The Importance of Heat Awareness And Sun Safety On Your Gap Year

Editor’s Note: This is general travel health advice and is not intended to replace individual advice from your GP, specialist nurse or another qualified travel health professional, that has been tailored to your past medical history, medication or travel plans. This article was reviewed and updated on November 2026. It is routinely reviewed every 3 years unless new clinical evidence emerges.

Sunshine, tropical beaches and the freedom to spend your days exploring somewhere completely new are a fairly compelling alternative to the British drizzle. You should absolutely get out there and enjoy them. But between wandering around ancient ruins, trekking across deserts and deciding that another hour on the beach sounds like an excellent idea, it is surprisingly easy to underestimate the sun and forget to look after yourself.

As a former nurse with experience in emergency care and travel and tropical medicine, I know the precautions travellers should take. After over 25 years of backpacking through more than 150 countries, I have also had plenty of practice taking them. Unfortunately, neither qualification nor experience has stopped me getting it wrong occasionally.

During a bike tour in Aruba, I underestimated the Caribbean sun, forgot to wear a hat and did not drink enough water. Throw in a little misplaced enthusiasm for cycling around an island as though I was twenty years younger, and I ended up with a nasty sunburn and heat exhaustion. Hardly my finest moment, but a useful reminder that knowing what to do and actually remembering to do it are two different things.

We all get caught out from time to time, we all get a bit complacent. It happens. That is why staying vigilant is so important. When you are having an amazing time, stopping for water or finding some shade can easily slip down your list of priorities. It’s just a matter of being more mindful and having a few pre planned precautions in place. The good news is that protecting yourself is straightforward, and it does not have to get in the way of enjoying your trip. A few sensible precautions can help keep a fantastic day in the sunshine from becoming a very uncomfortable lesson.

How Can Travellers Stay Safe In The Sun And Heat? Quick Answer

Protect yourself from the sun with shade, loose clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and four-star UVA protection. Apply sunscreen generously and reapply at least every two hours, as well as after swimming, sweating or towel drying. Sunscreen helps protect your skin from UV damage, but it does not stop you overheating.

Give yourself time to adjust to hot weather, drink regularly and plan strenuous activities for cooler parts of the day. If you develop a headache, dizziness, nausea, unusual tiredness or intense thirst, stop what you are doing, move somewhere cool, cool your skin and drink fluids.

Confusion, poor coordination, seizures or loss of consciousness in someone who is overheating are emergency warning signs. Call the local emergency number immediately and start cooling them while help is on its way. Get emergency help too if suspected heat exhaustion has not improved after 30 minutes of cooling, rest and fluids. Only give drinks if the person is fully alert and able to swallow safely.

Why Should You Be Concerned About The Sun And The Heat?

When you are busy enjoying your trip, sun protection and keeping cool are easy to put to the back of your mind. You feel fine, there is plenty to see and stopping to reapply sunscreen hardly seems like the most exciting use of your time. But the effects of sun and heat can catch up with you, and there are good reasons to take a few precautions before they do.

A little sunburn for example might seem like an inevitable part of travelling somewhere hot, but it is skin damage, not a compulsory initiation into backpacking. Beyond leaving you sore enough to make sleeping, showering or carrying your backpack thoroughly miserable, getting sunburnt increases your risk of skin cancer. UV exposure also contributes to premature skin ageing and can damage your eyes. There is no safe or healthy way to get a suntan, and having a tan does not mean your skin is protected from further damage. These are reasons to protect yourself throughout your trip, rather than waiting until your shoulders start to sting.

Heat creates a different set of problems. Your body has to work harder to keep itself cool, particularly during physical activity, and losing water and salts through sweating can contribute to dehydration and heat exhaustion. That can leave you with a headache, dizziness, nausea and weakness, bringing whatever you had planned to a fairly abrupt stop.

Heatstroke itself is much more serious. It is a medical emergency that can become life-threatening without prompt treatment. Hot weather can also worsen existing conditions, including heart, lung and kidney problems.

Sunburn and overheating do not always happen together. You can burn on a cool or cloudy day, and you can become dangerously overheated without being in direct sunshine. Slapping on sunscreen before a trek is a good start, but it will not stop you developing heat exhaustion if you push yourself too hard in hot conditions.

