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The times when overtourism was your biggest worry during a European summer feel like a distant memory now. As 2026’s peak season gets into full swing, you likely have more pressing concerns: Will you get there? Will you make it back? And can you stay healthy while you’re there?
“The reality of travel is very different now,” says Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO at the Advantage Travel Partnership, and one of the European travel industry’s big beasts. “We’re having to operate in a very different geopolitical environment and there are big, macro topics that are impacting everything — not just vacations but our way of life, our weather, everything. That’s just our world now.”
So how to make your 2026 vacation a summer to remember for all the right reasons? We asked industry professionals how to navigate this tricky year of travel
The recent Middle East crisis has created instability in the price of aviation fuel.
There’s a new specter hovering over European bookings this summer: fuel shortages. In May, 13,000 flights were removed from rosters worldwide according to a
But don’t panic, says Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at Dow Jones Energy. Although the global oil situation is dicey — supplies are limited despite the Strait of Hormuz being partially reopened following President Trump’s peace deal with Iran — he thinks a total supply crunch is unlikely
“I think you had a blend of adjustments made by refiners and suppliers as well as demand mitigation — airlines reducing capacity or suspending long-haul flights. It seemed like an ‘it takes a village’ approach to keeping jet fuel well supplied.”
While the future looks promising, we’re not entirely out of the woods, he says. “I think the chances of a significant supply crunch have decreased. However, you never say never. What if both sides flips over the table and leave negotiations and we are back to square one? I’m not saying that will happen, but it can.”
It’ll take four months after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to see supplies back to normal, he adds
Although the price of jet fuel has come down from April highs of $122.50 per barrel to $75 when he spoke to CNN last week, it remains high
If you want to have the best possible chance of avoiding disruption, he says it wouldn’t be a bad idea to fly to or through Spain, which has its own operational oil refineries, giving it a buffer that some of its nearby neighbors don’t have. That means that you’re less likely to have a Spain flight canceled due to fuel shortages, reckons Cinquegrana, who tips Iberia as a good airline to connect with
In general, flying to a year-round, major hub rather than a seasonal destination is the best way to avoid fuel-related disruption, he says — Rome rather than Palermo; Heathrow over Manchester — and traveling onward
On the plus side, he doesn’t believe that 2026 has changed aies of blips. He predicts that airlines will reinvest in “hedging” programs which lock in future fuel supplies at a fixed price. Recently, they’d largely abandoned this approach
Recent virus outbreaks have underscored the importance of hygiene while traveling.
Hantavirus. Norovirus. Even that cold you routinely develop the moment you relax on vacation. Health is at the forefront of many people’s minds this summer — as it was for Dr. Julie Hammond, when deciding whether to go ahead with her June family vacation to the Cape Verde islands, where tourists died in gastroenteritis outbreaks earlier this year
“We were considering canceling, and I was concerned that I have two boys aged four and one, but it was a lot of money to lose, so we went ahead but took extra precautions,” she says
For Hammond, keen to avoid stomach bugs, those extra precautions meant supercharging cleaning rituals. Armed with antibacterial wipes and bottles of hand gel, Hammond’s routine started on the plane, where she wiped down the family’s armrests, screens and tray tables. On arrival at their hotel, she wiped down the bathroom
“If anyone had stomach bugs, the bathroom is the place they’ll be,” she says. “Definitely do the seat, flush, door handle and taps.”
She rinsed the in-room glasses with boiled water, too. “It was probably over the top, but we’ve lasted seven days so far,” she said, speaking to CNN from Cape Verde
Outside the hotel room, she carried her antibacterial wipes to clean restaurant tables, avoided fruit and raw vegetables that she hadn’t peeled herself, and said no to cold meats, too. “I’m sure it’s fine, but there’s a small risk of things like listeria,” she says. “It’s the same advice for norovirus — you want to avoid foods that people have touched or might have respiratory droplets on them. Try to eat food that comes freshly off the grill.”
