How can I aclimatise to a different climate (hotter than present) when I come from cold England?

Question

I am going away to Egypt for a while and dont want to overheat.

Answer 1

Hi James,

I'm from cold England as well. One or two tips from my journeys to Africa (up to 48 degrees C)...

You'll very soon get used to the heat. When you step off the plane it will hit you but after a while you'll acclimatize.

Drink lots of water and carry bottled water when you're out and about.

Do like the locals do - live life in the shade and don't exert yourself.

Wear light coloured, losely fitting clothing. A wide brimmed hat is useful especially if you're going to be out in the sun.

Take a shower whenever the opportunity presents itself, it will cool you down and because it's so dusty and you'll sweat a lot you'll also get dirty quickly.

If you're hiring a vehicle or booking into a hotel then air-con is a must.

Depends when you're going - at this time of year Egypt (Luxor at least) is like England in summer - warm days and cool nights. During the summer months the temperatures exceed 40 degrees most days but drop back to about 20 during the night.

Southern Egypt (Aswan, Luxor) is much hotter then northern Egypt (Cairo) which in turn is hotter then the coastal regions (Alex, Port Said).

http://www.worldweather.org/059/m059.htm

Answer 2

if ur going now to egypt it wouldnt be hot at all! temperatures would be like a bright autumn day in the uk

however ifur going later april / may u can find it to be really hot and sometimes sticky!
i would worry more if it is sticky rather than the actual temperature.

prepare to wear light cool clothes, i prefer to wear trousers or shorts in summer than skirts in order to avoid stickeness. as far as tops i suggest loose tshirts not vests cos they expose the shoulders and they ll burn quickly if ur fair.

pull ur hair up, preferably no fringes

drink loads of water especially if u drink alcohol

put sunscreen llotion before u go out

take a cold shower as often as possible, dont put oil based lotions on the skin.

keep the rooms of ur accomodation in the dark all day as much as u can but keep them ventilated

if u find it difficult to slepp because of the heat i suffest takin a shower right before u go to bed, and leave ur body and hair damp and switch the fan on. u ll feel really fresh

dont eat spicey food and dont eat hot food, fruits out of the refrigirator are best

may want to invest in antipersperents

make sure u put most of ur food in the fridge as it will go bad quickly

avoiding going out from 10am - 2pm works best

Answer 3

Last summer there were quite a few days when England's temperatures were above those of Southern Spain. The last few years we have had exceptional summer temperatures, with last years temperatures being a record since they started keeping records around four hundred years ago. This winter has also been way above normal so maybe your won't find so much difference

Answer 4

Come to the US; we get both extremes (it's now about 4 F here and will be in the high 90s in about 4 months).

Answer 5

Don't complain about climatising to HOT weather as before you know it you'll be freezing back here again.

Answer 6

drink water