Dealing with extremely hot weather when traveling

Hello everyone. OK I have written plenty on winter wear and coping with cold weather when traveling, indeed it is one of the topics that has attracted a large number of readers to my blog searching for answers on winter wear. But what about traveling during periods of extremely hot weather? Having just returned from Greece and Albania where the temperature hit 38 degrees, I would like to share some tips when it comes to traveling in such conditions. Firstly, I would like to categorize different types of hot weather that you will encounter in different parts of the world.

A) Equatorial tropical, eg. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, just about anywhere near the equator
Typical temperature range: 26 to 32 degrees, high humidity, possibly with quite a lot of rain

B) Temperate summer: eg. Germany, Greece, France, just about anywhere that experiences four seasons
Typical temperature range: 22 to 38 degrees, low humidity, probably very dry

C) Desert: eg. Las Vegas, Dubai, Australian outback, the Sahara desert
Typical temperature range: 30 to 50+ in summer, 10 to 30 in winter, low humidity, very dry

Different kinds of heat affect you in different ways. I prefer a dry heat to a humid heat - it may be only 30 degrees in Singapore but I will sweat far more there than say in a place like Dubai or Madrid where the temperature can easily hit 40 degrees because of the relative humidity. I have experienced pretty extreme heat (we're talking anything in excess of 38 degrees) in places like Central Spain, Las Vegas and New York in the summer, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Dubai, Oman, Sri Lanka, China, Albania, Russia, Slovakia and even the UK. Yeah it may come as a surprise to you but countries like the UK or France which experience four seasons can have some pretty fierce summer weather.

What are the effects of extreme heat?

Well, it can cause discomfort to begin with. I much prefer cold weather to hot weather - even if it is -40 degrees, I simply need to wrap up with the appropriate winter clothing until I feel warm enough and protected from the cold. But when it is +40 degrees, there's nothing I can do even if I take off everything - the heat does cause a massive amount of unpleasant physical discomfort: you will sweat a lot as your body attempts to cool itself down, this loss of water can lead to dehydration and nasty headaches. You will feel faint and tire easily. Unless you have air-conditioning, you will be unused to trying to sleep at such high temperatures at night and the lack of sleep and rest can make you fall sick easily. In such bright sunshine, you could easily get sun burnt and long term exposure to excessive sun can lead to skin cancer. In more serious cases, you could be susceptible to heatstroke. We're talking about a lot more than just physical discomfort here - extreme heat could have serious effects on your health if you are unaware of how to take care of yourself properly. Here are ten basic steps for you to bear in mind when traveling to a hot country.

1. Adjust your schedule, avoid the worst of the heat. 

The heat is always fiercest from about 11 am to 4 pm, that is why you should choose activities that allow you to shade from the worst of that midday heat during this period. During this period, you can take a long, leisurely lunch, have a nap, visit a museum or exhibition and perhaps do some shopping - anything that keeps you out of the sun. Most of the locals will avoid the heat and being outdoors during this part of the day and it is often only tourists who are brave enough to venture outdoors, mostly because they are unaware of the effect of the extreme heat. If there are any physical activities that you need to do (such as doing sightseeing, visiting historical monuments and parks), these are best done in the early part of the morning, at dusk or even at night where the heat is a bit more forgiving.

Limpeh in the Sahara desert.

2. Hydrate, drink plenty of water

Your body's natural response to the heat is to try to cool yourself down by sweating. When the sweat evaporates from your skin, it has a cooling effect. But if you're not cool yet, then your body will keep on sweating and you could lose a lot of water when you sweat profusely. Thus it is very important to keep drinking enough water to make sure you do not suffer from the effects of dehydration. I often get headaches in hot weather because of this kind of dehydration and it can sometimes be prevented by drinking enough water. Don't worry about going to the toilet more often - you will be losing most of that water through sweat, not urine.

3. Dress sensibly in the hot weather

You need thin fabrics that breathe easily in the hot weather. I have a simple test for you to see if the fabric is hot weather friendly. Hold the fabric up to a window during daylight - if you can still see the details of the buildings and trees outside, then it is thin enough. Avoid tight fitting clothes - you need air to circulate between the fabric and your skin to stay cool. If it is opaque and you can't see through the fabric, then it is too thick for hot weather. Honestly, I have no idea how people in Singapore and Malaysia wear jeans because denim instantly fails this test and it is a very heavy and thick material that is made for much colder climates! Whilst you may be tempted to wear less in this hot weather, you must also consider the need to shield your skin from the sun if you are going to be spending long hours in the sun.

A pair of trousers passing the test

4. Ensure you can sleep at night.

In this kind of hot weather, make sure you have air-conditioning. If you are traveling, check and double check that the hotel does have air-conditioning. Pay more if necessary to have the air-conditioning and you will be grateful that you did spend the money. It isn't simply a matter of comfort - in such hot weather, there will also be a lot of insects that are active at night (it is too hot in the day for a lot of insects too, you know) and night time is when they become active and start looking for their victims. Sleeping in an air-conditioned environment will protect you from such insects - trust me, you don't want to awake in the morning covered with nasty bites. Covering your face and body with a damp towel does help as the evaporation will keep you cool.

