With heat records breaking worldwide in the midst of the climate crisis, it’s harder than ever to stay cool on the road, especially in places where air conditioning is sparse and buildings aren’t designed for frequent and prolonged hot weather. But beyond loose clothing in natural fibres and drinking a lot, how else can you keep cool while still enjoying your trip?
Ice cream also helps
Travel early in the day, and siesta, siesta, siesta
No matter if you’re flying, taking the train, hopping on a bus, or on a road trip: travel early. It’s a bit tricky if you’re jetlagged and already needing to reset your body clock, especially if you’ve headed east, but the mornings are the coolest times to travel, and any disruption from the hot weather will be minimised.
You’ll also have more space in the schedule to catch up with any delays, rather than getting stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. (If that happens, though, try to make the most of it and explore wherever you end up.) And think about breaking the day in two with a proper siesta, where you head back to your (hopefully nice and cool) hotel room, have a snooze, a shower, and then make the most of the rest of your day. It’s important that your body can cool off for at least a couple of hours a day.
A nap can’t hurt either
Bring a fan, a battery pack… and a mini spritz bottle
My number one tip for anyone, especially on planes these days, is to buy a USB fan that plugs into your external battery pack. My favourite is the Arctic Breeze Mobile — it’s got a bendy neck and the blades are rigid for a decent balance of noise and air movement. It’s also a lifesaver in stuffy hotel rooms.
In summertime I also bring a mini-spritz bottle to fill with water. It’s much more economical and environmental than those spray cans of Evian water. Spray your face and let the fan dry it to really cool off.
And if you’re taking a road trip? Have a serious think about whether you can pack a small desk fan from home, or even invest in one if you happen to be on the ground overseas for a while. Hotels usually won’t have enough to go round, and if you can just pop it in the back of the car as you motor from place to place it’s a godsend at night.
Accessories can make the world of difference
Pick a plane with air vents
Look, I started the #WeWantAirVents movement on Twitter, and I know how hard it is to find them. As a rule, the older and smaller a plane is, the more likely it is to still have one of those overhead nozzles that will blow cool air onto your head.
So, if you have a choice in the summer, pick a smaller plane like an Airbus A220 or A320, or a Boeing 737, or a comfortable regional jet like an Embraer E170, E175, E190 or E195. Planes aren’t guaranteed, and there will doubtless be exceptions, but I certainly like to be able to have cool air blowing on me when it’s hot.
Pack a handkerchief… and a shirt
One of the things I love most about Japan is that everyone carries their own handkerchief. This is great for mopping your brow rather than bothering with tissues that will get stuck to your forehead and disintegrate. It can be used to dry your hands in a public loo as well, and is also handy if it gets really hot. Either just wet it and drape it over your head and neck, or even wet it and pop it into the freezer to really get nice and cool.
An extra shirt will always come in handy Neil Setchfield
If you can, stick a spare shirt into your bag for the day. There’s nothing quite so pleasant when you’re feeling sticky and gross as being able to swap out the shirt you’re wearing closest to your skin for a dry one.
Always bring a bottle… of water
We all know that drinking alcohol in a heatwave is a bad idea and drinking water is a good idea. But, especially when going through security, you can’t bring a big filled bottle with you, and it’s crazy expensive on the plane. If I know it’s going to be hot, I’ll bring a big empty bottle in my carry on and then fill it post-security.
Don’t expect free water, or for bottles to be widely available
I always find it weird in Germany that water is sometimes not served free with meals or drinks. I recall a very hot summer’s day in Hamburg when visiting a beer bar with some friends, and I absolutely needed a large glass of water. Nope, it was buy the five euro half-litre bottle or nothing.
You may need to plan ahead to keep your water levels up
And even living in France it’s always weird to me how few shops here have a fridge with bottles of water compared with other countries. So, be prepared: fill your bottle when you leave in the morning and whenever you can.
Pick a hotel with AC, but try and ensure it has an actual unit
Ah, the joys of trying to figure out whether a European hotel is lying when it says it has air conditioning. Those useless tiny vents in the wall that blow stuffy air out? Not air conditioning, although they’re legally allowed to be called that. And there’s usually no useful way to open a window enough to help either.
The trick: check out room pictures and online reviews to see if there’s an actual unit visible. You’ll need to make sure you’re looking at the right room category, but there’s a point at which you’ll probably be happy to be able to just wallow in cool air for a bit.
Bonus tip: choose a low floor room on the north or east side of the hotel (in the northern hemisphere; south or east in the southern) so that you get morning sun or none at all. And draw those blackout blinds before you leave for the day!
Showers are a great way to cool down in the heat
Shower multiple times a day, including at the airport
You know that feeling when you shower in lukewarm or cool water, and you feel the water warming up as it sluices down your body? That’s a really good way to cool off.
An increasing number of airports now have showers even without getting into a lounge, but honestly, in summer time having the chance to knock back a couple of litres of water and sit down in a nice cool spot can be worth the lounge entry price. Don’t feel the need to dry your hair completely, either: it’s a good way to wick heat away from the body, so consider wetting it during the day as well to deal with the heat.
Good luck — and stay cool!
America’s coolest motels
Over the past few years, there’s been a bit of a motel renaissance. Creative hoteliers are taking rundown vintage motor lodges and sprucing them up with modern amenities without sacrificing any of the nostalgic charm. Here are a few of America’s coolest motels where you can rest your head, retro-style.
