No, ultra heatwaves are not the latest ‘travel trend’ – they will change the way we holiday forever

Forty degrees plus in the Med is far from a cause for celebration; it’s a terrifying endurance test, writes Lucy Thackray

(Reuters)

“Since when has anyone been put off going on holiday because it’s too WARM?!” tweeted self-described media personality and self-funded blue tick Dominique Samuels on Saturday.

She was referring to the current extreme temperatures that are roasting European summer holiday spots from Greece to Rome and the Canary Islands.

“These climate ‘crisis’ brainwashing tactics are designed to turn you against nature so you can be told what to do by fools with an agenda,” continued Ms Samuels, in the tone we’ve come to expect from anti-Brexit, anti-vaxx provocateurs. Don’t let the government tell you what temperature human blood will boil at – take back control and decide for yourself!

Her ire was directed at a meteorologist on Sky News, who was warning of the extreme heat for holidaymakers heading to southern Europe – just one area of the world currently seeing record-breaking, health-damaging temperatures. “Heat domes”, trapping in warmth and causing usually pleasant summer destinations to rise to 42 or even 45 degrees Celsius, are just one of many effects of climate change making things more “interesting” for modern travellers – alongside increased severe turbulence on planes, coral bleaching and stretched water supplies during droughts.

Temperatures of 48 Celsius are predicted on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia this week. Let those figures sink in for a second. In desert-wrapped Dubai, the widely acknowledged “no-go” summer months for travel see temperatures in the low 40s, usually 41 and 42 (though 50C is not unheard of). According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the first week of July was the hottest on record, with its climate director Christopher Hewitt saying: “We are in uncharted territory.”

“This could be the future of European summers,” said Sky meteorologist Kirsty McCabe on Saturday, gesturing at a map showing 42 degrees in central Spain, 41 in Italy and 39 in Greece. “You won’t be able to have the traditional holiday; you’ll want to be staying inside.” She went as far as to predict that ongoing summer heatwaves “will put certain people off travelling”.

Almost as worrying as the extreme weather is how quickly travel and lifestyle media has adapted to its presence, rarely asking questions about the causes and too often using it to publish perky “top beaches” lists and wild swimming guides. Last week saw a handy “What to pack for a 45-degree ultra-heatwave” article published by The Telegraph, advising “how to stay sweat-free and stylish”. (As the Climate Guide director Rachel Coxcoon pointed out, such pieces feel on the brink of satire; “Really looking forward to the weekend edition, covering ‘Best SUVs for flooded towns’, ‘Luxury cruises to the ice free Arctic ocean’ and ‘lose weight with the “there’s simply no food dahling” method’,” she tweeted.)

What depressed me most about Ms Samuels’ “no such thing as too warm” declaration was the number of replies agreeing that 45-degree heat could be pleasant, even preferable. One chap tweeted: “50C poolside in Turkey a few years ago and it was bliss”; another chirped: “Off to Greece Monday, can’t wait, 40 plus temps.” A third insisted: “Hopefully like the masks it keeps the plonkers away while I am kite surfing and enjoying a beer in the sun.”

I couldn’t help but picture that meme of the cartoon dog sipping a cup of tea while flames rage all around it. Next these geniuses will be telling us to throw our hands up and enjoy the severe-turbulence rollercoaster on our next flight.

I highly doubt that any of these commenters has actually sat and baked in 42-degree heat, let alone 50. When sun-worshipping Brits picture the ideal beach holiday, we are thinking of temperatures between 25 and 30 Celsius. That is pleasant, in the sunshine. Creeping up to 32C? Hmm, might need to stick close to pool or beach. Rising to 35C? Better cancel that morning hike or snorkelling trip. Forecasts for 38C? An hours-long siesta will be needed, not to mention air-conditioned accommodation and all-day access to shade. You’ll notice we haven’t even reached the forties yet.

Red Cross volunteers hand out bottles of water in Athens (AFP via Getty Images)

Two summers ago, I cancelled most of my plans on the island of Lefkada as it baked in 38C heat (the same year that wildfires raged in Attica, Messenia and Euboea amid the country’s worst heatwave since 1987, with multiple towns and villages evacuated and three deaths). The atmosphere was far from Club Tropicana bliss. The heat sat heavy and windless, like voluntarily lounging in a roasting tin. There was nothing to do but linger at the shady end of the pool, itself warmed to an unrefreshing tepidness, drinking iced water and retreating to my room for a blast of air-con. Mopping sweat from my brow, I donated to the Greek Red Cross from my phone, feeling guilty for having travelled for warmer weather.

Now it seems 38C is just the tip of the melting iceberg. An overheated holiday is the least of our concerns: earlier this month, research by the Barcelona Institute For Global Health and the French National Institute For Health found that 61,000 people died from the effects of extreme heat in summer 2022, the hottest on record. Following the report, the Office for National Statistics predicted there will be a 257 per cent increase in heat-related deaths each year by the 2050s.

The atmosphere was far from Club Tropicana bliss. The heat sat heavy and windless, like voluntarily lounging in a roasting tin

Later this week I’m due to go Greek island hopping with a friend who’s pregnant. We’re already re-planning several stops to make sure we’re moving around early morning or at night, cancelling any activities too strenuous for daylight hours. Hats and SPF 50 are essential. A destination that’s usually a breezy joy has become a sort of expedition, demanding preparations akin to a desert or jungle adventure in the least bearable season. Looking at the weather forecast, I feel foolish for having booked in July – didn’t I know this was coming? After all, this is the new normal, according to climate change experts...

When did people start being put off going on holiday “because it’s too warm”, you ask? As someone who failed to get the memo in summer 2021, I’d say this might be the year.