If you simply cannot get air-conditioning, then you need to consider that need to protect your body from insect bites. You do not want to sleep under a thick blanket when it is so hot, so you need to think about wearing something made of reasonably thin fabric that will protect your skin when sleeping. Or you can try this: when I was in Greece recently, I asked for an extra bedsheet to use as a blanket. It served the purpose of covering and protecting my skin from any insects when I slept but at least it was just a thin bed sheet and not a blanket, so at least I wasn't getting too hot under it. It is vital that you do get enough rest in this kind of hot weather as your body will be vulnerable to illness.

It can get very hot in Europe as well during summer!

5. Adjust your diet, do what the locals do.

In extremely hot weather, you are likely to lose your appetite and your dietary habits will change. Do not force yourself to eat a meal just because you think it is time for a meal - instead, see what the locals do. In very hot countries for example, lunch is usually a fairly light affair consisting of salads, snacks, fresh fruit and juice as it would be too hot to eat a hot meal when it is 45 degrees. Also bear in mind that food goes off very quickly at such high temperatures, so be very careful about what you eat and how you store food. I remember how I had kept a bottle of fruit juice in my bad whilst traveling in central Sri Lanka where the temperature was about 38 degrees - the juice was perfectly fine in the morning when I had left my hotel but by mid-afternoon when I tried to open the bottle, it had already gone bad and there was a huge build up of bubbles and gasses in the juice. I had to throw it away.

6. Invest in a pair of sunglasses, wear enough sunscreen

You will be amazed just how many people don't actually wear sunglasses - but you need to protect your eyes from the harsh rays of the sun as well. Now this isn't just for comfort or vanity, you need to protect your retinas from the UV rays in the sunlight. You also need to wear sufficient sunblock to avoid sun damage on your skin if you are going to spend time out in the sun. Remember, if you are swimming or even if you are just sweating profusely, you will need to reapply your sunscreen regularly when necessary. Even when you are simply wiping the sweat off your face or neck, you could be also removing that vital sunscreen that you need, so do pay attention and reapply if necessary!

That's Limpeh on Bournemouth beach last year.

7. Plan ahead, decide in advance what you are going to do

This may sound like common sense but a lot of tourists just turn up in a place and realize, oh I only have a few hours to see this major historical site and if I don't do it now, I will never see it as I am leaving tonight which leaves them no choice but to venture out in the hottest part of the day. They are suffering from poor planning - it simply takes a few moments to think two steps ahead and plan your activities for the following days. In some countries, some tourist attractions will open very early or very late to allow tourists to make the most of the cooler dawn and dusk hours to visit, so do check in advance to see if you can take advantage of that.

8. Allow some time yourself to acclimatize

You'll be amazed but you will actually get used to it the heat. I remember stepping out into the carpark at Muscat airport in Oman for the first time when I first arrived - now the airport of course is nice and cool as it is completely air-conditioned, but when the 43 degrees hit in the car park first hit me, I felt every nerve ending tingle with discomfort. That was the kind of tingly, prickly heat that kind of extreme desert heat can have on you. I remember thinking, "oh dear, I am in big trouble, how am I going to do anything in this country when it is so crazy hot?"  However, by my third day in Oman, I had gotten used to the desert heat and it was far less of an issue for me. Do not be too ambitious in your first 24 to 36 hours of arriving in a very hot country, give yourself that time window to get used to the heat.

 I got terribly sun burnt in Oman.

9. Listen to your body

Everyone's body will react differently to the heat - you need to accept that your body needs time to get used to it and maybe you may not be able to adjust to the high temperatures as well as others. If you are unwell, seek help. Speak to a local and ask them for advice about coping with the heat - they would have plenty of good advice as to what to do and will probably be able to tell you what you are doing wrong. Remember it isn't unusual to feel unwell in such high temperatures and you should not ignore what your body is telling you and if necessary, you should see a doctor In most cases, your illness will be caused by a lack of rest or water and can be easily dealt with.

10. Take care of those who are traveling with you.

Even if you are coping fine in the hot weather, do keep an eye on those you are traveling with, especially if they are elderly or very young. They are the ones who are prone to doing silly things that are the complete opposite of what you are supposed to do in such hot weather. When I was in Dubai, I remembered this story about an older British tourist who had to be admitted to hospital for dehydration because - get this - she was afraid that drinking more water would lead to her visiting the toilet a lot more often and thus she actually drank far less water than normal despite being in the freaking desert where the temperature was 47 degrees. She was worried about not being able to find a toilet when she needed one, being in a foreign country and not speaking the local language. Furthermore, she assured everyone she felt fine despite being overdressed for the desert. And sure enough, she collapsed and fainted from heat exhaustion. You get the idea - you may be sensible but do keep an eye on those around you who may not be as savvy.

Limpeh in Nizwa in Oman.

So that's it from me on this issue - please let me know what you think. Do you have any experiences traveling to very hot countries? What is the highest temperature you have ever experienced and how did you cope in those conditions? Do you have any tips to share when it comes to coping with the heat? What kind of interesting stories do you have to share about traveling to very hot countries? Do leave a comment below please, many thanks for reading!