Scottish holidaymakers swap summer for autumn as extreme heat reshapes holiday habits

With the UK having endured its hottest week on record, many Scottish travellers are already changing their holiday plans – swapping southern Europe for cooler climes, shifting travel dates from summer to spring, or rethinking where they’ll go altogether.

New research from InsureandGo reveals that the prospect of another summer of extreme heat is now directly beginning to shape overseas travel choices. InsureandGo asked a representative sample of 2,000 adults how rising temperatures during the summer had impacted their planning for their main annual holiday – and which holiday hotspots they thought would become too hot to visit in the next five years.

While 27% of Scots said they will stick with holidaying abroad during the peak summer period - and will take steps to be prepared for hot weather – the majority of respondents are considering changes to their holiday plans:

Garry Nelson

· 45% of Scots said they are looking to shift their main holiday a month or two to spring or autumn - those with children making fuller use of Easter and half-term holidays. Scots were the people most likely in the UK to look to move their main holiday of the year.

· 24% of Scots say they’re still planning a summer getaway but will actively seek out cooler countries.

· 4% cent of respondents in the region say they’re now more likely to take a winter break instead.

The consideration given to changing holiday plans is a direct result of growing public concern over extreme heat and wildfires during the summer months, a regular feature of recent years. This summer, 76% of adults think one or more popular holiday destinations will be too hot to visit within the next five years – an increase on 70% in 2022.

Spain remains the country most commonly seen as becoming too hot for a summer break in the years ahead (40%), followed by Greece (39%), Turkey (36%), Cyprus (30%) and Italy (22%).

This is no longer just an overseas holiday worry. Given the record temperatures of recent summers at home, one in ten people believe even the UK could be too hot to enjoy a staycation holiday within the next five years, suggesting extreme heat could pose a significant risk to the domestic tourism industry.

Responding to the issue of extreme heat, some people are also rethinking where they go on holiday altogether. Countries like Iceland (22%), Canada (21%) and Sweden (18%) are climbing the list of preferred destinations for cooler summer holidays, along with Ireland (17%) and Finland (16%).

Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at InsureandGo comments: “People in Scotland aren’t just chasing the sun anymore – they’re thinking about how to cope with it. For some, that means skipping July and August altogether. For others, it means ditching southern Europe in favour of cooler destinations. Even the unthinkable is on the cards, as some staycationers become overseas holidaymakers to escape the summer heat in the UK – a country that is not really geared to cope comfortably with extreme heat.”

“At InsureandGo, we want to help people go abroad without the doubt. We would encourage people to do their destination research before they fly off and also to check what their travel insurance covers in terms of cancellation and medical cover if you are travelling with pre-existing conditions.”