Extreme temperatures are driving travelers to hunt cooler destinations. And there is a term for the trend: “coolcations.”
Heat waves — that are increasing in frequency, duration and intensity, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — are affecting where persons are selecting to vacation, especially through the hot summer months.
“Often, when we predict of vacation, beaches and tropical escapes come to mind,” a spokesperson for Expedia told CNBC Travel. “Coolcations nonetheless, are all about choosing destinations where the temperatures are more moderate, where you are packing a light-weight sweater as a substitute of a sun hat.”
From January to June 2024, flight searches increased 705% to Lapland, Finland, based on Expedia. The web travel agency said flight searches are also as much as Canada, specifically Banff (65%) and Lake Louise (55%), its data showed.
The house rental website Vrbo reported that cooler places emerged among the many top 40 most booked destinations this summer, an inventory which included Breckenridge, Colorado; White Mountains, Latest Hampshire; and Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania.
Californian Stephanie Greitzer said she planned a family trip to Whistler this summer.
“We live within the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles where we experience extreme heat for many of the summer, reaching highs well above 100,” she said. “We wish to be comfortable after we are traveling to experience all a city has to supply and take a break from the intense heat at home.”
Southern Europe sizzles
European cities, similar to Rome and Madrid, top the list of popular summer destinations. But rising temperatures in southern Europe are hitting the summer travel season hard.
This summer, Italian officials placed 12 cities under heat warnings, as temperatures hit triple digits in some areas.
A tourist cools off in Rome, Italy, on July 21, 2024.
Massimo Valicchia | Nurphoto | Getty Images
“For the summer as an entire, June through August, temperatures averaged 3-8 degrees F above historical averages in southern Italy,” Jason Nicholls, lead international forecaster for the weather website AccuWeather, wrote in an email to CNBC. “There have been several rounds of warmth across Italy and into the Balkans later in July into August.”
In consequence, northern Europe is seeing an uptick in tourism.
“Northern Europe as an entire has really surged within the last two years,” says Delphine Combes, a product executive on the travel agency Scott Dunn. “Norway has emerged as a top five destination for us in Europe, which is up eight spots from 2022.”
She said Scott Dunn is adding more options for summer trips to Finland, Sweden and Switzerland to accommodate increased demand.
“These are destinations where we only offered winter and festive products until recently,” said Combes.
In response to Visit Finland, foreign visitors made greater than 4.8 million trips to the Nordic country within the last 12 months. The variety of registered foreign overnights from January to June 2024 was 9% higher yr on yr, with the most important number of tourists coming from Germany, France, the UK, Sweden, the US and the Netherlands, it said.
Book early
Combes had a suggestion for American travelers who’re on the lookout for cooler vacations.
“Be open-minded to traveling to places where Americans aren’t the first tourists,” she said. “Unlike the Mediterranean, many coolcation spots aren’t filled with Americans. It creates an interesting atmosphere that enables perhaps a more cultural experience.”
More travelers are looking for flights to Lapland, Finland, where summer temperatures average 50–60°F, based on the travel agency Nordic Visitor.
Patrick Pleul | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Combes also suggests booking early. “There are fewer quality hotels in numerous the cooler, less visited destinations. Growing demand is beginning to outpace hotel inventory, so pricing will either be sky-high or there can be no availability in the event you wait until the last minute.”
Sara Steele-Rogers and her husband, who currently continue to exist the Caribbean island of Anguilla, booked a visit to Estonia in September to beat the warmth.
“It is often hot within the Caribbean, so cooler weather destinations are more appealing than they ever were to get our taste of fall,” says Steele-Rogers. “Little things like having the ability to walk distances without sweating through my clothes are stuff you don’t miss until they’re gone.”
