Hot Take: Travelling During A Heatwave Is Actually Good
Look, I couldn’t be the rogue one unless I tried to find the silver lining in everything. So when a heatwave hit in Milan used it as the inspiration for my portion of the episode.
Yeah, spoilers, I didn’t win. It wasn’t a winning strategy even if there were a few highlights.
Our serviced apartment didn’t have air conditioning, to the point where it was sometimes cooler outside. At one point I even accidently nudged the heater and turned the heating on. The warmth of that day didn’t quite leave during the rest of our stay. I’d have a cold shower to cool down and the shower remnants wouldn’t dry before I was sweating again. I was never dry in that city.
BUT, I have to ignore the screaming pessimist who illegally occupies my brain for two reasons; 1) I spent money on this holiday and 2) I won’t ever beat Katie while I’m grumpy.
In that spirit, here are four reasons why travelling during a heatwave can actually be a really good thing.
More Time Outdoors
Only Scandinavians and people trying to one up their step dad want to swim when it’s cold. Rising mercury is the best excuse to find somewhere to swim which is something I try to do every day on a beach holiday.
In the instance of Milan, there are no beaches, one disused public pool and a lake where the mosquitos apparently go full toll collector on your blood. However, the property you’re staying in might just be as hot as the outdoor temperature which means it’s time to get out of the house. Because really, even as mental as it is, you didn’t go to Italy just to watch local Italian TV.
Once you get over the whole rocks thing the beaches really are quite lovely in Italy.
Ironclad Excuse To Sit & Drink
Going outside doesn’t mean you have to become some extreme water sports enthusiast. Really, the most sane response to a heatwave is finding somewhere with some shade, a breeze and some well compensated individuals to come and bring you drinks.
You could choose to visit a few places to wet your whistle with the local tipple or you could sit on the one winning venue that’s working for you. In Milan we did plenty of this at various cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants and never felt guilty about it because it’s what we had to do to survive back then.
Staying Out Late
Often an overlooked element of heatwaves (I didn’t even think of it, this was Katie’s suggestion) but a stinking hot day can often turn into an evening with an almost equitable temperature. No need to leave the house with a jacket for later, unless you plan to kick-on through to autumn.
And it’s not just tourists that will be making the most of these barmy evenings…
The things we do to survive in this world.
Community Spirit
In countries where winter can be miserable, a heatwave can really bring the able locals out of the house. For example, many Dutchies celebrate their all too brief summer by ripping off their shirt and jumping on a boat. Beers are shared, songs are sung and people are bonded by the fact they are literally surviving the heat.
While I use the term survival with hyperbole during the episode, heatwaves do genuinely pose a risk to some people. Even though it is not likely to kill me, the heat has prompted me to ask locals what they do to cool down which has led to some really interesting conversations that I’ve walked away from with a greater understanding of the place I’ve paid to visit.
For example, years ago in Florence I asked a local where they go to swim. She laughed, correctly assumed I was Australian and said ‘we don’t swim, we sit in the shade and have a cold drink’ which sort of leads me to my final point…
The Stories
Although the movie rights are yet to sell for that Florence yarn, surviving a heatwave really adds that extra dimension to your travel stories. You’re a survivor. People have to listen to you now. It’s disrespectful if they don’t.
Although there’s no real beginning, middle and end, one day in Nuremberg combined all three of the above points. It was warm even for summer so Katie and I drank at this pub that had no seating so we sat on the cobble stones outside. As day turned into more and more people joined in until the cobblestones disappeared. It was like being at an impromptu festival where your drinking buddies were the line up. Bar staff later said this was not an ordinary night but the extraordinary result of a warm summer evening. Sometimes I think about and don’t remember the heat, just the warm feeling inside.
Plus, as I learnt first hand in Milan, the heat can lead to you doing some rather odd things in the name of keeping cool.
Not sure if it’s my highest low point or lowest high point.