The good news is that protecting yourself does not require much effort or mean missing out on the experiences you came for. Covering up, drinking regularly and taking time to cool down are small adjustments that can save you considerable discomfort. Enjoy the sunshine; just give your body a little help dealing with it.

How To Protect Yourself From The Sun

Protecting yourself from the sun is straightforward, but it takes more than a quick smear of sunscreen before leaving the hostel. Shade, suitable clothing and sunscreen work together to reduce UV exposure, so build them into your day whether you are sightseeing, trekking or doing absolutely nothing on a beach.

You do not need to wait until you feel hot or your skin starts to sting before taking precautions. You can burn even when it is cloudy, and a cooling breeze does not tell you how strong the UV is. Checking the local UV index alongside the weather forecast is useful: when it is 3 or above, sun protection is recommended.

Cover Up And Use Shade

One of the simplest ways to protect your skin is to put something between it and the sun. Lightweight, loose-fitting clothing can keep you comfortable while covering your shoulders, arms and legs. Choose a close-weave fabric that does not let much sunlight through; a thin, almost transparent shirt will offer less protection than you might expect. A wide-brimmed hat helps shade your face, ears and neck, while sunglasses with proper UV protection help protect your eyes. Look for the CE or UKCA mark and the relevant British Standard, rather than assuming dark lenses mean good protection.

Whenever I am out in the desert sun, I carry a shemagh and use it to cover my head and neck. It is easy to pack, useful to have to hand and saves leaving those areas exposed for hours. A lightweight shawl or scarf can do a similar job, provided the fabric gives adequate coverage and you wear it loosely enough to stay comfortable.

Make use of shade throughout the day, particularly when the sun is strongest. A shaded café, covered market or leisurely lunch can fit perfectly well into a day of exploring. You are travelling, not competing to see who can endure the most uncomfortable afternoon.

Remember that shade reduces UV exposure rather than eliminating it. Sunlight can still reach you around the edges of a parasol or reflect from surfaces such as sand and water, so keep your clothing and sunscreen in the equation too.

Choose The Right Sunscreen

Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and four- or five-star UVA protection. SPF measures protection against UVB, the main cause of sunburn, while the UVA rating indicates protection against rays that also contribute to skin ageing and skin cancer. You need protection against both. On products using European labelling, the letters ‘UVA’ inside a circle indicate that the sunscreen meets the European standard for UVA protection.

SPF 50 or 50+ is a sensible choice for strong sunshine, particularly if you burn easily, and personally even though the official guidance is above 30 SPF, I never go below 50. It still needs to be applied generously and reapplied regularly, though. A higher number on the bottle is not permission to spend the entire afternoon roasting on a beach.

If you will be swimming or sweating, choose a water-resistant sunscreen. Water-resistant does not mean waterproof, and you still need to reapply after swimming, sweating or towel drying. Check the expiry date too, along with the open-jar symbol showing how many months the product remains usable after opening. The half-empty bottle that has been lurking in your backpack since your last big trip may be due for retirement.

Apply Enough And Reapply Regularly

I know I’m repeating myself but I can’t stress this enough, and I know how easy it is to not do this because like most people, I’ve been guilty of not reapplying often enough from time to time too.

Even a good sunscreen cannot give you the protection on the label if you barely use any. Most people apply too little. As a guide, an adult covering their whole body needs around six to eight teaspoons, so a small bottle is unlikely to last very long if you are spending plenty of time in swimwear.

If you expect to be out long enough to risk burning, apply sunscreen twice: once 30 minutes before going out and again just before you leave. Cover all exposed skin, including easily missed spots such as your ears, the back of your neck, the tops of your feet and any exposed scalp. Trying to reach the middle of your back may require a little assistance, but leaving it unprotected is a fairly painful alternative.

Reapply generously at least every two hours and straight after swimming, sweating or towel drying, even if the product is water-resistant. Follow the instructions on the bottle too. Higher SPF does not mean you can leave longer gaps between applications, and sunscreen should never be used to extend the amount of time you spend in the sun. www.nhs.uk

Take Extra Care When Swimming And Snorkelling

One of the worst sunburns I ever had was after snorkelling in Thailand. I lost track of time enjoying what was beneath the surface, assumed my sunscreen was more waterproof than it actually was and ended up with a badly burnt back. That meant several painful days recovering instead of getting out and enjoying myself. Feeling comfortably cool in the water had made it far too easy to forget how much sun my back was getting.

