Nearly every year since 2000, Jenise Campbell, 54, has traveled to Paris from New York. Last year marked her first summer visit and it went so well that she went again this year. She arrived in late June, with plans to stay until mid-August, but after three weeks, she did something she described as “unthinkable”: She changed her flight and went home.
Her reason for absconding? The extreme heat.
“I would never, ever leave Paris early, but walking around with your pants stuck to you,” Ms. Campbell said, “I just thought: ‘There’s no way I’m doing this.’”
On the heels of the third heat wave in Western Europe since May, some travelers are starting to question whether taking a summer vacation in Europe is a good idea.
The recent heat waves have sent temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris; to 111 degrees Fahrenheit in Valencia, Spain; and over 100 in Geneva. London sweltered in the mid-90s as early as May. Dry conditions also contributed to fires: One, about 60 miles from Madrid, has been raging for days.
Experts said that while temperatures are finally cooling, they will likely rise again in the coming weeks. “Visitors to Western Europe should plan for hot spells to keep returning in waves through August,” said Dominik Jung, a meteorologist in Germany.
As they have the last few summers, travelers, residents and local officials searched for ways to cope. In Rome, misting fans and cooling stations were set up outside the Colosseum. In Paris, the Canal St.-Martin was opened earlier than planned for swimming, while in London, people struggled to secure spots at crowded pools. Some museums limited their hours, because they couldn’t keep their galleries cool enough, including the Louvre. “Heat buildup is greatest toward the end of the day and is further intensified by high visitor numbers,” the museum said in a statement.
Air Conditioning: Not a Given
The heat has also made it clear to some travelers and those working in tourism that air conditioning may now be nonnegotiable.
Ms. Campbell, the repeat traveler from New York, said that while she’s used to the heat in Manhattan, there was something “different and hotter” about the temperatures in Paris. During her stay, she said it got so “unbearable” that she spent much of the day in her air-conditioned hotel room, only leaving to explore before 11 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
“For U.S. travelers, air conditioning is an expectation, but this summer they’re finding out it’s not a given in much of Europe,” said Melanie Fish, the vice president of public relations at Expedia Group.
Among Americans, searches in Europe using the “air-conditioned” filter on Hotels.com, which is owned by Expedia, jumped about 700 percent during the July 2-to-July 15 period compared with searches for summer accommodations made three months earlier.
Travelers weren’t just looking for air conditioning: Some were looking to leave the hottest cities altogether, Ms. Fish said. “American travelers are seeking cooler European destinations to escape the heat, with searches up for Copenhagen, Denmark, almost 500 percent, and Reykjavik, Iceland, almost 200 percent.”
Sam Randall, an Airbnb representative, said that since mid-June, searches for air-conditioned accommodations in France were up 88 percent, and those for beach access jumped by 86 percent. “Amenities that help cope with heat are in particularly high demand,” he said.
Victoria Faucanie, the chief marketing officer for Beaumarly, a Paris-based restaurant, hotel and club group, said that when her company bought the building housing the restaurant Café Français over a decade ago, one dining room had air conditioning but the other did not. At the time, it wasn’t an issue because temperatures weren’t as high as frequently or as persistently as they are now.
“With this high temperature now, we are closing half of the restaurant, so we are losing a lot of money,” Ms. Faucanie said. “We realized that we need to have AC everywhere.” She added that the restaurant is in talks to have it next year.
Paige Dacanay, 31, visiting Madrid from San Diego for the summer, said she doesn’t leave her rental apartment without two fans — one electric and one hand fan — and on the hottest days, she has taken up to three cold showers. “I was expecting not to have a ton of AC, but actually living here without it is extremely humbling,” she said. “You just have to get comfortable being hot.”
Renske Schuitmaker, 34, visited her home country, the Netherlands, from Nairobi during the late June heat wave. Ms. Schuitmaker, who was pregnant during her trip, said she had to leave her rental and stay with relatives who had air conditioning in Amsterdam, where temperatures got well into the 90s. Dutch authorities said that across the Netherlands, where air conditioning is uncommon, the June heat wave caused around 480 deaths.
Pamela Minucci, 64, and Robert Wilson, 65, who were visiting London from Connecticut for their daughter’s wedding, found themselves looking for places to sit in the shade. At one point, the couple sat at an air-conditioned pub showing a cricket match for hours. Asked if they followed the sport, Mr. Wilson chuckled. “We did that day,” he said.
Even air-conditioned hotels are trying to figure out new ways to keep guests entertained and cool. In Florence, Italy, guests at the Hotel Savoy, part of the Rocco Forte group, have private access to a pool at a “Medici residence nestled along the banks of the Arno River,” said Gaia Cavazzoni, the hotel’s assistant public relations manager. The hotel is also offering guests night tours through the Uffizi Galleries, after temperatures have dropped.
To Go or Not to Go?
Papa Gyimah, 38, who was visiting Paris from Ghana, said he has been visiting France during the summer for years, but will now look to come in the spring or fall, when temperatures will likely be cooler. “Each year, it gets more difficult to walk around,” Mr. Gyimah said about his recent summers in France. “You’re always thirsty, you have to slow down and even if you get on public transport, it’s suffocating.”
Ms. Campbell has also changed her mind: She plans to return to Paris in September, but won’t visit the city in the summer going forward.
But Ms. Dacanay in Spain is not deterred. Instead, she will just stay somewhere with air conditioning. “Nothing will keep me away from a Euro summer,” she said.
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