i can't imagine why anyone would go to Europe in the summer unless they absolutely had to.

Anonymous wrote:Yes
The extreme heat and wildfires that Europe has been experiencing during the summer months have really made me rethink summer vacations. I'm a teacher, so I can only travel during the summer and I think I've decided to put off a trip to Italy until after I retire.

Go right after school ends. June is fine. I was in Sicily in mid to late June and weather was wonderful and perfect.

I'm French, and after a few summers of wildfires in France, I've noticed that the best fire-free moment to travel is in the aftermath of the fire in that same area. Because there's nothing else to burn. The downside is that it doesn't look nice! I suspect that's why travel decreases in the months after a fire - people don't want to look at charred stumps. It's not because they necessarily fear fire at that location.

You can book a stay near charred hillsides for cheaper and get whatever infrastructure is still in place/being rebuilt. Or you can go to a hitherto uncharred, more expensive, area and risk a fire in summer. Those are basically your choices if you seek the usual warm weather hot spots around the world.

Personally I can't abide heat. I just go to cold places

Yeah, it's cooler on the islands when the north winds are blowing. But during heat waves they sometimes stop, and then it's sweltering there. At least you have the sea, but it's still really hot. And if you're on an island with a lot of forest, like Rhodes, you've got to worry about forest fires. If you're on an island without a lot of vegetation, like Ios, you can still end up smelling the smoke from the fires.

Would still rather be on a Greek island than almost anywhere, but these are things to take into consideration. If I didn't have kids in school I'd go in April-May or Sept-Oct for sure.

There are fires all over Greece, every summer. This is not new. This may be the hottest summer on Earth but it’s not dramatically different than what Mediterranean countries are already used to. It’s just more crowded.

Also, it’s always cooler on the islands.

My DD's friend who just graduated college is on Rhodes, and last they heard from her yesterday she was being evacuated to a beach after her original hotel burned down and the hotel they'd been moved to was being threatened by the fire. She said the Greek people are being amazingly kind to them but she's still terrified.

I spent all day yesterday walking around Rome and it was absolutely miserable. 94/95, heat index of 103, incredibly humid. Not really much better at night, although at least bearable. A/C really unreliable in museums. I'd really recommend that people come in the off season, when it's beautiful and temperate.

I just spent a couple of weeks in Belgrade, Serbia and out of 20 days only two were under 90, it was the hottest and most humid time I have ever experienced there. The locals joked that Dubai officially moved to Belgrade. I was sweating outside at 10pm in shorts and a tank top.

I experienced the wild fires in Portugal last April and lost money when i wanted to go see a moorish castle. Portugal had closed a section off due to the fires and the tour company would not refund me any money- but instead kept pushing things back. By the time things “calmed down” I had to leave. I was disappointed. I have now looking closer to the Scandinavian countries and have Dublin Ireland

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s extremely hot where I am so why not be somewhere like Europe.

Same, but the last thing I need in the summer is more heat, lol! I am thinking about more Northern destinations for next year. Had planned Sardinia but am rethinking it.

We're supposed to go to Sardinia too in August and trying to decide if we should change that part of our trip. Hoping the weather will improve.

Anonymous wrote:No. It’s extremely hot where I am so why not be somewhere like Europe.

Same, but the last thing I need in the summer is more heat, lol! I am thinking about more Northern destinations for next year. Had planned Sardinia but am rethinking it.

No. It’s extremely hot where I am so why not be somewhere like Europe.

Yes
The extreme heat and wildfires that Europe has been experiencing during the summer months have really made me rethink summer vacations. I'm a teacher, so I can only travel during the summer and I think I've decided to put off a trip to Italy until after I retire.

I hope so since flights are a major cause of the climate crisis which is part of why there are major fires and heat. And in turn climate change is making air travel less pleasant.

Are the fires in Greece and extreme heat in the rest of Southern Europe deterring you from these destinations next summer? I feel like after reading all this, I wouldn’t want to spend my summer vacation there. What about you?