The courtyard bar at Austin Motel
Austin Motel: Austin, Texas
Joanne’s Fine Foods, a classic 1950s-style diner, is the Austin Motel’s restaurant, and its throwback vibe captures the overall vibe of the super-hip property. Both fit perfectly into their setting, Austin’s super-hip South Congress neighborhood.
Opened in 1938, the motel underwent a makeover in 2017 and now stands as a tribute to mid-century modern design and style. Each room features retro-esque radios and lamps, plus orange and yellow vinyl accents that complement the ultra-colorful, vibrant wallpaper. But the biggest draw is the kidney-shaped pool, a gathering spot for locals in the warm weather.
Beck’s is located in one of San Francisco’s most vibrant neighborhoods of Beck’s
Beck’s Motor Lodge: San Francisco, California
Rooms at this Castro district motel are no longer $5 per night, the rate charged when it opened in 1958, but parking is free, which is hard to come by in San Francisco and a big boon for road-trippers passing through. Beck’s Motor Lodge is perhaps the most historic on our list, what with its role in the gay rights scene in the 1960s.
A 2017 makeover added sunburst décor, analog clocks, simple throwback furniture, and other details that enhance mid-century modern vibe. Contemporary amenities like flat-screen televisions were added, too. A few of the 58 rooms have access to the rooftop sundeck, a perfect perch for a timeless San Francisco activity: watching the fog roll by.
Vagabond’s retro-chic design gives off an Atomic Era feel
Vagabond Hotel: Miami, Florida
Once you know that Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra hung out here back in the day, you’ll understand how important it was that this Miami haunt’s snazzy 1950s-era vibe was preserved during a 2014 refurbishment. The works brought the hotel back from the brink of disrepair.
The Vagabond Hotel’s revival is in sync with the design-centric MiMo Historic District in which it’s located. The sleek rooms feature Atomic Era-style geometric stenciling on the walls, groovy vintage lighting fixtures and custom-made furniture with pops of Miami-appropriate pink, turquoise, and muted yellow hues.
A revamped Travelodge, Modern Hotel and Bar provides updated design and comfort with a retro vibe
Modern Hotel & Bar: Boise, Idaho
Because of the growing number of hipster business that have sprung up over the past few years – breweries, farm-to-table restaurants, artist galleries – Boise has developed a reputation as ‘Little Portland.’ As such, the Modern Hotel & Bar, an expansive low-rise building located about a ten-minute walk from the vibrant downtown, fits right in.
It opened in 2007 in an overhauled Travelodge, an early lackluster motel franchise with all the hallmarks of a classic roadside accommodation, such as rooms that open onto an outdoor corridor. The rooms are decorated with mid-century modern furniture and retro-chic lighting. The stylish, laid-back restaurant/bar features creative dishes and classic cocktails. The most buzzed-about thing, however, is the turntable and collection of ’45s in the lobby bathroom. When the hotel opened, locals lined up to play DJ.
The Big Texan is the right side of kitschy while maintaining a classic Route 66 vibe
Big Texan: Amarillo, Texas
The towering cowboy figure flanking the roadside sign for the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo is a dead giveaway of the adjacent Big Texas Motel’s kitschy throwback vibe. Not convinced? Just take a look at the motel’s façade, which looks like the set of a Western movie, and the Texas-shaped pool.
Opened in 1960 and located on Route 66, just a few minutes from Rick Husband International Airport, the property’s rooms feature campy touches such as swinging saloon doors, old-timey wooden furniture and animal pelts, all of which add up to a theatrical Old West atmosphere.
LoBu’s Jupiter Hotel fuses the log-cabin style of the Pacific Northwest with a cool, modern sensibility
Jupiter Hotel: Portland, Oregon
Located in Portland’s fast-evolving Central Eastside neighborhood (known locally as Lower Burnside, or LoBu), Jupiter Hotel takes the log cabin design that’s inextricably linked to the Pacific Northwest’s woodsy landscape and gives it a jolt of cool, modern energy. Set in a low-slung 1964 motor lodge, which stretches out across several zig-zagging buildings, rooms open to an outdoor corridor.
But the old-school look of the exterior belies the sleek rooms, which balance subdued minimalism with pop art vibrancy. The creative vibe that’s so characteristic of Portland extends beyond the rooms. The lobby doubles as a gallery for local artists, and the Doug Fir Lounge – a log-cabin-themed restaurant/bar and club next to the motel – features local beer, nightly concerts and a lively patio. If the creativity moves you, doodle your masterpiece on your room’s giant chalkboard before snapping it and tagging it #jupiterhotel.
The retro neon sign for the Thunderbird Inn
Thunderbird Inn: Savannah, Georgia
With its neon sign, blocks of color marking the exterior, and MoonPies and cans of RC Cola on the nightstand, the T-Bird Inn looks like something out of a Doris Day movie. When this downtown Savannah motel, which sits on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1964, it lured travelers – including the Jackson 5 – with its ‘refrigerated’ rooms.
Now, after a 2018 overhaul, it charms with warm popcorn on arrival, retro-chic rooms, full-on green initiatives, and complimentary Krispy Kreme donuts. Also, puppy parents will be happy to know that the hotel features an enclosed dog run and offers doggie bedding and treats.
Unscripted Durham’s pool area is the perfect place to rest up after a long road trip
Unscripted Durham: Durham, North Carolina
Retrofitted into a 1960s motor lodge, the Unscripted Durham boasts a giddy mod sensibility with a vintage-style poolside lounge, mid-century modern furniture in the lobby and guestrooms, and wallpaper with colorful geometric patterns throughout.
