Summer is the most popular time for travelers all over the world. But, meanwhile, it's also the most uncomfortable time, especially for those, who are traveling to countries with a hot tropical climate. In this case, the heat can easily spoil all the fun. It is likely to affect you every single day, when you are just walking around the city, going sightseeing, doing exercises, shopping, or heading the beach. At times, it becomes so unbearable that you stop enjoying your time off and want this trip to be over as soon as possible, so you could come back home, where it's not so hot. And if this heat is combined with extreme humidity, things can get even worse.

However, it doesn't always have to happen like this. If you know the basic tips of how to withstand the heat, you can deal with a trip to any hot country in the world. You only have to know what you should drink and eat, how you should plan your day, and what you should pack in your suitcase. For example, don't forget about taking high-quality sunscreen, as well as your hat and sunglasses, prepare for early wake-ups and daytime naps, and know what to do to keep yourself cool all the time.

You're lucky, because we're here to tell you how to deal with the heat. Read the travel hacks listed below and remember about them, when you're getting ready to deal with the hot weather. These simple tips will certainly help you beat the heat and have the most awesome summer vacation possible!

20 Stay Hydrated At All Times

No living being can live without water, and you're no exception. Keep it in mind, when you travel in summer.

When it's hot, you sweat a lot and, consequently, you need to drink a lot of fluids to make up for this loss. A good idea is to carry a water bottle with you at all times (it's better to have your own instead of buying plastic bottles every day), when you're having a walk in the heat and sip from it every now and then.

But don't wait to feel thirsty to drink it. Remember that you can fail to feel the symptoms of dehydration until you're super-tired. So be sure to take your bottle out once every 30 minutes or so.

19 Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

But drinking a lot of fluids doesn't mean all fluids. Plain water is the best drink to fight dehydration, so better stick to it.

Also remember that there're the drinks that can actually add to your dehydration. For example, caffeine and alcohol actually won't keep you hydrated at all and may even add to your unpleasant symptoms. One of the reasons why caffeine and alcohol can increase dehydration is the fact that these drinks cause urinary frequency (simply speaking, they make you pee more often) and, thus, increase your fluid loss. And you don't want it, do you?

So put down this cup of coffee and opt for some water instead.

18 Eat Light Meals

When it's hot, you shouldn't load your stomach with huge amounts of food, even if you're in Thailand and find it hard to keep yourself from eating this huge bowl of delicious Tom-yam.

Opt for the foods that will have a cooling effect on your body, such as tomatoes, leafy greens, coconut water, broccoli, and spicy peppers (so okay, you can eat this Tom-yam, but don't over-indulge yourself!). All these foods also have a high water content, so they'll help you keep yourself hydrated.

Besides, try to avoid protein-packed and too oily and heavy meals, because they increase your metabolic heat and make you feel even hotter.

17 Wear A Hat And Sunglasses

Let's talk about sunglasses first. It shouldn't be just any sunglasses you can buy at a convenience store. Of course, they'll help you in some way when you're walking in sunny weather, but cheap sunglasses will never provide UV protection for your eyes. It doesn't mean that you should choose the most expensive pair. Just find the golden middle.

And, of course, you should also wear a hat to protect your scalp from the sun rays and avoid having a sun stroke. The best idea is to wear a hat with wide brim that will also provide extra protection for your face and shoulders, keeping them from sunburns.

16 Wear A Wet Bandana

If you're not into wearing hats, get a bandana. In fact, wearing a bandana can even be better, because you can soak it in water in a fountain or a river (depending on where you're traveling) and then put it on your head or shoulders. The damp cloth will help you cool down, decrease your core temperature, and keep you a bit more hydrated.

A bandana has a couple more advantages, compared to a hat. First, it'll absorb sweat from your forehead and keep it off your face. Second, it weighs way less than a hat and it's much easier to pack it for your trip.

