\n 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.\n <\/p>\n
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\n There\u2019s a new specter hovering over European bookings this summer: fuel shortages. In May, 13,000 flights were removed from rosters worldwide according to aviation analytics firm Cirium<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n But don\u2019t panic, says Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at Dow Jones Energy. Although the global oil situation is dicey \u2014 supplies are limited despite the Strait of Hormuz being partially reopened following President Trump\u2019s peace deal with Iran \u2014 he thinks a total supply crunch is unlikely.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI think you had a blend of adjustments made by refiners and suppliers as well as demand mitigation \u2014 airlines reducing capacity or suspending long-haul flights. It seemed like an \u2018it takes a village\u2019 approach to keeping jet fuel well supplied.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n While the future looks promising, we\u2019re not entirely out of the woods, he says. \u201cI 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\u2019m not saying that will happen, but it can.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019ll take four months after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to see supplies back to normal, he adds.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n If you want to have the best possible chance of avoiding disruption, he says it wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019t have. That means that you\u2019re less likely to have a Spain flight canceled due to fuel shortages, reckons Cinquegrana, who tips Iberia as a good airline to connect with.\n <\/p>\n \n 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 \u2014 Rome rather than Palermo; Heathrow over Manchester \u2014 and traveling onward via trains or ferries rather than using connecting flights.\n <\/p>\n \n On the plus side, he doesn\u2019t believe that 2026 has changed aviation forever; instead, he thinks this is the latest in a series of blips. He predicts that airlines will reinvest in \u201chedging\u201d programs which lock in future fuel supplies at a fixed price. Recently, they\u2019d largely abandoned this approach.\n <\/p>\n \n Hantavirus. Norovirus. Even that cold you routinely develop the moment you relax on vacation. Health is at the forefront of many people\u2019s minds this summer \u2014 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe 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,\u201d she says.\n <\/p>\n \n For Hammond, keen to avoid stomach bugs, those extra precautions meant supercharging cleaning rituals. Armed with antibacterial wipes and bottles of hand gel, Hammond\u2019s routine started on the plane, where she wiped down the family\u2019s armrests, screens and tray tables. On arrival at their hotel, she wiped down the bathroom.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIf anyone had stomach bugs, the bathroom is the place they\u2019ll be,\u201d she says. \u201cDefinitely do the seat, flush, door handle and taps.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n She rinsed the in-room glasses with boiled water, too. \u201cIt was probably over the top, but we\u2019ve lasted seven days so far,\u201d she said, speaking to CNN from Cape Verde.\n <\/p>\n \n Outside the hotel room, she carried her antibacterial wipes to clean restaurant tables, avoided fruit and raw vegetables that she hadn\u2019t peeled herself, and said no to cold meats, too. \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s fine, but there\u2019s a small risk of things like listeria,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s the same advice for norovirus \u2014 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.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The family has also avoided tap water, even cleaning their teeth with bottled water.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ve gone overboard but with young kids you can\u2019t take chances, and so far it\u2019s worked for us,\u201d she says. \u201cI took the same steps when I traveled while pregnant.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Those precautions might also help you avoid that vacation cold. Hammond says that it\u2019s an old wives\u2019 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.\n <\/p>\n \n 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\u2019s suitcase. \u201cI feel like I bring the whole pharmacy but it\u2019s good to have things close to hand as you never know what can happen,\u201d she says.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n The past few summers have seen nightmare tales from heatwaves in Europe \u2014 the continent with the fastest-rising temperatures under global warming. Europe\u2019s 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 \u201ctropical\u201d climate<\/a> according to the country\u2019s civil protection minister.\n <\/p>\n \n In 2026, the mercury started rising early. \u201cMay 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<\/a> as London reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit,\u201d 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.\n <\/p>\n \n Ward predicts that more heat waves this summer are \u201calmost undoubtedly\u201d on the way, and says checking the forecast in the run-up to departure Is essential.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIs 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,\u201d he says.\n <\/p>\n \n 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\u2019t have to adjust, and used those extra morning hours to go out early.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe 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,\u201d he says.\n <\/p>\n \n You might want to stay outside town, too. \u201cCities hold onto the heat as buildings and pavement absorb heat,\u201d he says.\n <\/p>\n \n Staying hydrated is key \u2014 don\u2019t wait till you\u2019re 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. \u201cKnow the warning signs of overheating: headaches, dizziness and nausea,\u201d he says.\n <\/p>\n \n The EU\u2019s 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\u2019s 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<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe scenes have been pretty chaotic at some airports,\u201d says Lo Bue-Said, who adds that it\u2019s \u201creally impacting\u201d traveler confidence.\n <\/p>\n \n CNN\u2019s 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019ve 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,\u201d she says. The experience has given her pause for thought about booking a summer family vacation. \u201cAs a mother of three, it makes me sick with anxiety to imagine waiting in a multi-hour line.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Those who get stuck in a line are at the mercy of their airlines when it comes to rebooking, as travel insurance won\u2019t take this into account, says Tim Riley, chairman of the UK Travel Insurance Association and managing director of True Traveller<\/a> insurers.\n <\/p>\n \n The Airports Council International, which represents global airport authorities, has warned the situation could worsen in coming weeks and called on the EU\u2019s European Commission to grant member states the power to suspend the EES <\/a>when required and institute flexibility.\n <\/p>\n \n An EC spokesperson CNN that the EES \u201cworks well at almost all border crossing points.\u201d Implementation rules allow for flexibility, including pausing the system in exceptional circumstances, they said.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n Overall, since October 2025, almost 90 million entries and exits were registered via EES, said the EC spokesperson. Around 40,000 people were refused entry, including 1,000 who were deemed a security threat.\n <\/p>\n \n Because border control bottlenecks can be unpredictable, Lo Bue-Said said it\u2019s best to assume there will be lines. \u201cThere are specific airports and specific bottlenecks at certain times, it\u2019s not everywhere and it\u2019s not consistently chaotic,\u201d she says.\n <\/p>\n \n 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\u2019ve booked through a hub airport with a key airline \u2014 say, Aegean at Athens or KLM at Amsterdam \u2014 there should be check-in desks open all day.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s getting used to a different way of traveling,\u201d she says. \u201cI can understand why people are anxious but it\u2019s not worth missing a vacation for this. Don\u2019t be put off by the photos.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Cruises have hit the headlines for this year, from Hantavirus scares to a norovirus outbreak that authorities in Bordeaux to deny anyone disembarkation<\/a> from an Ambassador Cruise Line ship in May. (Princess Cruises\u2019 Caribbean Princess also suffered an outbreak<\/a> on a Florida-based cruise in April.)\n <\/p>\n![\"Recent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/gettyimages-1087070328.jpg\")
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