The family has also avoided tap water, even cleaning their teeth with bottled water
“I’m sure we’ve gone overboard but with young kids you can’t take chances, and so far it’s worked for us,” she says. “I took the same steps when I traveled while pregnant.”
Those precautions might also help you avoid that vacation cold. Hammond says that it’s an old wives’ tale that when your body relaxes it catches a cold; instead, she says, the travel environment ramps up the potential to catch viruses. Wiping down and wearing a mask on the plane is the best way to avoid catching germs, she says
A medical kit is always a good idea. Rehydration tablets, antihistamines, hydrocortisone cream, plasters and bandages, painkillers and antacids, plus insect repellent and SPF are in Hammond’s suitcase. “I feel like I bring the whole pharmacy but it’s good to have things close to hand as you never know what can happen,” she says
And while headlines abounded about hantavirus and even Ebola, neither are a real concern for most of us, she says. She advises checking travel advisories and getting any necessary vaccinations or medications six weeks before departure
Officials in Italy have said the county is developing a “tropical climate” due to global warming.
The past few summers have seen nightmare tales from heatwaves in Europe — the continent with the fastest-rising temperatures under global warming. Europe’s hottest four summers on record have occurred in the past five years, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and perennial favorite Italy is now developing a “tropical” climate according to the country’s civil protection minister
In 2026, the mercury started rising early. “May ended with much of western Europe soaring into the mid-90s to low 100s Fahrenheit, including the UK setting a record for its hottest day in May as London reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” says CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward. Portugal, Ireland and France also hit record temperatures in May, and June has turned up the dial even more, with temperatures soaring, services glitching and health warnings across many western European countries
Ward predicts that more heat waves this summer are “almost undoubtedly” on the way, and says checking the forecast in the run-up to departure Is essential
“Is it going to be hotter at the beginning or end of the trip? If so, try to stack more outdoor events during the cooler days and indoor activities for the hotter days,” he says
Outdoor activities are best in the cooler mornings; Ward suggests decamping to museums or waterside activities for the afternoon. When Ward did a loop of western US. parks during a heat wave several years ago, he stayed on East Coast time, so his body didn’t have to adjust, and used those extra morning hours to go out early
“We had a lot of hikes planned that we started around sunrise (or even before) so we would be done by the middle of the day, and spent afternoons doing more water activities like river float trips or kayaking and less strenuous activities or things in air-conditioning,” he says
You might want to stay outside town, too. “Cities hold onto the heat as buildings and pavement absorb heat,” he says
Staying hydrated is key — don’t wait till you’re thirsty to drink, he says. Reduce your alcohol and sugar intake and pivot to hydrating fruit and vegetables. Avoid direct sunlight (especially in the afternoon) and wear loose, light-colored clothing. “Know the warning signs of overheating: headaches, dizziness and nausea,” he says
The European Union Schengen Zone’s new entry and exit processes is creating bottlenecks at some airports.
The EU’s Entry Exit System (EES) came into force in April, meaning non-EU citizens arriving in the 29-country Schengen zone must now have their biometrics taken. The lines to input everyone’s data and photograph and fingerprint have led to long delays in places. Leaving Schengen and being checked out of the system is equally time-consuming, and many travelers have missed their return flights
“The scenes have been pretty chaotic at some airports,” says Lo Bue-Said, who adds that it’s “really impacting” traveler confidence
CNN’s Clarissa Ward is thinking twice about a family vacation this summer after long lines flying from Lisbon to London last month. She arrived at 9 a.m. for her 11 a.m. flight with only carry-on baggage, but after over an hour in the EES line to leave Schengen, she missed her flight
“I’ve seen hideously long lines on arrival in Amsterdam, Romania, Spain and elsewhere but this was the first time I saw such a long line to leave and the first time I had to give fingerprints to leave,” she says. The experience has given her pause for thought about booking a summer family vacation. “As a mother of three, it makes me sick with anxiety to imagine waiting in a multi-hour line.”