15 Don't Forget About Sunscreen

Wearing sunscreen is one of the main rules, when you travel to a country with hot climate. It takes very little time to get a sunburn, but then it takes days or even weeks to cure it, and you certainly don't want to have a vacation like this.

So be sure to pack a good sunscreen or buy it as soon as you arrive. Don't spend even an hour outside without using it and take it with you whenever you go sightseeing, hiking, climbing, or swimming.

When you purchase your sunscreen, make sure that it has SPF 30 or higher and that it's water resistant.

14 Pack Proper Clothing

When you're preparing for your vacation, make sure that you pack the proper clothing. It should be light-colored and light-weighted (not only because this way your luggage will weigh less, but also because you'll feel better wearing them in the heat). Besides, make sure that everything you pack is loose-fitting, because you don't want the fabric to stick to your sweaty body.

Keep in mind that you should choose the right fabric that people call "breatheable", such as cotton and linen. It's also a good idea to pack some workout gear (just make sure that it's loose-fitting), because it's usually made to keep you cool and prevent excessive perspiration.

13 ...And, Of Course, Proper Shoes

The kind of shoes you pack always depends on what places you're going to visit. If you're going to hike in the mountains, it should be some high-quality sneakers with thick soles. But if you're only going to walk around a city and go to the beach every day, take only light-weighed summer shoes.

It can be sandals, flip-flops, or any other kind of footwear that will keep your feet away from perspiration. If you're concerned about blisters, get a pair of no-show socks and pack some plasters.

One more tip for ladies: don't pack your high-heels, because wearing them might make your feet swell and you won't look very attractive.

12 Keep Your Luggage Light

Whatever kind of clothing and footwear you pack, make sure that you don't pack too much of it. Remember that you're the one, who'll have to carry this suitcase or backpack at least to and from the airport, and carrying something heavy in hot weather isn't the most pleasant thing to do.

Besides, pack light when you go for a walk on your trip. Take only the things that you will absolutely need, such as your water bottle, sunscreen, handkerchief, and some plasters. If you won't really need your tablet or your book during this walk, better leave them in your hotel room.

11 Check Ahead For Air-Conditioning

Before you book a hotel room or any other place, where you're going to stay, make sure that it has something that will help you keep yourself cool. Is there an air-conditioner, or at least a fan in your room? Because if it doesn't have any of these, your stay there is likely to turn into hell. Besides, also check if the taxi that is taking you sightseeing is also air-conditioned, as well as the attraction sights you're going to visit (such as museums, restaurants, and so on).

Don't just assume that since it's a country with hot climate, everything will be air-conditioned. Very often it's not, and you should be ready for it.

10 Wake Up Earlier

Now let's speak about how you should schedule your stay to have a great time and keep yourself away from the heat.

First of all, you should wake up earlier and check out most of the attraction sights you've planned for the day before noon. If you hate waking up early, think about two huge advantages of this tactic. First of all, morning hours are lot as hot as the daytime, so you won't be all sweaty and exhausted after the first hour of walking. And secondly, most attractions are much less crowded in the morning.

So check the places you're going to visit for opening hours and start your day early!

9 Spend The Hottest Hours Inside

The next stage of your day is from noon to about 4 or 5 o'clock, when it's the hottest outside. Consider spending these hours in your hotel room, especially if it has air conditioning. Just read a book, make a skype call with your friends or family back home, or plan the next day of your trip.

If you don't want to spend even a few hours in your hotel room and want to take as much as possible from your trip, spend these hours inside, checking out such attractions as galleries, museums, castles, bowling alleys, and the like. Whatever you do, try not to go outside for as long as possible when it's the hottest part of the day.

8 What About A Siesta?

Another thing you can do, while you're staying in your hotel room during the daytime is sleeping. This way, you can compensate for an early reveille and get an extra hour of sleep.

