Are you changing your holiday plans next year due to heatwave?

[TaraTomsmum]

Currently in Spain and it’s so hot we have to stay mainly inside during the day. Luckily the hotel has an indoor pool. Are you changing your holiday plans due to the heatwave we see in Southern Europe at the moment or are you ok holidaying in the heat?

Florida in August was utterly horrendous for me! I felt unwell the entire time. Not my choice to be there then. The humidity is just awful.

But I realise many people find it fine!

We stopped holidaying in the Med in the school summer holidays years ago, because none of us like temps over 30 degrees. We choose destinations based on how hot they will be as the main priority, because we like to do things when we're on holiday, not be forced to stay indoors in the aircon all day.

What were you doing there? The parks? IME you're not far away from insanely good air con. Far better set up for the heat than here.

There are increasing numbers of fires and power blackouts (most hotels have generators so many don’t realize while visiting).

When things break down or there is an emergency in that level of heat it is really serious, especially for children and anyone with a health issue. I lived in a Med country so speaking from experience not as a scare.

Totally agree against trying to visit sites in the heat.

Going repeatedly from freezing air con to the humidity (and yes, Disney but a long time ago!) was horrible. The pressure gave me hideous headaches. Not just being able to comfortably walk around outside made me miserable.

@HarrietBond it’s one reason we don’t do cheap long hauls to far east etc - I quite like heat, I can’t bear humidity - one holiday in Antigua in July taught me that - I couldn’t breathe and bit to buggery and yet I’m ok in the med at even 42 degrees, because it just isn’t as humid - my ideal is 28 degrees, sunny and breezy

30 😂 That’s extremely rare for the UK even in a heatwave! Also August can quite often turn cooler and rainier towards the end of the month.

Oh dear. If you're coming to the UK in August it would be better to bring your raincoat ime.

The best UK weather seems to be May and June nowadays.

If it’s 30 here for more than a day or two it’s extreme weather, @alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 . I’m pretty sure our summer is only slightly warmer than many Aussie winters! I mean, we’re a great place to come to for all sorts of reasons but not for heat.

I just looked at the Met Office website and it gives average temperature for July at a range of about 20-23° depending on where in the UK you are (based on the few regional weather stations I entered - the range will probably go lower as I didn’t look very far north).

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 Don't worry if it is cold and wet. The country is set up for it.

Also take the opportunity to travel around, with the novelty of being in another country in an hour or so. Look for rail deals. So much easier to arrive in the centre of a city. You don’t lose much time compared to flying if you factor in getting to and from the airport and check in times.

St David's in Pembrokeshire has everything: stunning beaches and scenery, beautiful coastal walks, cathedral, nice arty shops, pubs you can spend all day at (!).

We changed our plans this year due to several recent summer holidays in Europe which have been too hot.
We went to Portugal in May half term & will have our UK holiday in August. It was much better.
Only got one more year of having to stick to school holidays so after that it will be nice to have more options (and hopefully less expensive!)

Netherlands. Get a museum pass. Amazing campsites for kids.

Scandinavia.

Yes, we’re thinking about doing the Med in May half term and then doing something further north - UK/Scandinavia/Alps in the summer hols. Unfortunately we’re tied to school holidays.

It’s a good time to invest in a touring caravan or campervan - or a big tent - and start getting into July-August holidays on British beaches. Perfect climate! Alternative for me is northern France but the nicest places are way way busier than many UK seaside resorts.

In short, yes! We are away for the first week of the Scottish school holidays which is last week in June/first week of July and usually perfect weather..mid to high 20s. This year it is 35 degrees. We’ve barely left the pool and spent most of our time under the parasol. Not even venturing to the beach as it’s too hot and exposed. It’s a lovely place but too hot to do anything. Even going for a stroll in the evening is horrible hot and muggy. Last couple of years have been similar and we’ve done Portugal, Majorca and Croatia. We are looking at October break for sunshine holidays now. It’s just such a shame the UK weather is so crappy and unpredictable!

We're going away Feb half term canaries and next summer to the Netherlands but not because of the weather.
I went to Rhodes when I was 18 (so a very long time ago) and it hit 42 while we were there so I've always been prepared that going to mid/southern Europe in June and August will be hot

We are the same. I'd go to those destinations at a cooler time of year. DS has a two week October half term (sadly DD does not or we'd go then!)

Nope i've already got Kos booked for next August. We went to Rhodes last August and we were fine and had been to Crete a few years ago also in August.
The heat doesn't bother us.

We hate the heat, so normally go abroad in Easter, May or October, then UK during the summer. I do think winter sun is the way forward, but then I would pass the daz doorstep challenge.

I'd think twice about going south of the Loire now in August tbh. And I've had holidays in SW France in the summer and love the area, but sustained periods of 30+ heat on the last couple of times were just too much..

Crete is about 160 miles from east to west (for comparison Wales is 170 miles north to south). The people who have been evacuated have been moved from a rural area to the largest nearby town (population 17,000) which is about 10 miles away from the fire and still on Crete. While I agree waiting to be evacuated from a small island with a wildfire on it would be terrifying, that's not what is happening on Crete. So sad though, Crete is so beautiful and this is still early in the season.

Geamap.com is useful and puts the Crete wildfire into perspective.

I don’t mind heat, we are going to Greece in August (with no children). I’ve also visited Athens in a heatwave - we had parts of the Acropolis almost to ourselves in the mid-afternoon. DD hates the heat so we are going back in October.

Prices for August are reasonable so I presume a number of people are deciding not to visit during July and August.

I know I might be labelled a climate denier, but when I think back to my younger days, it was always roasting hot temps in the Med in Summer, but being young I could deal with it and loved that feeling when the plane doors opened and I was hit with a blast of actual HEAT!

Nowadays when people are a little older with young kids, the emphasis is on keeping them cool, hydrated, and preventing sunburn. Constantly watching them and all that can leave you exhausted when it's 38d. However, if it's just you or both you and partner it's a lot easier to cope with I think. Don't forget the natives of these countries survive their Summers by being sensible. But honestly who wants to go away and spend most of the time asleep in a shuttered dark room and only venturing out at night!

When I was younger, I was out all night, sleeping during the day either in bed on or on the beach, so the impact of the heat wasn't so great, and being young meant coping so much better too!

FWIW there is nothing that would entice me to go to the Med region after May or before October. It's just not worth it anymore.

Thinking about it. We are booked for Cyprus in August this year and always been fine when we’ve gone in August in the past but I don’t seem to tolerate the heat as well as I used to, so think this may be the last time. Might look at 10 days in May half term next year and the kids will just have to miss a few days of school. The only thing that bothers me then is that it will be a long 6 weeks school holiday to fill without going away!