Climate change is redrawing the travel map
Last summer, in southern Spain, the thermometer in our holiday home touched 44°C. By day, the beach was deserted, the heat oppressive until well past 10 o’clock at night. Elsewhere along the coast, wildfires burned as they did in Greece and its islands. On a winter sports trip, skiing in the Austrian Alps under blazing sunshine, I was schussing down a narrow strip of manmade snow bordered by lush green meadows. Both were reminders that globally climate change is having an impact on traditional holiday destinations, both summer and winter.
These are no longer isolated experiences. Across Portugal, Spain, France, the Balkans and Greece, wildfires are again raging as I write this piece — in the very places Britons have flocked to for decades. For travellers, climate change is no longer a headline to read but a reality to witness. It is reshaping when we go, where we go, and what we find when we get there. And crucially, it’s influencing how we choose our destinations: 80% of Britons now believe that some European resorts will be “too hot” to visit within the next five years.
A Global Shift in Travel
Extreme weather events — from heatwaves and wildfires to floods and storms — are fundamentally reshaping global travel patterns. Traditional summer hotspots in southern Europe are losing appeal during July and August, while cooler destinations to the north are gaining ground.
For the third consecutive summer, southern and central Europe has sweltered under extreme heat, with temperatures hitting 40°C and beyond. Pavements have melted, wildfires have raged, and extreme heat is fast becoming the new norm.
According to InsureandGo’s 2024 study of 2,000 adults, Britons now believe that by 2029 many classic destinations will be “too hot to handle” in summer:
- Greece (48%)
- Turkey (45%)
- Spain (44%)
- Cyprus (40%)
- Italy (28%)
- Portugal (27%)
- Malta (23%)
Changing seasons are shorter
Winter sports have long been the canary in the coal mine. In the Alps, resorts like Val Thorens now rely heavily on snowmaking, while lower slopes close weeks earlier than in the 1990s. The Pyrenees face mid-season closures during warm spells, and even Scotland’s Cairngorms are increasingly unreliable.
Families are rethinking their summer holidays altogether. Some are shifting their main break to Easter or the October half-term. Nationally, 14% of British travellers now say they’d consider holidaying after the summer peak, while 13% would go before it.
The “shoulder seasons” — spring and autumn — are booming, with cooler, more stable weather increasingly appealing.
Altered landscapes
Some changes that are due to climate change are are heartbreakingly visible. The Great Barrier Reef has endured repeated bleaching events since 2016, leaving once-vivid corals pale and lifeless. In Iceland, glaciers such as Vatnajökull and Langjökull have retreated dramatically within just 15 years, with ice caves disappearing or moving out of reach.
Traveller’s Experience of Change
Climate change is not just something we read about; it’s something we encounter directly on holiday. It’s not just aboutthe heat but about storms, wildfires and flooding brought about by climate change. According to the survey, 85% of UK travellers have now experienced its effects first-hand — up from 78% just two years ago.
The most common impacts reported between 2022 and 2024 include:
- Hotter temperatures (31% → 45%)
- Plastic and litter on beaches or in the sea (23% → 28%)
- Poor air quality (20% → 26%)
- Wildfires (19% → 25%)
- Warmer seas (14% → 20%)
- Flooding and storm damage (11% → 18%)
- Erosion of beaches and cliffs (11% → 14%)
For many, these encounters are reshaping travel habits — from researching hotels for air-conditioning (16%) to checking insurance small print for weather-related disruption (18%).
The trend for cooler destinations
The “coolcation” trend is rising fast. When asked where they’d travel in future for cooler summers, British holidaymakers named:
- Iceland (22%)
- Canada (21%)
- Sweden (18%)
- Ireland (17%)
- Finland (16%)
Looking ahead
If today’s patterns continue, Scandinavia could soon replace Spain as Britain’s default summer escape. Stockholm’s archipelago, Norway’s fjords, and the Slovenian Alps are already drawing record bookings. Meanwhile, UK tourism boards are adapting to a warmer climate: Visit Scotland highlights autumn wildlife and colour as a cooler alternative, while Visit Cornwall promotes the promise of drier, sunnier summers at home.
The travel industry is responding too — investing in cooling systems, shade, and flood defences to remain viable. Eco-tourism and lower-impact experiences are rising in popularity, helping both destinations and travellers adapt.
Changing travel habits
Climate change isn’t a distant backdrop. It’s becoming one of the main drivers of where, when, and how we travel. The map is changing: southern Europe is no longer guaranteed in summer, Britain’s coastlines are more alluring than ever, and northern latitudes are the new frontier.
Travel has always been about discovery. Now it’s also about awareness — of cultures, yes, but also of the forces reshaping the planet. The landscapes may change, but the joy of exploring them will endure if we adapt our travel habits wisely.
