Unbearing Summer in Europe for Travellers
Europe Extreme heat and other weather problems have been predicted this summer, and travel advisors, tourists and local authorities are preparing.
Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, is headed for another scorching summer, meteorologists warn. And travelers are once again on their way to warm places.
Last year, much of southern Europe experienced long periods of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 118 degrees and lasting up to two weeks or more. Scorching conditions have upended holidays during the summer season, with visitors collapsing in crowded tourist spots in the heat and forest fires prompting evacuations in Greece, Italy and Spain.
“Our computer models agree that we’re going to have another unusually warm summer, especially from late July through August,” said Todd Crawford, director of meteorology at the Weather and Climate Intelligence Service’s Atmospheric G2. Manchester, N.H. According to the company, the intensity of the heat will be similar to 2022, Europe’s hottest summer on record, with the most unusual heat expected in the south, in popular tourist countries such as Greece, Croatia and Italy.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Europe has warmed twice the global average since 1991, and of the 30 most severe heat waves in Europe since 1950, 23 have occurred since 2000 and five in the last three years. The European Union’s climate change agency Copernicus said several factors contribute to the continent’s vulnerability, including Europe’s share of land in the Arctic – the fastest-warming region on Earth – and changes in atmospheric circulation.
Despite the forecast and increasing excessive summer heat, demand remains high in destinations where temperatures rose above 100 degrees this past summer. According to travel website Hopper, US demand for Europe has generally increased since last year. Rome, Paris and Athens are the most searched cities among Kayak and Expedia’s billions of annual summer vacation searches.
“Goals are rebooked and people are characterized by how quickly they forget and let go of negative experiences,” said Stefan Gössling, a professor who studies tourism and climate change at Linnaeus University in Sweden. “People who have been exposed to life-threatening situations like bushfires may be rethinking where they travel, but for the wider population we haven’t yet seen a big change in decision-making because of the heat.”.
Green spaces and heat officials: Cities adapt
As summer approaches, popular destinations that were hit hard last year are working on protocols to make changes to the safety and comfort of residents and tourists. In 2021, Athens became the first European city to appoint a heat manager to oversee these efforts. One of the first steps was to classify heat waves according to severity, like hurricanes, as an early warning system for possible effects on human health. It also refers to heat waves to emphasize their potential risks.
“Heat is a silent killer and forecasts for the next few years show it will only get worse, so we are restructuring our city and making changes to adapt,” said Elisavet Bargianni, Athens’ heat manager. In addition to raising awareness, the city plans to implement additional initiatives such as increasing green areas and creating fresh public spaces.
For visitors planning to visit Athens this summer, Bargianni recommends using the Extrema Global app, which calculates the best route from point A to point B based on the current temperature and tree density. The city already has several air-conditioned cooling centers that are free.
During last July’s heatwave, the Acropolis had to close from noon to early evening to protect visitors after some collapsed due to the heat. According to Bargianni, the Ministry of Culture could make the same decision this year if the heat is intense.
Heat and travel: travel agencies are creative
Travel agencies also consider heat for flexible travel. In cities like Rome, Barcelona, Paris and Athens, they run tours in the cooler morning and evening hours and arrange air-conditioned transport.
“We usually do activities and tours in the morning, then stop for lunch, and mid to late afternoon you go back to the hotel and sit by the pool or go to the beach,” Gary said. Portues, CEO of Authentic Explorations, a New York-based travel company specializing in Europe.
When customers request lunchtime tours, the company works with local partners to make the experience as convenient as possible. “If there’s a six-hour tour, for example, it’s cut into four and taken to an air-conditioned ice rink for a break,” said Portuesi.
Travel advisors not only had to contend with heat, but also with other unpredictable weather phenomena. Last summer, while some parts of the continent were hot and dry, others were cold and wet. “There was a period during summer when the Dolomites were hotter than Sicily,” said Jennifer Schwartz, Italian partner of Authentic Explorations. “The most important thing in our work is to set changing expectations and guide people instead of saying it’s too hot, don’t come.”
Heat insurance?
To help travelers book with confidence, Sensible Weather, a Los Angeles-based startup that provides weather insurance for vacations and outdoor activities, recently added high thermal protection to its coverage. When you book with a Sensible partner, travelers can add daily coverage, and if temperatures exceed a threshold — typically 90 to 100 degrees — they can claim compensation. Currently, the insurance is only available in the US, but the company says it will gradually roll out in Europe and elsewhere.
“The company’s goal is to cover anything that can ruin a trip, and usually it’s rain, but temperature is second,” said company founder Nick Cavanaugh, who developed the product during the heat wave. Barcelona last year.
Customers do not need to cancel their trip to receive a refund. Those on prepared trips will be compensated for the average daily price of the entire trip for each day the temperature limit is exceeded. “Our customers can still go on vacation, but if it’s too hot and uncomfortable to go out for a few hours every day, you can hang out in the air conditioning and we’ll reimburse you,” Cavanaugh said..
On the way to cooler climes
Some travelers trapped by the heat of Europe last summer are searching cooler destinations in places like Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Flight searches for Tromsø in Norway increased by 85 percent compared to 2023, according to Kayak.
Joanna Walker, a recruiter from Boston, was caught in a raging heat wave in Italy last July with her family and vowed not to return this summer.She had been advised to travel during the cooler season, but could’nt because her children were at school.
“We couldn’t even cool off in the pool because there was no shade and the water was hot,” Walker recalled. “We wanted to see the sights of Florence and have long lunches in the piazzas, but instead we were stuck in overpriced air-conditioned villas.”
This year, his family booked a July trip to the Norwegian fjords, where the temperature remains above 60 degrees. “It’s definitely a different atmosphere than Italy, a lot of nature and not so much history, but at least it’s cool enough to experience something.”