Water can wash sunscreen off, while its cooling effect makes prolonged exposure less obvious. When you are snorkelling, your back and the backs of your legs can remain exposed for long stretches. A UV-protective swimming top or rash vest gives useful coverage, although you still need sunscreen on exposed areas.

Use water-resistant sunscreen, apply it before getting into the water and reapply straight after swimming and towel drying. No sunscreen is completely waterproof, whatever you might wish while watching a turtle disappear over the reef. Take breaks out of the sun too, rather than relying on another application to keep you protected indefinitely.

How To Stay Well In Hot Weather

Exploring somewhere hot does not mean spending your whole trip moving between air-conditioned rooms. It does mean adapting your pace and plans to the conditions, especially when you have just arrived and want to do everything at once.

A day wandering around temples, hauling your backpack between transport connections or cycling around an island can involve more exertion than you realise. Add heat and humidity, and an otherwise manageable day can become exhausting. Give yourself time to adjust, keep drinking water accessible and build opportunities to rest and cool down into whatever you have planned. Small changes can help you enjoy the day without wearing yourself out.

Give Yourself Time To Adjust

If you have just left a chilly British autumn and landed somewhere hot and humid, give yourself a chance to get used to it. Being fit or having travelled in tropical countries before does not mean you will be ready for a strenuous trek straight off the plane. Your body needs time to adapt, and enthusiasm has an unfortunate habit of getting ahead of that process.

Keep your first few days more relaxed, with shorter outings, regular breaks and somewhere cool to retreat to. You can still explore, enjoy yourself and get your bearings without immediately tackling the most demanding activity on your itinerary. Build up your activity gradually as you adjust, and be prepared to slow down again if the weather becomes hotter or more humid.

Getting used to the heat helps, but it does not make you immune to heat illness. Keep taking the same precautions throughout your trip, even once the temperature starts to feel normal.

Plan Strenuous Activities For Cooler Hours

Where you have the choice, plan trekking, cycling and other strenuous activities for cooler parts of the day, usually the early morning. Exploring ancient ruins is considerably more enjoyable when you are not dragging yourself between patches of shade wondering whose brilliant idea a midday visit was. Check local forecasts and heat warnings, and be prepared to shorten or postpone demanding activities during extreme heat.

Of course, you cannot always choose the timing. Organised excursions, opening hours and transport schedules may leave you out during hotter periods. Where that happens, take extra precautions: carry enough drinking water, wear suitable clothing and sun protection, reduce your pace and take more frequent breaks somewhere cool or shaded. Ask about water stops and opportunities to rest before committing to a demanding excursion.

A fixed itinerary does not mean you have to push through feeling unwell. If you develop a headache, dizziness, nausea or unusual weakness, stop, get somewhere cool and take action. Finishing the route is never more important than your health.

Drink Regularly And Keep Water Accessible

Carry drinking water and make a habit of drinking regularly, particularly when you are active and sweating. Keeping a bottle within easy reach is much more useful than having it buried beneath everything else in your backpack. Before a long excursion, check where you can refill it with safe drinking water rather than assuming there will be a shop halfway up the mountain.

There is no single daily amount that suits every traveller in every climate. You will generally need more fluid in hot weather and during physical activity, but your needs depend on the conditions, how much you sweat and your health. Thirst and pale yellow urine are useful everyday guides; dark, strong-smelling urine or peeing less often can indicate that you need more fluid.

Water is usually a good choice, alongside regular meals to replace salts lost through everyday sweating. During prolonged heavy sweating, an isotonic sports drink can also help replace fluid and salts. Avoid drinking large quantities of water rapidly or forcing yourself to drink far beyond your needs: excessive water intake can dangerously dilute the sodium in your blood.

