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Walking Holidays Are Emerging As Europe’s Smarter Answer To Overtourism

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

August 31, 2026

UK searches for “walking holiday” have risen 60% year on year as travellers increasingly seek slower trips that combine outdoor activity with local experiences. In destinations facing overcrowding, walking can also spread visitors beyond the busiest sites and bring spending to smaller communities.

Walking Can Spread Tourism Beyond Hotspots

“Overtourism isn’t just about numbers, it’s about concentration,” said Annie Antonatou, a Greek-based walking holiday specialist. She argues that routes across villages, trails and smaller islands can reduce pressure on major attractions while directing more visitors to family-run guesthouses, ferries, bakeries and tavernas.

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Veriano Verde, a guide for Exodus Adventure Travels who grew up near the Amalfi Coast, said walking also allows visitors to experience communities beyond the main tourist routes.

Amalfi Coast Offers Alternative To Day-Trip Crowds

The Path of the Gods is one of Verde’s recommended routes, combining coastal views with villages, local farms and encounters with residents. In Amalfi, he suggests visiting nearby Atrani rather than limiting a trip to the Piazza del Duomo.

Spring and autumn are the preferred seasons, while winter offers fewer visitors. A seven-day guided walking holiday with Exodus Adventure Travels starts at £1,469 (€1,715) per person, excluding flights.

Santorini And The Cyclades Beyond The Caldera

Annie Antonatou recommends combining the popular Santorini caldera with walks on Naxos, Sifnos, Milos, Andros and Tinos. Routes include the Fira to Oia coastal trail and Mount Zas on Naxos, the highest point in the Cyclades.

She said walking trips allow visitors to spend more time with local communities, experience regional food and see traditional agriculture rather than moving quickly between major landmarks.

The preferred periods are late March to early June and September to November. A week-long self-guided Santorini and Naxos trip through No Footprint and Responsible Travel starts at £550 (€642) per person, excluding flights.

Algarve Trails Focus On The Southwest Coast

The Algarve’s Fishermen’s Trail provides access to quieter parts of Portugal’s southwest coast. The 78km route from Porto Covo to Odeceixe forms part of the 450km Rota Vicentina network.

Ricardo Estêvão of Vincentina Travel said walkers often remember encounters with fishermen, café owners and family-run restaurants as much as the landscape.

The strongest periods are March to June and September to November, with summer avoided to reduce pressure on local communities. A seven-day self-guided trip starts at £420 (€490) per person, excluding flights.

Croatia Combines Historic Sites And Coastal Trails

Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast offers routes linking Dubrovnik, Mljet and the Pelješac Peninsula. Visitors can walk through the historic town of Ston and its vineyards, explore Mljet National Park and hike Mount Srđ above Dubrovnik.

September and October coincide with the grape harvest in Konavle and Pelješac. Travellers visiting Dubrovnik’s city walls can also reduce crowding by going before 9 am or after 4 pm.

A seven-day self-guided walking holiday through Responsible Travel starts at £844 (€985) per person, excluding flights.

Walking Expands The Tourism Season

Walking holidays can help destinations spread visitor activity beyond major landmarks and peak summer periods. For travellers, the format offers access to smaller communities, local businesses and landscapes that are often missed on conventional sightseeing trips.

For destinations facing concentrated tourism demand, it can provide another way to distribute visitors and spending across a wider area.

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Europe’s Deadly Summer Heat Exposed The Cost Of A Warming Continent

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 23, 2026

Europe experienced its deadliest summer for heat-related deaths on record in 2026, with an estimated 24,400 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures across 30 countries. Researchers estimate that human-induced climate change was responsible for around 32,000 of the deaths attributed to heat in the study’s broader analysis, accounting for 65% of the total.

The findings highlight the growing public-health consequences of global warming, largely driven by fossil fuel use, as extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe.

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A Summer Of Dangerous Heat

Between June and August, heatwaves pushed temperatures in Western Europe to an average of 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 norm, with some days reaching 12°C above average. Nearly a third of estimated heat-related deaths occurred during a particularly intense heatwave between 17 June and 1 July.

“These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health,” said Dr Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College London and co-author of the study.

The estimated toll exceeded previous peaks of around 29,000 deaths in summer 2022 and 28,000 in 2003 across the region studied.

How Researchers Estimated The Toll

Researchers modelled the relationship between temperature and mortality across 854 urban areas in the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland, covering around 40% of the population in the 30 countries studied.

The analysis incorporated temperature records, age, socioeconomic conditions, environmental factors and access to healthcare. By comparing actual temperatures with those expected without human-induced warming, the team estimated the additional deaths attributable to climate change.

Final official mortality figures for summer 2026 are not yet available in many countries, and heat-related deaths are often underreported because their effects can be difficult to identify directly.

Older People Face The Greatest Risk

People aged 85 and over accounted for roughly half of the estimated deaths. However, the impact extended across age groups, with around 800 excess deaths among adults aged 20–44 and approximately 6,000 among people under 65.

Southern Europe experienced the highest mortality burden, reflecting hotter temperatures and other vulnerabilities, including air pollution, limited green space and unequal access to healthcare and heat-alert systems.

Italy, France And Spain Record Highest Toll

Italy recorded an estimated 13,303 heat-related excess deaths, followed by France with 7,268 and Spain with 6,824. Germany recorded around 6,340, while the UK saw an estimated 4,354 deaths.

In the UK, the heat also placed significant pressure on healthcare services. Andrew Hartle, Professor of Practice of Anaesthesia at Imperial College Healthcare, said demand during the summer resembled that of a severe winter virus season.

Cities Urged To Strengthen Heat Protection

Researchers say cities can reduce the risks through climate shelters, external shading and building retrofits, alongside measures to help residents avoid exposure during the hottest hours. Checking on vulnerable people, staying hydrated and following heat alerts are also important.

The researchers stress that adaptation must go hand in hand with reducing fossil fuel use to limit further warming. The findings underline that extreme heat is already a major public-health threat across Europe, with thousands of lives at risk each summer.