Heatwaves during your holiday, tips for campsite visitors

7 August, 2023

This summer temperatures could go up to 48 degrees Celsius on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia! The rest of Italy, Spain and France are also experiencing a heatwave. How do you stay cool on holiday?

Tips for staying cool at the campsite

Choose a pitch in the shade under the trees, or hang up extra shade cloths yourself. And did you know that there are special cooling pads for dogs? Obviously, you could use them for yourself. Read 7 tips for staying cool at the campsite here.

Choose a good cool box

If you still need to purchase a cool box, it could be worth your while to check out the different types that are available. For example, you could choose a quiet absorption cool box or a compression cool box. A compression cool box is noisier but does a better job of cooling in really hot locations. Read more about the types of cool boxes.

Always have a cold drink handy with a good cool box.

Go underground or higher up

Sometimes, during a heatwave, it is too hot for outings to a playground or amusement park. You may even find the beach too hot. Luckily, there are also fun outings that are refreshing. How would you feel about visiting a cave? If you are camping in Puglia, this might be an ideal time to visit the extraordinary city of Matera. Part of this unique location consists of cave dwellings.

Mount Etna in Sicily is a huge mountain with many small old craters where eruptions occurred. It is so amazing to walk around there! And it is also considerably cooler than at sea level

A second option is to go to the mountains: the higher you go, the cooler it is. In Sicily, you can take a trip to Mount Etna and walk around in the volcanic moonscape filled with craters and hardened streams of lava. Mount Etna is a huge mountain – 3,300 metres high. You can’t get to the very top, but you can drive up to 1,900 metres. At that altitude, it is considerably cooler, so don’t forget to pack a cardigan.

Reflective clothes

Don’t get burned! This sounds easy, but it does still require some attention while on holiday – especially with young children. For the little ones, you may want to consider purchasing reflective clothes to protect them. Read more about protection against the sun.