Go Easy On Alcohol

A cold beer in the sunshine can be one of the pleasures of travelling, but go easy when it is hot, particularly if you have been active or sweating heavily. Too much alcohol can contribute to dehydration and impair your judgement, making it easier to overlook symptoms or stay out longer than you intended. Keep drinking water regularly, and if you already feel unwell from the heat, leave the alcohol alone while you cool down and recover.

Make Time To Cool Down

Taking a break somewhere cool is a perfectly reasonable part of enjoying a hot destination. Stop for a drink in a shaded café, explore an air-conditioned museum or head back to your accommodation for a shower and a rest. You do not have to spend every available hour sightseeing, and taking a proper break can leave you feeling much more enthusiastic about going out again later.

Shade helps, but during very hot weather it may not be enough on its own. If you are still struggling with the heat, find somewhere cooler, preferably with air conditioning. Splashing cool water on your skin or using a damp cloth can also help you cool down.

Think about your accommodation too, especially if you find it difficult to sleep in the heat. A room that stays unbearably hot overnight gives you little opportunity to recover. Sometimes paying a little extra for a cooler room is money well spent.

Check Whether Medicines Or Health Conditions Affect Your Plans

Some health conditions can make coping with hot weather more difficult, including heart, lung and kidney conditions and diabetes. Certain medicines can also affect how your body responds to heat or increase the risk of dehydration, while others can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Doxycycline, which some travellers take to prevent malaria, is one example where extra care with sun protection is important.

This does not automatically mean you need to avoid hot destinations. Before travelling, check how your condition or medicines might affect your plans with your pharmacist or the clinician managing your care. Ask about any precautions you need, how to store medicines safely in the heat and what symptoms should prompt medical help. Do not stop or change prescribed medicines yourself.

If you have been advised to restrict fluids because of a medical condition, get specific advice about managing that restriction in hot weather. General instructions to ‘drink more’ may not be appropriate for you, so it is useful to have a plan before you arrive.

How To Recognise And Treat Heat Exhaustion

A busy day exploring somewhere hot can leave you tired, sweaty and ready for a long sit-down. But if you also develop a headache, feel dizzy or start feeling sick, do not simply dismiss it as having overdone the sightseeing. You could be developing heat exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion happens when your body struggles to cope with the heat, often alongside losing too much water and salt through sweating. You do not have to be doing anything particularly adventurous for it to happen. Walking around a city or exploring ancient ruins for hours can be enough, especially when you are not yet used to the conditions.

Fortunately, you can usually recover by stopping, cooling down and replacing lost fluids. Recognising the symptoms early gives you the chance to do that before you become more seriously unwell. There is no benefit in pushing yourself to finish an excursion when a break could save you considerably more trouble.

Recognise The Warning Signs

You may feel unusually tired or weak, develop a headache or notice that you are becoming dizzy. Other symptoms include:

• Feeling sick or vomiting.
• Heavy sweating, with pale, clammy skin.
• Cramps in your arms, legs or stomach.
• Intense thirst.
• A raised temperature.
• Feeling irritable.

You will not necessarily experience every symptom. Changes in skin colour can also be harder to see on brown or black skin, so pay attention to how you feel rather than relying on how you look. If you feel faint, sick or unusually exhausted in the heat, stop and take steps to cool down. You do not need to wait until you can barely stand or find a thermometer to prove you are unwell.

You will not necessarily experience every symptom, and changes in skin colour can be harder to see on brown or black skin. If you feel faint, sick or unusually exhausted in the heat, stop and cool down rather than waiting until you feel worse.

I once had to help another backpacker at a historical site in Egypt that was a little walk out into the desert from the civilisation and crowds nearer the Nile, who had badly underestimated the sun and heat. She complained of a headache and dizziness, was clearly confused and kept insisting she was fine. She was not. I ended up carrying her over my shoulder back to a café, where I got her into the shade, cooled her down and asked the staff to call for an ambulance.

By that point, her confusion was an emergency warning sign, not simply a symptom of being a bit too hot. It showed just how easily someone can dismiss what is happening, even when they have become seriously unwell, and how quickly someone can deteriorate. Take those earlier symptoms seriously, while you can still recognise them and do something about them.

If you are travelling alone, tell someone nearby what is happening. Local shop or café staff, your guide or someone at your accommodation may be able to help you reach somewhere cool, get water and arrange medical help if needed. Trying to struggle back to your room alone is a poor idea if you are already feeling faint.

