Although Debby Baldwin lived in France for five years and returned occasionally to visit, she was especially psyched before her most recent trip there. She and her husband would be vacationing with their daughter and granddaughter—a week in Paris before heading south for another week in the seaside resort town of Arcachon. Everything was all set, including the apartment rentals they’d chosen in favor of hotels. “My daughter is a single-minded travel strategizer who thinks of everything, so I didn’t have to spend a minute figuring out where to go or when,” Baldwin says.

NextTribe takes small groups of women ages 45+ on fun, immersive adventures across the country and around the world. See where we’re going here.

Fantastique? Not exactly, since this was the summer of 2022, when peak temperatures in Europe hung between 104 °F and 109 °F.  “It was hot,” Baldwin deadpans. The entire continent was unprepared for the heatwave, since air conditioning isn’t typical across the Atlantic, particularly in those lovely old buildings with their charming architectural touches (read: windows with side hinges and hand cranks).

Hotter Than Ever, Just About Everywhere

Of course the continent was unprepared—after all, nobody wants to focus on bad tidings when expecting tons of tourists. Yet it’s hard to deny the facts: The rate of global warming since 1982 is more than 0.36° F per decade, three times what it was in 1850, when record keeping began. And climate watchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) not only report that 2023 was the planet’s hottest year to date, the near future—this summer, for instance—probably won’t be much cooler.

Still, summer remains the prime vacation season. And, sorry, off-season travelers, but it’s not just June, July, and August that are sizzling: NOAA found that autumn 2024 to be the hottest on record in the contiguous United States, including typically chillier states Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

Keeping Your Cool: Hot-Weather Travel Tips

But before resigning yourself to a staycation in front of your AC, chill!  We’ve got smart tips for beating the heat, with guidance on packing, sightseeing, eating, and sleeping when temperatures soar wherever you are.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

Heat-related illnesses range from mild cramps and rashes to heat stroke, a potentially life-threatening condition. Heat exhaustion and dehydration are no fun either, with such symptoms as dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and headache. But this hot-weather travel tip ins’t just about drinking water. H2O alone won’t replace sodium, calcium, and potassium, the electrolytes that regulate hydration. 

“In Southeast Asia, where it was 90+ degrees every day, I didn’t realize how close I came to dehydration,” says Robin Glenn, who spent the entire summer in Thailand and Vietnam several years ago. “Beverages in those countries are typically salty, even the fruit juice, but I couldn’t get used to the taste. So now when I travel to hot, humid places, I bring Pedialite powder packs to mix with bottled water.”

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be a real risk: Bring Pedialite powder packs to stay hydrated.

Alternatives recommended by travel writer Terry Ward in AFAR travel magazine include TSA-friendly bottles of electrolytes-packed flavor enhancer drops from Stur and sugar-free, calorie-free Hydration Everyday Drink Mix with electrolytes.

Start a Fan Club

Moving air feels a lot cooler than still air, so travel with a portable fan—or two. Our next hot-weather travel tip is to bring something to kick up a breeze.

• Popular Mechanics rated this handheld fan with five speeds and weighing just 7.8 ounces, as best overall. 
• Prefer to wear your fan? Wirecutter cited the Gulaki Neck Fan as its top pick.
• If your lodging is stuffy, a stationary model will be a blessing. “My bedside fan was the secret to restful sleep in Vietnam,” Glenn says. This packable Faraday product measures a mere 1.4″D x 5.7″W x 7.1”H.

Get Loose

Clingy clothes won’t do when the heat is on, so bring loose, lightweight, moisture-wicking athleisure from brands like 2XU and Kuhl. For more fashion-centric gear, shop organic cotton and linen dresses and pieces, like this one from Quince.

Moisture-wicking fabrics are a big plus: They pull sweat away from skin and help it evaporate, which will keep you cooler.

Or even consider wearing (believe it!) wool. Travel writer Heather Smith, recently back from the equator, champions the fabric as a moisture-wicking, odor-repelling choice that also dries fast, so ideal for a quick wash in a hotel sink. (Try Smartwool, which has climate advocacy partners, plant-based dyes, and a recycling project.)

Time Your Outdoor Touring Right

Simply put, siestas make sense. Do outdoor activities early in the day, walking on the shady side of the street, or at least under an umbrella or quality sunhat (Travel + Leisure loves this Coolibar one for full coverage and an SPF of 50+). By 11 AM, if you’d rather not return to your room, hit a cool restaurant, shady cafe, museum, or hotel lobby.

Pursue outdoor adventures before 11 AM or after 4 PM so you don’t roast.

During the 2022 heatwave, the Baldwins found relief by taking morning promenades and then venturing out again after 4 PM when temperatures turned more tolerable.  “Fortunately, northern European cities come alive at night and summer skies don’t darken until after 9 PM,” Baldwin says. “We ate fashionably late, then were able to crash.” 

Tray Chic!  

Ice can be a hot commodity in some countries. “When we were in Portugal, we realized what an American luxury ice cubes are,” says Wendy Steinberg, who rented a house in Porto with some friends last summer. “There were no ice cube trays, so we improvised, freezing water in a ziplock bag and chipping away at it as needed.”  A styrofoam egg carton is a better hack, or, if you’re ice-obsessed, you could stow a slim silicone ice-cube tray in your suitcase to ensure beverages are just the way you like them.

Eat Light

Here’s another hot-weather travel tip: Columbia Doctors, a practice affiliated with New York-Presbyterian Hospital, advises avoiding foods that spoil quickly in high temperatures, especially if storage conditions are unclear—as they might be in outdoor markets or from street vendors. Skip that “maybe” mayo, iffy meat and fish, and questionable cheese, choosing fresh fruit and salads instead. 

Be Prepared

Heat stroke can crank body temperature up to 106 °F in as little as 10 minutes. So if you’re the type of adventuress who’ll be traveling to a remote area, think safety first. Consider bringing a satellite phone or SOS device, water-collection bags, and a bottle with built-in purification like this one from LARQ that eliminates up to 99 percent of bio-contaminants such as E.coli. This can be an especially valuable hot-weather travel tip for those going camping or doing a lot of hiking.

Stay Cool and Keep Going!

So did the Baldwins get a respite of bay breezes and refreshing swims after leaving Paris for the beach at Arcachon? Not initially. Tragically, wildfires raged in southern Europe (as well as the Middle East and North Africa) during the summer of 2022, and the department (think: county) of Gironde, where Arcachon lies, was seriously affected. 

“For the first few days, the air was full of smoke, and it was hard to breathe,” Baldwin says. But then the wind changed, the skies cleared, and the family was able to resume their holiday. “The world has never been more unpredictable, but seeing its beauty and sharing it with loved ones is important,” Baldwin says in sum. “If you accept that you can’t control everything, you’ll manage to have a great time, whatever the weather.” Those are words to live and travel by: Some journeys may be cold, others rainy, others horribly hot, but with a little planning and some smart hacks, you’ll still enjoy your adventures.