Business Iceland is responsible for us being here. Everyone else, too. In 2010, the volcano Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced phonetically, don’t force it) erupted, halting air traffic for a few days. Tourism in Iceland stopped, and “Inspired by Iceland” began, mostly as a crisis management campaign. People are weird about volcanoes, often assuming their effect is much larger geographically than in reality.

If you’ve watched TV in the past 15 years, you have no doubt seen a commercial for Iceland created by Business Iceland. I remember the “Ask Guðmundur” series, which was quite clever.

Over the years, the “Inspired by Iceland” campaign has pointed to many factors that make Iceland a unique travel destination, like fantastical landscapes, proximity to the U.S. and Europe, free layovers (if flying on Icelandair), geothermal spas, a friendly, English-speaking population, and adventure travel opportunities. It’s a good list. One thing not specifically mentioned? Other popular tourist destinations are scorching hot.

In July, Europe weathered a nasty heat wave. Yet again. Temperatures in Rome reached almost 100°F a few days ago, in a country not known for ubiquitous air conditioning. There are many tourists in Reykjavik from Italy. And many tourists in Italy are flocking to The Italian Alps instead of the beach, causing a first-world crisis in the alpine communities once filled with experienced hikers. In the article published by The Times of London on August 18, 2025, mountain rescues are up to 12,000 mainly from idiots hiking in flip-flops and getting tired. Coastal tourism is down 30%.

In Spain, where locals are protesting over-tourism using Super Soakers on patrons dining at outdoor cafés, you can expect temperatures between 100°F and 115°F. Maybe a good soaking is a welcomed relief? Now outdoor cafés have fans that mist water, beating protesters to the punch.

June and July were not kind to Athens. Daily temps were over 100°F, with some surfaces, like roads and rooftops, reaching temperatures hot enough to burn exposed skin. They shut down the Acropolis during peak heat for the safety of tourists. Reportedly, Zeus was not amused.

Earlier this summer, Paris shut down their big radio tower due to heat – you know, the one Eiffel built. You’d recognize it if you saw it. In 2003, the city experienced a heat wave that killed almost 20,000 people. Now they’re better prepared. In 2019, a heat wave raised temps to about 115°F and “only” 1,500 people died. (Still not great.) Summer of 2022 was the hottest on record. The city is currently under a heat advisory.

Forget Europe. How about the U.S.? Vegas? Feels like 114°F., plus U.S. government politics are keeping tourists away. NYC? Hot and humid with temps routinely in the mid-90s. Death Valley? 124°F, which is lethal. Florida beaches? Hot air, burning sand, and warm ocean water – lovely, plus I hear the sun causes skin cancer now. Tampa reached 100°F for the first time in late July. Washington, D.C.? Ask the National Guard, but only if you’re white.

Asia’s great capitals are hot, too. Shanghai, a heat index of 105°F last week. Tokyo, 92°F. Taipei, 102°F. Hong Kong, 80°F, which might explain why China wants it so badly.

The point is heat now insidiously permeates our lives. With heat comes wildfires, smoke, vicious thunderstorms, and flash flooding. It makes a mockery of airline schedules, causing delays and missed connections. Roads flood. It kills ill-prepared hikers. It makes travel more tiring, and it’s already an exhausting pursuit. Children and the elderly, whose bodies don’t cool themselves as efficiently, are extra susceptible. None of this sounds like great family vacation potential. Eventually, people will stop spending discretionary income to suffer in sweltering, remote locales.

The unspoken pull of places like Iceland is their temperature. If much of the world is broiling, there’s a place to go (for those able to travel internationally, at least) to celebrate traditional outdoor, summer activities like camping, boating, biking, and backpacking, without risk of injury or death in an admittedly scenic location.

So here we all are … pretending to be cultural explorers, lovers of nature, pioneering souls who, really, are just trying to escape summer and breathe. We ogle the waterfalls and assure ourselves these waterfalls are the best waterfalls ever witnessed. We marvel at the sheep, an extremely common barnyard animal most of us ignore at home. We are also required to have opinions on Icelandic horses, even though I have zero opinions about horses generally. All of this, because deep down we just want to be outside in summer, doing outside summer activities with friends and family, in conditions that are allowed to be warm but not dangerously hot.

Growing up, who would have predicted outdoor summer fun is now best accomplished with a passport?