Heatwave in Portugal. Devastating fires on the Costa del Sol and on the French Atlantic coast and in Morocco. Hundreds of heat deaths. Drought in the Po Valley, glacial collapse in the Dolomites. Looking at the weather map is scary. Well, then the trip goes to Croatia, which is trendy anyway. But the flames are also raging on the Adriatic Sea, holiday resorts are being cleared. The sea temperature on the Montenegrin coast is 27 degrees, like in a bath.
How about a vacation overseas? Two tourists died in shark attacks in Egypt. Sri Lanka, beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, is in chaos. Anyone who has always wanted to go to the USA and is not deterred by the loose gun laws has unfortunately noticed how the euro is losing against the dollar.
But it doesn’t matter what’s on the ticket: the plane has to take off first. Madness reigns at many large airports, and BER flies out of the headlines with it. Baggage is piling up at Heathrow, and the number of passengers is limited to 100,000 per day. Not only is there a lack of staff there, but also in the holiday area once you have finally arrived in your holiday area. Unfortunately limited service. It’s getting more expensive everywhere. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is driving energy and food prices. And finally there was Corona. The virus did not disappear into thin air just because there are no longer any controls in the airports.
Corona and its variants represent an increasing threat again. A souvenir from the long vacation? The next wave of infections. What people ready for vacation are experiencing this summer resembles a perfect storm. This describes an extremely rare situation in which the greatest possible catastrophe is brewing, meteorologically, politically, on the stock exchange. This is where the human factor comes in: a brutal attack on a peaceful neighboring country and climate change, in which global flight operations also play their part.
So rather cancel yourself before the flight is canceled and stay at home? The images of overcrowded local trains and bathing lakes immediately come to mind. Bullying in the parking lot, beatings in the outdoor pool – not pure relaxation either. In Brandenburg’s forests there is the highest level of forest fires. Holidays were considered the best time of the year. Many people cling to this ideal and set off, especially after lockdown and all the travel restrictions. You deserve beaches and mountains. The frustration grows. And maybe also the insight that there is no such thing as a clean, shielded zone.
All inclusive, and reality remains outside: In the long run, that no longer works in many areas. Or just like that, with walls and blinkers. A dictator rules in Ankara, the prisons in Turkey are full of innocent people. Who likes to have fun in Antalya?
Just a hundred years ago, travel was a privileged affair, something special like beef fillet or shrimp. Only a few were able to enjoy it. Development will not go back there. But climate change is shifting the coordinates when it is already hotter in Berlin than in Greece. Peace, prosperity, social security: what was taken for granted yesterday, at least in our part of the world, is now seriously threatened.
It’s bitter: The symptoms of the crisis accumulate during the holiday season. Finally out of everyday life – and right into the unknown.
