How To Keep Cool And Comfortable When Travelling In The Summer

Written by: Lachlan Barnes

February 19, 2025

Time to read 4 min

Depending on where you go in the world for your next holiday adventure, will determine what type of weather you have.

While there are some places in the world - like the UK - that see perhaps merely a glimmer of summer sunshine, there are places around the world where you can get it in ample supply.

However, if you’re not from a country where the heat is a regular occurrence, then you might find it difficult to adjust to a warmer climate. Even just a few degrees of difference can make a difference.

With that being said, here are some helpful tips on how to keep cool and comfortable when travelling in the summer.

Stay hydrated

Staying hydrated is certainly important when it comes to keeping cool and comfortable in the sunshine. Regardless of how much you stay out in the sun or the temperature itself, your body needs plenty of water throughout the day.

That means carrying around a water bottle where possible and ensuring you drink lots of water so that your body stays hydrated throughout the day.

You should aim to get a litre of water in your body where you can. That will ensure you stay hydrated and that you’re getting enough water at least to adjust the temperature increase.

If you’re doing any activities or exercise, then you should be drinking even more where you can.

Stay in accommodation with AC

When you’re looking to keep cool and comfortable during your travels, you should ideally pick somewhere that’s going to have an AC unit available. This is important in order for you to stay cool even when it’s 30 to 40 degrees outside.

There’s nothing worse than trying to get to sleep and feeling like you can’t due to the temperature of the room. Thankfully, an AC can help to keep you cool at all times.

Make sure you’re looking for accommodation that is advertised with an air conditioning unit but more importantly, check the reviews to see if the hotel or accommodation has had any problems with malfunctioning units. You don’t want to be staying somewhere for the AC, only for it to not work.

Seek the shade

Seeking the shade is an important one when it comes to keeping yourself comfortable and safe. While you might want to take advantage of the rare sunshine that you get from going on holiday to a sunny destination, you should be mindful of the damage it can do to your skin.

Think about spending so much time out in the sun and then seeking the shade, particularly during the peak times throughout the day. You’ll find that avoiding these peak times will give you the best chance of staying cool but also avoiding any sunburn or sunstroke.

At the same time, you should apply sunscreen to your skin too in order to protect it from harmful UV rays. If you’re not applying your sunscreen regularly enough, then the sunscreen will no longer protect the skin and you’ll certainly notice the sun burning your skin if you’re not careful.

Buy the right clothing

When you’re going on your travels, you should always make sure to buy the right clothing. Try to aim for light clothing where possible so that even when it’s particularly hot outside, it’s not sticking to your skin.

You should also look at wearing light colours as darker colours tend to absorb the sun’s heat, making you all hot and bothered as a result.

A sun hat is certainly a must-have when it comes to protecting your head as this can often be a place where a lot of sun exposure and damage can be done. It’s the only part of your body that doesn’t often get a lot of protection so you should either buy a hair protectant spray that can go on your scalp too, or a sunhat to provide the protection you need.

Know the weather and plan accordingly

Knowing the weather and being able to plan accordingly is important. There might be days where the weather is quite mild and other days where it’s scorching hot. While it might be fun to do some activities on your travels, you may want to pick and choose when you do them. Some you might not want to do when it’s peaking at 40 degrees.

Find out what activities you want to do and take a look at the weather before you leave. You might find that the weather adjusts slightly after you take a flight or make your way to the destination. However, for the most part, you’ll be able to get the gist of what the weather will be like so that you can prep your activities accordingly.

Eat light

If you’re looking to stay comfortable while you’re on your travels, you should look at eating light . This is good because it ensures you don’t fill up too much that you’re struggling to make it from your accommodation to the local tourist hotspots.

While you should be indulging on your holidays and rightly so, if you’re looking to keep cool and comfortable on the hot days, try to eat light meals, opting for a number of snacks per day rather than anything too heavy. Try to keep the heavier meals to the late evenings before heading to bed.

"If you’re looking to keep cool and comfortable on the hot days, try to eat light meals"

Have a cooling fan or spray to hand

A cooling fan or cooling spray is definitely handy to have when it comes to keeping cool and comfortable.

There’s something about a can of cold spray to make use of on your face and body for when it becomes undeniably hot and you need a burst of cool air on your face particularly.

A cooling fan will essentially do the same thing but might offer a bit more in the way of consistent cool air, with the spray being more for the odd, occasional blast.