4 Refreshing Ways to Keep Cool This Summer

Can’t take the heat? One of our favorite ways to cool off during the hot summer months is by escaping it all together – with trips to cooler climates where we can feel the air in our hair and excitement in our veins. Here are our picks for cool vacations this summer:

1. Iceland’s glaciers and snow-capped peaks – With an average temperature of 54°F in the summer (!) we think this is a great place to stay cool. Our kosher tour to Iceland in August includes glistening white mountains, cool springs of water and even a snowmobile ride on the largest glacier in Europe. It’s not all frigid, though. We also visit steamy geysers, volcanoes, lava fields and an outdoor lagoon filled with naturally heated geothermal water from 6,500 feet below the surface of the earth.

2. Alaska’s icebergs and wildlife – The thrill of catching a fresh Alaskan salmon is hard to forget. So is the excitement of watching a whale breach the ocean’s surface for the first time…and feeling the rush of bald eagles flying overhead. There are endless things to see and do in Alaska, from the old mining towns to the magnificent wildlife. We have two kosher cruises to Alaska this summer (one in July, one in August) because that’s when the weather is ideal – cool and refreshing but you don’t have to wear an eskimo coat.

3. Baltic’s capitals and beautiful seas – Cruising the Baltic sea is popular for a reason. You get the nippy air of the upper northern hemisphere, plus an entrancing mix of modern and historic sites to visit at its famous ports of call. Our 9-night August cruise to the Baltics covers all the big cities – Copenhagen, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and more. This is where you see some of the world’s best historic beauties up-close, from the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof Palace to the canals of Scandinavia and cobblestone streets of Stockholm. The average temperature on a cruise ship in the Baltic Sea during August is 64°F. It’s cool if you like it, but you can still enjoy an ice cream.

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4. Sumava Mountains – This year we’re taking on a prominent wellness hotel complex and going kosher on the banks of Lake Lipno in the Czech Republic, two and a half thousand feet above sea level. The location itself features plenty of opportunities to cool off with its indoor aquapark, pool and watersports. Offgrounds we’ll be busy exploring castles, abbeys, historic towns and woody peaks underneath the cool shade of the Bohemian Forest. If it gets too chilled? No worries, we’ll just go inside to enjoy a steambath and healing massage.

What are YOU doing to keep cool this summer?