feel as bad. I found sightseeing better in the morning as those old city walls do keep in the heat. I'm also a morning person but I found that doing activities (zip lining, rafting etc) was better in the afternoon as we were near the water or in the woods so it was more bearable than the town.

I've lived in a couple of hot countries and the only time of the day when it's even passably cool when the daytime temp is 33-42 degrees is at around 6-10am. I would urge you to get up early if you want to sight see and plan to be back at your accommodation by 11am.

I used to sleep in two sessions - the first between about midnight and 6am and the second between about 2-4pm. The middle part of the day is spent indoors, all shutters and windows closed, aircon on, if you have it. Just keep yourself and your DC out of the sun. You will burn incredibly quickly and the heat is just unbearable. Even being in the pool isn't great, because of the direct overhead sun. Wear hats and rash vests to protect your skin. After 6pm it will be okay.

And don't try to do too much. Stay hydrated, wear linen, cover your skin, wear Factor 50 sunscreen and if you don't see very much, well so be it. Your health is more important.

Why do people do this to themselves, sounds more like an endurance test than a holiday. I think the penny still hasn't dropped with British and Irish people that in the future - and now to an extent - that large swathes of southern and central Europe are now simply too hot and uncomfortable (sometimes dangerously so) in the summer months. Stick with Northern Europe next year OP! I too have occasionally got caught out with super hot temperatures and once when I was pregnant I actually went home early because I was utterly miserable..

Ditch the sight seeing.
Either go to the beach super early in the morning, take a breakfast picnic or from 5 onwards.
Get up early and then have a sisesta in the hotest part of the day.

"I’m never very sure that tiny fans are worth the faff"

Not the tiny ones. Nobody has those anymore. As for a portable DVD player 🤣🤣🤣

As others have get out early. Also avoid built up areas. Stone, bricks, concrete and tarmac all seem to amplify the heat.

Our kids are always up early, so we'd do stuff then and be back by 11am max. Avoid the high heat.

Have lunch, chill time, back out around 3.30pm/4pm for swim.

Then dinner and a stroll afterwards.

How do you encourage an afternoon wind down?

^

They don't need to sleep. Just say it's 'chill time'

Our kids are nearly adults so it's okay. Expensive in extra drinks and cafe stops but totally doable. I am not a fan of the heat, and would prefer to travel in less hot times of the year, but we are still confined to school holidays. As we don't fly for family holidays, (save carbon) we only have time to go to southern Europe during the 6 weeks holiday. It's a pain.

Totally agree with you !!! We wasted 9 k ……

My kids are older too but still , seems so pointless . They had never been to Turkey before and they might as well not have been for all they experienced.

We do sightseeing holidays or city breaks in Feb or October half terms. If we go somewhere like Turkey in the summer holidays, it's to have a pool and beach relaxing break. We'll eat nice Turkish food, but not worry about cultural experiences or seeing the country. It's just a different type of holiday - it's fine to have one sometimes that is just about sun, sand and relaxation.