Hot Climate Travel - CDC Advice

Some excellent advice from our friends at CDC about hot climate travel. Those of us who live in a cold climate often long to escape to the heat.

Whilst this is something to look forward to, hot climate travel should be prepared for correctly.

At Aardvark our personal experience of this comes from time spent in the Californian desert, close to El Centro, in August some years ago. As temperatures climbed through 120 degrees we had to amend and adjust all of our operating procedures to cope with the new weather conditions.

Traveling in hot climates can make you sick, especially if you are not accustomed to the heat. People at highest risk are the elderly, young children, and people with chronic illnesses, but even young and healthy people can get sick from heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.

Hot Climate Travel - Safety Steps

When you are not in an air-conditioned building, take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths when traveling in hot climates:

• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen.
• Try to schedule outdoor activities during cooler parts of the day.
• Rest often, and try to stay in the shade when outdoors.
• If you will be doing strenuous activities in the heat, try to get adjusted before you leave by exercising for one hour per day in the heat.

Overheating can result in heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Symptoms include excessive thirst, profuse sweating, headache, dizziness or confusion, and nausea. If you or anyone you are traveling with develops these symptoms, get out of the sun and try to cool off by fanning or getting in the water. Heatstroke is a life-threatening medical emergency – get medical attention if symptoms persist.

Hot climate travel can be fun – just prepare properly, and recognize the symptoms of heatstroke.

Safe travels.