If you do become confused or unsteady on your feet in the heat, you may have heatstroke. This is a medical emergency. If you are still able, call the local emergency number, or ask someone nearby to call for you, and start cooling down while help is on its way. Seizures and loss of consciousness are also emergency signs; if either happens, you will need someone else to get help for you. Do not wait for these more severe symptoms before taking your condition seriously.

Stop, Cool Down And Rehydrate

If you think you have heat exhaustion, stop what you are doing and get somewhere cool. An air-conditioned building is ideal, but if there is not one nearby, find shade while you arrange somewhere cooler to rest. Take off your backpack and remove any unnecessary clothing and loosen the rest so heat can escape more easily.

Start cooling your skin rather than simply sitting and hoping you will feel better. Spray or sponge yourself with cool water and fan your skin, or ask someone to help. Cold packs wrapped in a cloth can be placed against your neck or under your armpits. Do not put ice directly against your skin.

If you are fully alert and can swallow safely, drink cool water. An isotonic sports drink or an oral rehydration solution mixed with safe drinking water according to the packet instructions can also help replace lost fluid and salts. If you feel sick, try small, frequent sips rather than gulping down a large amount at once.

Ask someone to stay with you while you recover if you can, particularly if you have been feeling faint. You should start cooling down and feeling better within 30 minutes. If you are still unwell after that, get emergency medical help. Get help sooner if you deteriorate, cannot keep fluids down or are struggling to cool yourself; confusion or becoming unsteady on your feet requires an immediate emergency call.

When To Get Medical Help

You should start feeling better within 30 minute or so of resting somewhere cool, actively cooling your skin and drinking fluids. This isn’t an exact number but you should be feeling better by then ideally. If you are still unwell after that, call the local emergency number or ask someone to call for you. Do not head back to your room to sleep it off or give yourself another hour to see what happens.

That 30 minutes is not a period you have to wait before asking for help. If you are getting worse at any point before that, repeatedly vomiting or unable to cool down, seek medical help sooner. When you are somewhere remote, ask for assistance early: reaching medical care may take time.

If you become confused, struggle to walk steadily, feel extremely hot or develop fast breathing or a racing heartbeat while unwell in the heat, you may have heatstroke. This is a medical emergency, so call for emergency help immediately and keep cooling yourself while you wait. Seizures and loss of consciousness also require immediate emergency help from anyone nearby.

When Heat Exhaustion Becomes Heatstroke

If heat exhaustion is not treated, your body can become increasingly overheated until it can no longer control its temperature. This is heatstroke, and it is a medical emergency. Unlike heat exhaustion, which will usually improve with prompt cooling and fluids, heatstroke needs urgent medical treatment because it can damage your brain and other organs and can be fatal.

The change can happen quickly, so do not assume you have plenty of time to finish an excursion or get back to your accommodation. Heatstroke can also develop without an obvious period of heat exhaustion beforehand.

One of the clearest signs that your condition has become more serious is a change in your ability to think clearly or move normally. If you become confused, disorientated or unsteady on your feet while overheating, call the local emergency number immediately or ask someone nearby to call for you. Do not wait 30 minutes to see whether cooling down helps.

You may also develop a very high temperature, fast breathing or a racing heartbeat. Your skin may feel hot and dry, but you can still be sweating, particularly after physical exertion. You do not need every symptom, and you should never wait for sweating to stop or a thermometer to confirm a particular temperature before getting help. Seizures and loss of consciousness are also emergency signs and require anyone nearby to call for help immediately.

While help is on its way, get somewhere cooler if you can move safely and ask someone to stay with you. Remove unnecessary clothing and keep cooling your skin with cool water and fanning, or use a cool, wet sheet. Cooling is important, but it must not delay the emergency call.

What To Do If You Get Sunburnt

Sunburn is another thing that can be so easy to avoid, but at the same time so easy to forget about until you have it, Sometimes you miss a patch of skin, forget to reapply sunscreen or stay out longer than you intended. By the time you realise you have burnt, the priority is to get out of the sun and prevent further damage. Cover the affected skin and head indoors or somewhere properly shaded.

