Beat the Heat: Cassidy Travel Reports Irish Holidaymakers Embracing Cooler Summer Escapes

With 2025 ranked as the fourth warmest European summer on record*, cooler climates are becoming one of travel’s hottest trends FOR 2026 as Irish holidaymakers increasingly seek milder alternatives to the extreme heat in more traditional sun destinations.

“Over the last two years we’ve seen a noticeable shift in the types of summer holidays our customers are looking for.” says Sharon Harney, General Manager of Cassidy Travel “With hotter temperatures across traditional beach destinations and our typically fair Irish skin, we are seeing growing demand from them for cooler climates and activity-based holidays, where they can enjoy their time away without the worry of overheating.”

Responding to this growing trend, Cassidy Travel has launched two brand new brochures dedicated to ‘Coolcations’ and Iceland, both hitting stores this week.

The Coolcations brochure showcases a range of refreshing destinations where visitors can enjoy scenic landscapes, vibrant cities and outdoor experiences without the intensity of soaring summer heat. Destinations include Bergen, Tromso, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Reykjavik, Helsinki, Tallinn, St Johann, Nantes, Santander and San Sebastian. These cooler climates bring with them lush landscapes, rich biodiversity and cleaner air. Additionally, they are often in less crowded destinations and offer a more sustainable and eco-friendly way for tourists to explore during the summer months.

Alongside ‘Coolcations’, Cassidy Travel has also launched a dedicated Iceland brochure, building on this trend and highlighting one of the world’s most popular adventure destinations. The brochure features accommodation options, guided experiences, fly-drive itineraries and “Twin Treat” packages pairing Iceland with another dream destination for two trips in one.

“Interest in Iceland has continued to grow among our customers looking for something different.” Says Sharon “This extraordinary country offers vast open spaces, natural wonders and untouched beauty that few places on earth can match. There is so much to explore and experience such as geothermal lagoons, volcanic landscapes and, of course, the Northern Lights. Once-in-a-life time activities like glacier snowmobiling, tectonic plates snorkelling and whale watching are a real draw for our more adventurous customers. Iceland continues to be a bucket-list trip for many people so we’re here to make it a reality.”

The new brochures are available now throughout Cassidy Travel stores and online.

*Source

ICELAND:

Packages include flights, luggage and hotel for 2 sharing:

11^th Dec 2025 3 nights stay in 3* Fosshotel Lind from €425pp

10^th Jan 2026 4 nights stay in 4* Center Plaza Hotel from €479pp

Tours:

Northern Lights: from €62pp

Golden Circle: from €74pp

Sky Lagoon: from €141pp

Dive between Tectonic Plates: €135pp

COOLCATIONS: