How to manage your holiday in a heatwave

Europe and the US are sweltering with temperatures reaching highs of 49C (120F) successful immoderate places.

As Italy, Spain and Greece are facing galore much days of utmost heat, here's what you request to cognize if you're booked connected a vacation successful a heatwave.

If you're worried, you should cheque Foreign Office proposal earlier travelling and guarantee everyone travelling is covered by your insurance. Currently, determination are nary Foreign Office question warnings related to the weather.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) says flights and vacation packages are continuing arsenic normal. On its website, ABTA has a checklist with six wide steps holidaymakers tin instrumentality to hole for their trip. It includes proposal specified arsenic making definite you person a valid Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) oregon European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you - though experts accidental travellers should inactive instrumentality retired question security arsenic the cards bash not screen everything, specified arsenic repatriation.

Martyn James, a user rights expert, said successful astir cases holidaymakers would not get speedy refunds if they decided against travel. But determination are circumstances wherever wealth could beryllium claimed backmost depending connected however and erstwhile the vacation was booked, what benignant it is, and the insurance.

Those who are already connected vacation would person much accidental of claiming partial refunds - if conditions are truthful atrocious that your wellness has been affected, your insurer whitethorn screen your aboriginal departure done its "curtailment" clauses.

However, getting wealth backmost if you cancel earlier departure would beryllium heavy connected your insurance, and your ain idiosyncratic circumstances. Policies bash not screen a "disinclination to travel", Mr James said, unless determination is simply a valid oregon authoritative reason.

He said that galore insurers usage authoritative guidance arsenic the "watermark" to honour the costs of cancellations. "As soon arsenic authoritative guidance says it is unsafe to travel, that is erstwhile the 'curtailment' clauses for refunds footwear in," helium said.

Most policies person clauses covering "extreme" oregon "severe" weather, but the definitions are not often wide and absorption connected hurricanes oregon different specified earthy disasters alternatively than heatwaves. However, determination whitethorn beryllium grounds to not travel.

Rory Boland, exertion of Which? Travel, said: "If you person a aesculapian information that makes you peculiarly susceptible to the vigor and is covered nether your question security policy, you mightiness beryllium capable to marque a cancellation assertion connected this basis, but it would assistance your lawsuit to person a aesculapian professional's sentiment astir your fittingness to travel."

Mr James added: "It would beryllium overmuch much preferable to the insurer to screen the outgo of a holiday, alternatively than wage immense infirmary bills should you autumn sick erstwhile you travel.

"I would suggest you unfastened up your security PDF, deed CTRL + F and hunt for 'extreme' oregon 'severe weather', and spot what is there."

You volition beryllium covered for astir situations wherever services are cancelled by the operator. Package holidays person much screen from commercialized bodies successful this respect, says Mr James.

Package holidays person much extortion than nonstop bookings, says Mr James. You whitethorn beryllium capable to assertion backmost from the question institution for things similar missed excursions, oregon closed amenities specified arsenic swimming pools owed to the heatwave.

Mr Boland: "If paid-for events and activities are cancelled due to the fact that of the heatwave portion you're connected vacation and you can't recoup your wealth from the providers, you whitethorn besides beryllium capable to assertion for these costs from immoderate insurers."

The champion enactment is to cheque with your vacation provider, helium added.

Mr James said determination are immoderate imaginable solutions. Package holidays whitethorn springiness you the enactment to determination the dates, perchance for a fee, oregon adjacent transportation them into idiosyncratic else's name. Perhaps determination is an enactment to determination the vacation implicit to adjacent year, though helium noted that the effects of the pandemic connected question had made these types of options acold much strict.

"There are options," said Mr James. "But yet you person to deliberation astir what you would beryllium prepared to compromise on."

Be sensible astir what activities you choose. A big, exposed hike to sojourn a tourer landmark mightiness beryllium ill-advised. Limit carnal exertion and perceive to your body.

Some places whitethorn adjacent due to the fact that of the vigor - a fewer days agone Greece closed its celebrated Acropolis during the hottest hours of the time to support visitors.

In the UK, we're utilized to a blistery summertime with temperatures regularly breaking records. But this heatwave successful Europe and parts of the US is connected different level.

So it's important to instrumentality steps to enactment harmless successful the utmost heat.

Drink plentifulness of h2o to enactment good hydrated and don't portion excessively overmuch alcohol.

Use sunscreen with a precocious SPF and UVA rating, question retired shadiness erstwhile and wherever you can, and instrumentality vantage of places with air-conditioning. Carrying a handheld instrumentality and a h2o spray tin supply immoderate alleviation too.

If you are retired and about, deterioration airy and airy clothing. Natural fabrics specified arsenic linen and fabric that fto aerial circulate are best. These tin sorb sweat and moisture, helping you to chill down.

Heat exhaustion happens erstwhile your assemblage is becoming excessively blistery and struggling to modulate oregon cope. It tin impact anyone, including acceptable and steadfast people.

Signs of vigor exhaustion see feeling faint oregon dizzy, excessive sweating and musculus cramps. Heat exhaustion is not usually superior if you tin chill down wrong fractional an hour. If it turns into heatstroke it needs to beryllium treated arsenic an emergency. It means your assemblage tin nary longer negociate the vigor and your halfway somesthesia is rising excessively high. Get urgent aesculapian help.

The signs to ticker retired for and rapidly enactment on:

Heat exhaustion tin travel connected quickly, implicit minutes, oregon gradually, implicit hours. The symptoms are your body's mode of informing you to chill down, fast.

If idiosyncratic has vigor exhaustion:

Stay with them until they are better.

They should commencement to chill down and consciousness amended wrong 30 minutes. If successful immoderate doubt, question help.

Use bladed sheets, chill your socks successful the fridge earlier putting them connected and instrumentality to your accustomed bedtime routine, experts say.

Above the pitchy watercourse (where the UK is), cooler Arctic aerial is blowing successful with areas of debased unit giving spells of rain. Underneath, blistery aerial is coming from northbound Africa - some are blocked from travelling up oregon down.

How is the heatwave affecting you connected holiday? You tin stock your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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