Heat Wave! Tips for Travelling in the Hot Weather

Avid Traveller | Lindsay | Jul 15, 2011

Hey Avid Travellers!

As many of you are aware, every Saturday morning, Novack’s hosts a “Walk of the Town”. We depart from the store at 10am and walk for an hour around London, ON. Sometimes we walk along the Thames, other times to Wortley village and we have also been known to check out the old beautiful Victorian homes of the old downtown. The walks are a great chance to chat with friends (new and old) and get in some exercise – which is never a bad idea. The walks are also designed to help us prepare for Novack’s Walk for Wellspring, which is being held September 10th this year.Tomorrow is supposed to be one HOT day, and the forecasters are saying the heat will be with us for at least another week. So this got me thinking: What can we do on our morning walk to help keep us safe and cool?

A lot of the “Beat the Heat” information is what most of us would consider fairly common sense – wear light colours, loose clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat. Drink lots of water, look for shade etc. etc. As obvious as these tips are – it is super important not to forget these basics which many people do and later regret.

Here are some extra (not so obvious) facts to remember:

• 1) We all know that keeping hydrated is key.

  What a lot of us don’t know though is how often we should be drinking. You should never wait until you are thirsty, because by that time, your body is already dehydrated. The key is to take small frequent sips. This is why the idea of having a camel pack (or something similar) is great idea when on a walk. With the water nozzle in close proximity to your mouth, it becomes second nature to drink little bits at a time, as opposed to chugging down a water bottle when it is too late.



• 2) Also on the subject of water,

  I don’t know about you but there is nothing more satisfying than drinking a cold Coca-Cola can on a hot day. Just the sound of the can opening alone is magic. BUT – save it for when your physical activity is over. Sugary drinks are a big no no when trying to stay hydrated. Wanna make your water tastier and more effective? Try an electrolyte tablet which fizzes into water and helps you restore valuable electrolytes you lose from sweating and adds a little flavour. We have a product called “Nuun” which is very popular here in the store.

• 3) When travelling by car or chartered bus

  (either home or abroad), always make sure you have a large supply of water and a small supply of food as well. It is completely possible that you could run into standstill summer traffic or your ride could over-heat while you are on the road. We all know it is important to have an emergency car kit in winter – but do not underestimate the importance of one all year long.

• 4) One last scenario to consider:

  you have spent many months planning an awesome trip (and spending your hard earned cash). You arrive to your destination during a heat wave (if the destination is not notoriously hot already). You may be eager to get out and see the sights, but don’t put your health in danger. Doing any activity between 11am – 3pm is not advisable. More often than not, your sights aren’t going anywhere (ie. You can still see the Eiffel tower at 5pm with plenty of sun). Don’t just sit in your hotel – find a nice, hopefully air conditioned restaurant and chill out. It will be difficult, but you don’t want to say years later, “Hey, remember that time we went to Brazil, and we had to try to speak Portuguese with those ambulance drivers when you doubled over with heat stroke? Yeah that was great.”

Do you have any stories like that? What are your tricks to keep cool? Let me know by leaving a message below!

LJ