It may only be the third hottest year on record, but it sure feels like the summer heatwaves are never ending.
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As temperatures rise to unbearable levels, more and more of us are swapping the Mediterranean for the Baltic Sea, or seeking relief further afield.
If you’re struggling to settle on a destination, we have good news, as Holafly has just released its Global Cool Escape Index.
Based on factors including climate relief, accessibility, traveller interest, visitor experience and value, the ranking aims to share the best coolcation spots overall, rather than the places that are actually the coldest temperature-wise.
The eSIM provider shared a general ranking, as well as specific rankings for Brits, Germans and Spaniards, all of which take into account airport connectivity.
Overall, the best coolcation spot is (drumroll please): Queenstown in New Zealand.
As it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, the resort town on the shores of Lake Wakatipu has daily mean temperatures of just 5.2°C. We would really welcome that right now…
Next on the overall ranking was Tromsø in Norway. As it’s north of the Arctic Circle, the town experiences the midnight sun phenomenon each year from around 20 May until 22 July, and after that the sun will still set pretty late in the evening.
Third place went to Argentina’s Bariloche. Located in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes, the city is a popular choice for skiers.
The top 10 coolcation spots for summer
- Queenstown, New Zealand
- Tromsø, Norway
- Bariloche, Argentina
- Helsinki, Finland
- Anchorage, United States
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- San Francisco, United States
- Banff, Canada
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Zermatt, Switzerland
When it comes to specific suggestions for UK travellers, Cape Town in South Africa is number one, followed by Chamonix in France, then overall index-topper Queenstown, with Innsbruck in Austria and Zermatt in Switzerland following behind.
For Germans, Innsbruck was the number one coolcation destination, followed by Cape Town, Zermatt, Chamonix, and Bariloche in Argentina.
Finally, Spaniards should be headed to Bariloche, and if they can’t make it there, Chamonix is a good runner-up, as is Cape Town, Zermatt, or Reykjavik in Iceland.