Sunburn can make your skin feel hot, sore and tender, with peeling developing a few days later. On white skin it will usually look pink or red, while changes in colour can be less obvious on brown or black skin. More severe sunburn can cause swelling and blisters.

Most mild sunburn can be managed yourself, but there is no overnight fix. You can ease the discomfort while your skin heals; you cannot undo the damage with aftersun and carry on sunbathing the next morning.

Cool And Soothe Your Skin

A cool shower, bath or gently applied damp towel can help take the heat and sting out of sunburnt skin. Keep the water cool rather than icy, and do not put ice or ice packs on the burn. Skin that is already damaged does not need another temperature extreme to contend with.

After cooling, gently apply an unperfumed moisturiser or aftersun cream or spray. These can ease the discomfort, but they do not repair the damage or make your skin ready for another afternoon in the sun. Avoid petroleum jelly on sunburnt skin.

If you need pain relief, paracetamol or ibuprofen can help, provided they are suitable for you. Follow the packet instructions, and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure. Keep drinking water and leave alcohol alone while you recover, particularly if you are also dehydrated.

Protect Your Skin While It Heals

Keep sunburnt skin covered and out of direct sunlight until it has fully healed. Loose, soft clothing will be more comfortable than anything tight or likely to rub. If your shoulders are burnt, carrying a backpack may be particularly unpleasant, so you might need to adjust your plans for a few days.

Do not pop blisters, scratch the affected area or pull away peeling skin. Tempting as it might be to help things along, leave your skin to heal and treat it gently.

Mild sunburn usually improves within seven days. As the soreness fades, resist the temptation to head straight back out with the burnt areas exposed. Sunscreen does not make damaged skin ready for more sun.

When Sunburn Needs Medical Help

If your skin is blistered or swollen, get medical advice promptly rather than treating it as ordinary mild sunburn. A local pharmacist can help you find appropriate care, but do not delay seeking help if you also feel unwell.

A headache, dizziness, nausea, unusual tiredness, muscle cramps, a very high temperature or feeling hot and shivery after sun exposure also need urgent medical assessment. You may have dehydration or heat illness alongside the burn, and the soreness of your skin can distract you from recognising that something else is wrong.

If you become confused, unsteady on your feet or have difficulty breathing, call the local emergency number immediately. Seizures or loss of consciousness require anyone nearby to call for emergency help. Start cooling down while help is on its way.

Do Not Automatically Blame Feeling Unwell On The Heat

After a long day exploring somewhere hot, feeling tired or developing a headache may well be a sign that you need to stop, cool down and drink some water. Often, taking those steps promptly will help you feel better. But if you are not improving, develop a fever or start feeling worse, do not assume the weather explains everything.

Different illnesses can begin with similar symptoms, including a headache, nausea, tiredness and muscle aches. You are not expected to work out whether you have heat exhaustion, a stomach bug or something else before asking for help. If symptoms persist despite cooling down, keep returning or leave you struggling to drink and manage normal activities, get medical advice. Seek help sooner if symptoms are severe or worsening.

A fever is particularly important if you are in, or have recently visited, a malaria risk area. You need urgent medical assessment even if you took antimalarials, because they reduce your risk but do not provide complete protection. Tell the clinician where you have travelled and when, including brief excursions into risk areas. Do not wait until you get home to have it checked.

That does not mean every headache or unsettled stomach is a tropical disease. Most everyday travel ailments are manageable, and getting checked does not automatically mean a hospital stay or the end of your trip. It’s all about recognising when you don’t feel right, when you can’t diagnose it yourself and when to get help. It gives you the chance to find out what is wrong and get appropriate treatment, rather than spending days feeling miserable and hoping it will pass.

Enjoy The Sunshine And Your Trip

Sunshine, warm evenings and long days exploring are some of the best parts of travelling. Enjoy them. Swim in that turquoise sea, wander around those ancient ruins and take your time discovering somewhere new. Looking after yourself does not have to get in the way of any of it.

Keep water handy, protect your skin and give yourself a break when you need one. If you start feeling unwell, stop and do something about it rather than pushing through. A little care along the way can help you spend more of your trip doing what you came for: having an amazing time.