5 Great Ways to Spend the Day When it’s Hot
Having traveled now for two years full-time, plus the many trips in the years prior, we have endured some very hot weather. As we get older I find this weather challenging but we’ve learned a few basics for navigating the heat that help keep it as fun and relaxing as possible.
Get Yourself Near Water
If you’re going to be outside, by all means get yourself near water. Even the sight of a body of water is a balm to the soul when it’s hot. It doesn’t matter if it’s a river, a community pool, the beach, or a backyard sprinkler situation. Bring a bag with your essentials: sun glasses, sunscreen, lip balm, a book, a cold drink (insulated bottles are a must!), a frozen water bottle to sip as it melts, a sarong, and a towel if you’re swimming. A thin long sleeve shirt for the elements if necessary is always a good idea too. Shade is imperative so if there’s not enough shade to go around be sure you bring an umbrella. It’s well worth the small investment and will be the deciding factor on how long you’re able to stay.
Go to the Farmers Market Early
Get there when the air is still morning fresh and the crowds are smaller. Buy the fresh fruits and vegetables that speak to you. Crunchy little cucumbers, bright sugar snap peas, heavy heirloom tomatoes, cherries, plums, peaches. Then go home and lay around with your favorite people, books, magazines or pets and snack through the hottest parts of the day on your luscious bounty with just a bottle of good olive oil, salt, maybe a hunk of cheese, and your cold beverage of choice: a crisp Diet Coke, a sparkling water with a splash of juice, an icy ginger beer diluted with sparkling water (trust), or a good old fashioned ice tea.
Wear the bare minimum required of your surroundings
At the office? Wear loose fitting clothes in lighter tones, minimal jewelry and flats. Running errands? Linens. Having people around for dinner or happy hour? Loose fitting long summer dresses, shorts and open shirts. Meeting friends at the park? Cotton shorts and tanks. You get the idea.
Enjoy a day with no plans
If you find yourself in the very fortunate circumstances of having no plans and no need to go anywhere, here’s what I would do: keep at least one room for lounging in closed off from the sun. Pull the blinds, close the curtains. Cool and dark is the vibe we’re going for. A low humming fan circulates the air, all your reading material is around you. There are plenty of cushions and comfortable places to sprawl out. Maybe you have some art supplies, definitely some snacks and cold drinks, and if the mood strikes you might even watch a movie during the day. Sometimes hibernating away from the heat can be the lowest-energy biggest-reward thing we can do.
Embrace the evening
There is a reason Europeans have passagiatta in the evenings, the tradition of coming out after dinner for a stroll. Similarly, in Latin America and in Southeast Asia, after the sun goes down, the streets come alive. People come out to stretch their legs, check on the elderly neighbor, walk the dog, water the flowers, go have an ice cream. Warm evenings are one of the great silver linings to hot days. Sit out in your front yard instead of in the back. Have people over to sit on the deck and eat popsicles or share a cold bottle of wine.
I know this is a romantic way of talking about hot weather. There are wide swaths of people in great danger when temperatures rise and there’s limited resources for cooling down. Let’s take care of each other.
