Travel Tip 108
How to beat the heat this summer?
Welcome to my newsletter! I’m so glad you’re here!
These pools in Chapada Diamantina, Brazil made the middle of the day bearable.
The news about heat waves in Europe and North America make me feel better about the winter cold here in South America. But if you’re not coming to South America in the next couple months, what can you do to beat the heat?
Here are my top five tips for traveling to escape the heat.
1. Go somewhere cooler.
Obvious, maybe, but you’d be surprised how many people assume that it’s just as hot everywhere else. No matter what your budget is, there is probably a way to get somewhere cooler than where you are right now. If you can’t go far, can you go up? Is there a mountain somewhere that’s a higher elevation where you can simply drive up to cooler weather? Remember, summer in the northern hemisphere is winter down south. It’s also the low tourist season in Patagonia, so flights, hotels and tours have significant discounts.
Playing in the water isn’t just for kids. These tide pools in Salvador, Brazil are very popular with adults.
2. Focus on the water.
Traveling or not, plan your day around getting wet. My favorite is to find a lake or river I can jump in, but the Oregon coast also has deliciously cold water, if the ocean is more your thing. If you’re stuck in a city, go to a swimming pool or if all else fails, find a yard with sprinklers. You don’t have to run around like a 6-year-old, though that’s a lot of fun. Just get a lawn chair and a bucket of ice was beverages in it and sit in the shade with a sprinkler keeping your shirt damp.
Forget your normal bedtime, have an afternoon siesta and then dinner at 10pm like in Lençois, Brazil.
3. Plan morning and evening activities.
When I lived in Morocco, people got up early and stayed up late, but took a significant siesta during the heat of the day. I actually worked from 8am-noon and then from 4-8pm, giving me a 4-hour lunch break. If you’re on vacation, consider taking a very long time for lunch somewhere cool and try taking a siesta. Naps aren’t just for kids.
4. Chill out.
I don’t mean you have to put a freezer gel pack in your bra, though that does feel wonderful on a hot day. I mean go for low-effort activities. Take a vacation from your exercise routine and plan on not exerting yourself. If you really can’t take it easy, move your exercise from the soccer field to the swimming pool.
If you want somewhere indoors without air conditioning, are there any caves you can visit? This was a tour I did in Chapada Diamantina, Brazil that was perfect when the sun was blazing in the afternoon.
5. Retreat to air conditioning.
This is a last-ditch option for me, since I love being outside almost as much as I hate 100ºF weather. It’s a tough call, but if your choices are outside and hot or inside and cool, go to the movies or the library or the mall or anywhere that’s indoors and has something to do.
And if none of those tips work for you, just come to Peru.
I’m typing this wearing sheepskin slippers, wool socks, jeans and a thick alpaca sweater. Cusco, at over 11,000 feet above sea level, is never too hot.
The Saqras are on the roofs, but the Qhapaq Negro are surrounding the Virgin, so this year my photos will have less sky and more people at eye-level.
This week I’m back in Paucartambo.
July 15-18 is the annual Festividad de la Virgen del Carmen, celebrated by 19 dance troupes who each have unique functions each day of the festividad. I always go a day early and stay an extra day or two, so I’ll be in Paucartambo July 14th to the 19th or 20th. To get an idea what I’m experiencing, read my Paucartambo blogs from 2023 and 2024. The past two years I followed a dance troupe called the Saqra and this year I’m with the Qhapaq Negro, which is a completely different experience. Stay tuned for my blog about Paucartambo 2025!
