How to beat the heat whilst travelling

Hot enough to fry and egg: Photo by Pockafwye

Summer is great for a lot of things: road trips, camping under the stars, walking barefoot in the sand, swimming, fishing, boating, and, of course, travelling holidays.

We are having a serious heat wave here in Australia at the moment, with some days officially listed as catastrophic fire dangers. In our house we rarely ever need to have the air conditioning on as we have a double brink house with concrete floor and ceiling and so it is well insulated and has an even temperature most year around.

Heat exhaustion 

is not only uncomfortable but dangerous. If you are not careful on extremely hot days, then a fatigue occur which can last for months. To avoid the damaging effects of heat fatigue, take it easy. Keep well hydrated by drinking lots of water, and limit your alcohol intake as this raises your core body temperature. Cover up and stay out of the sun as much as possible. Do not under any circumstances get sun burnt.

Shimmery heat: Photo by Alchemist-hp

However travelling in a caravan or RV, it is a whole different ball game. No one wants to travel with cranky, over-tired travel companions. Hot bedrooms make for restless nights. Add to that any type of work even cooking can really add misery on top of sweaty misery

How so do you cope in such hot weather whilst travelling around Australia.

Towradgi Rock Pool: Photo by Neil Taylor

Visiting a nearby water feature is great whether it be a river, ocean or pool.

When the above is not available then one option is frequent cool to cold showers. If water is limited then you can rig up a system where you recycle your own shower water by standing in a tub and reusing the water run off.

I like to have a mist spray bottle handy to spray myself and my husband with it.

 

In your RV or vehicle

Insulation in your caravan or motorhome is great if it is already installed but still it can get hot inside the RV. It is not very easy to retrofit it without major renovation work. Either way you can use a paint that reflects the heat especially on the roof

Open up the windows and vents when the air is cooler outside
especially at night. If you want cooling air flowing past you, you'll need a cross-breeze.


Fans and air conditioning Get a 12 volt fan where possible.

Either way, make sure it's the oscillating kind that rotates from side to side, the better to rake the length of you with blasts of air. However at night time, have it positioned from feet area and set the oscillating feature to off. Depending upon the humidity factor where you are, you might want to set up a dish of water before the fan. Unless you have invested in a 12volt fan, you generally require power and frequently it needs 240 volt, which obviously you can get if you are visiting family, friends or a caravan site where mains power is available. As much as I hate them, this might be just one those times you need a generator to run appliances if you are not near electricity.

Remove the quilt and just sleep under the cover or bed sheet only if you still need something over you.

In bed, the trick to keeping cool is staying still. Try to sleep in a position where you are sprawled out, exposing as much of your body surface area as possible. For example I sleep on my side. So I have one arm straight out in front of me and the other arm lower in a bent scissor fashion, the bottom leg is straight and the other leg is bent and resting on the bed surface. If this is too low for you, try resting the top on a pillow. Once you're position in bed, remain absolutely motionless. Impress the importance of this rule on anyone who shares your bed. Tell them the future of your relationship depends on it. This is one of those nights where you do not want to cuddle up with your loved one, whether it be your spouse or your furry friends!

Be prepared

If you know ahead of time, that it is going to be a blistering hot day, then you can also prepare by freezing some ice for drinks etc

Now remember if you are actually driving in the high heat of summer, that this will also affect your vehicle.

In a nutshell you need to keep your car well tuned up, checking air con gas, coolant and oil fluid levels, tyre pressure. Read how to Beat the Heat with Summer Car Care for more details on looking after your car in the summer.

What are your top tips for staying cool in your RV?

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