It's probably fair to say that the majority of
vacation destinations are warm and sunny. Some can be very hot indeed. If you're traveling to a hot country or city, it's a very good idea to take some sensible precautions, and plan in advance how you and your family are going to deal with the your encounter with hot sunshine.
Heatstroke is a very common affliction among tourists. The symptoms range from nausea and headache to feelings of fatigue and weakness. Untreated, heatstroke can lead to collapse and even death.
Luckily, if you're sensible, it need never be a problem. The first thing to remember in very hot places is to keep covered up. This may seem counterintuitive, and it's certainly true that you shouldn't wear excess clothing in hot weather. Nonetheless, keeping arms and legs covered with light, loose clothes protects you from the sun and prevents your body being warmed too directly. The most important part of your body to keep covered is your head - in sunny weather you should always wear a hat. Our heads have more bloody flowing relatively close to the surface than any other part of our bodies. In cold weather we lose heat fastest through our heads, while in warm weather our skulls transmit heat into the core of our bodies with frightening efficiency. A loose, broad-brimmed hat will keep the sun off of your head and protect your neck and ears, too - areas that burn very easily. If you must wear a baseball cap, remember to keep it fairly loose. It's probably also a good idea to have it reversed, so that the peak shades your neck.
As we've said before on this blog, it's also really important to eat and drink - little but very often is the best plan here. Sports drinks can be really useful, but water is fine. If you're sweating a lot, eat some fruits and nuts and keep your electrolytes in balance. On those parts of your body that are exposed, apply a high-factor sunscreen.
You're probably slightly more likely to get heatstroke inland than on the beach, where there is usually a sea breeze and you can jump into the sea to cool down a little. Hot cities are really dangerous for heatstroke - notice that the locals tend to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day. They know what they are doing. Keep cool and be sensible, and you should have no problems.