In fact, numerous countries, such as Spain, Italy, and many others, have official siesta hours, when no one's working. At about 11.30 a.m. everyone goes to have some rest, eat lunch, and doze off for a few hours. Even supermarkets are closed during this part of the day. Why shouldn't you adopt this tradition for yourself, at least for the time of your vacation? You're certainly going to like it. It feels like you're back in kindergarten!

And when the heat is off, you can go for a walk again and enjoy the cooler evening hours outside.

7 Avoid Open Markets During The Day

If you don't want to have a siesta and feel that it's absolutely necessary for you to do some shopping, because you have to buy souvenirs for your friends, at least don't go to open markets.

Just imagine yourself walking along this open under-the-sun market with crowds of other tourists. Probably, it won't be the most pleasant experience of your trip, because you'll be sweating a lot and won't even want to try on any clothing you'd to buy.

If you absolutely need to go shopping, go to malls or indoor markets during the day and opt for open markets in the morning or evening.

6 Distribute Your Activities By Location

If you want to see a lot of indoor attractions during the day and don't want to spend too much time outside, group them by location. For instance, you want to visit a History Museum, have lunch, and do some shopping. Check the area around this museum for nice restaurants and malls and choose something that's located close to it.

This way, you'll see everything you want day by day and avoid dragging yourself all over the place during the hottest hours. Just be wise while planning every day of your trip and remember when it's okay to have a stroll, and when you should better stay inside for as long as possible.

5 Bring Your Shadow With You

When you're going to the beach, make sure that while you're there, you'll have something that will give you some precious shade. It can be an umbrella or a beach tent, where you can hide from the hot sun rays and avoid getting a sun stroke. It's especially important, if you have kids, because they will be running around most of the time and will need to get some rest in the shade once in a while.

It's especially important to have an umbrella or tent, when you plan to spend the whole day on the beach. This way, you can hide in the shade and read a book or have a nap, enjoying the sea breeze.

4 Get A Portable Fan

Getting a portable fan, when you plan to travel to a country with hot climate, can be a very good idea. It's going to be very small and fit any purse or handbag, so you can carry it wherever you go to cool off, when it's getting really hot.

Portable fans are very easy to use. Commonly, they can be charged from a computer, a power bank, or just from a socket. So charge it as soon as you come back to your hotel room and make sure that you take it, when you go out the next day. It will certainly help you feel better.

You can be sure that when you start using a portable fan, you won't understand how you went by without it for so many years.

3 Use Cooling Products

A portable fan isn't the only product you can use to cool yourself down. Today, a range of items is offered to help people, who can't stand the heat. For example, did you know that there's a cooling towel? This is a towel made of special fabric that ensures water absorption and retention to help you cool down instantly. All you need to do is soak it in water and then wear it as a bandana or a scarf.

If you don't like cooling towels for some reason, there's a wide range of other cooling products on the market, including hydration packs, portable water misters, and fan-powered cooling vests.

2 Spray Water On Yourself

If you don't want to buy any of these new cooling products, just find a simple bottle, fill it with tap water and put a water sprayer on it. Make sure to take this bottle with you any time you go out. And when you're walking along the scorching hot streets during the day, take this bottle out once in a while and just spray it on your face, shoulders, arms, and legs. It will cool you down very quickly and you'll feel much better at least until water evaporates from your skin. Then you can reapply it and repeat this simple but effective procedure as often as you want.

1 Indulge Yourself In Some Ice Cream

Ice cream is considered an ultimate summer product for a reason. It isn't only delicious, but it also helps you lower your core temperature and helps you cool down very quickly. So don't hesitate to release your inner child and get some ice cream.

Nice alternatives to this frozen dessert are popsicles, slushie, shaved ice, and frozen yogurt. Choose any of these cold treats and you won't regret it!

It must be one of the most pleasant tips from this article, so we're sure that you're going to follow it every day on your vacation! But don't forget about the other hacks we've discussed here, because all of them are very important for you to have a pleasant summer trip.

References: skymetweather.com, livestrong.com, hellomagazine.com, smartertravel.com, thebarefootnomad.com