Those who get stuck in a line are at the mercy of their airlines when it comes to rebooking, as travel insurance won’t take this into account, says Tim Riley, chairman of the UK Travel Insurance Association and managing director of True Traveller insurers
The Airports Council International, which represents global airport authorities, has warned the situation could worsen in coming weeks and called on the EU’s European Commission to grant member states the power to suspend the EESwhen required and institute flexibility
An EC spokesperson CNN that the EES “works well at almost all border crossing points.” Implementation rules allow for flexibility, including pausing the system in exceptional circumstances, they said
Greece had previously hinted that it would suspend registration until the fall at least for UK citizens, but neither the Greek National Tourist Organisation nor the EC spokesperson would confirm whether this was true. The same went for Portugal
Overall, since October 2025, almost 90 million entries and exits were registeredused entry, including 1,000 who were deemed a security threat
Because border control bottlenecks can be unpredictable, Lo Bue-Said said it’s best to assume there will be lines. “There are specific airports and specific bottlenecks at certain times, it’s not everywhere and it’s not consistently chaotic,” she says
Once through security, skip duty-free or a meal and head straight for the gate, she advises. Even if you only have hand luggage, arrive three hours before your flight (as many airlines are advising). If you’ve booked through a hub airport with a key airline — say, Aegean at Athens or KLM at Amsterdam — there should be check-in desks open all day
When flying into Schengen, Lo Bue-Said recommends making your way to the checkpoint as quickly as possible. On a recent trip to Madrid, she was able to register at a kiosk shortly after getting off the plane, allowing her to go straight to the e-gates
“It’s getting used to a different way of traveling,” she says. “I can understand why people are anxious but it’s not worth missing a vacation for this. Don’t be put off by the photos.”
Cruise specialists say that its wise to have good medical insurance — just in case.
Cruises have hit the headlines for this year, from Hantavirus scares to a norovirus outbreak that authorities in Bordeaux to deny anyone disembarkation from an Ambassador Cruise Line ship in May. (Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess also suffered an outbreak on a Florida-based cruise in April.)
Butcruise specialist Matt Thiemann of Everbliss Vacations says that it’s not a given that you’ll get sick — even if there are viruses onboard
“Wipe down everything you’ll touch with sanitizing wipes as soon as you board” — everything from the balcony door handle to the drawers, he says. And be mindful of what you’re touching outside your cabin — the handrails on the stairs, for example
“My wife got pink-eye on a cruise once,” he says. “You touch something, rub your eye, and it puts the infection in your eye.”
Buffets can be a breeding ground for bugs, but they’re not the only places to eat on board — pick a sit-down restaurant, even for breakfast, he advises. If you do hit the buffet, wash your hands well before entering and sanitize before eating
Finally, if you’re immune-suppressed or otherwise high-risk, he suggests speaking to staff. “My father-in-law had a lung transplant and was told he could never risk a buffet again, so at a resort we talked to the maitre d’ and they made him a plate from the kitchen.” If you have a valid reason, it’s possible cruise staff will do the same
Finally, he emphasizes, travel insurance is a must. “We have an annual policy but when my wife got pinkeye it was $220 to see the doctor and over $300 for ointment the size of a superglue tube. A client just spent $580 for a respiratory infection. People don’t realize how expensive medical care is on the ship.”
Despite all the problems, experts say travel to Europe is still worth it.
All this uncertainty is changing travel habits. Lo Bue-Said notes that people are booking closer to travel — four in 10 are finalizing plans 10-12 weeks ahead of departure compared to 10% before the pandemic. All-inclusive packages are steadily growing in popularity too
That’s understandable — once travel to the Middle East took a downturn with the start of the Iran war, hotel bookings in Europe leapt by 37%, according to data from booking website Hotelplanner, and average nightly room rates for the summer are up by 42%. In an uncertain world, paying a fixed price has never looked so attractive
But in the end, it’s usually all worth it. Lo Bue-Said recalls a recent work conference in Madrid that cheered her up
“We had sunshine between meetings,” she says. “Sitting outside a café with a café con leche, watching the world go by reminds you why vacations mean so much to people.”
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