Top 5 Vacation Destinations for Asthmatics

No one wants to let their asthma affect their vacation choices. I don’t even like to let it affect my daily choices; never mind what I do on holiday. But, I have no desire to spend my time off in a hospital either so I do need to use some intelligence when making decisions like this.

I’ve been a severe asthmatic most of my life. I have environmental allergies as well. Knowing what my triggers are is important to choosing a holiday destination. The beach is fun but somewhere that is hot and humid will leave me breathless, and not in a good way. Hot and dry is great though. While mountains are enjoyable, too cold is as bad as too hot for my airways. So you see what I mean about my lungs being a bit fussy.

Having said that, I’ve been to various parts of Europe, Morocco, Central America, and all across North America. If you really want to go somewhere you just have to make sure you’re prepared and are not going to do something stupid like suddenly decide to climb a mountain in Greece because you might never get the opportunity again. (Did that – not good, I lost two days of vacation time recovering.)

Mediterranean climates can be very asthma friendly. Their summers tend to be hot and dry, with some precipitation but not the glaring humidity you find in places like Miami. They occur all over the world and on almost every continent. Antarctica is the exception and were you really thinking of it as a vacation destination? Here are some of the best vacation spots, in no particular order, with a Mediterranean climate.

1. San Diego, California – USA

Central and southern California are good examples of a Mediterranean climate. However, Los Angeles is also a good example of smog and other air pollutants that can be hard on an asthmatic. By all means visit for a few days but then venture further south.

San Diego has something for everyone. For those that want to go to the beach, Mission Beach beckons. It has everything you expect in a California beach including white sand, surfers and lots of fun. There is a boardwalk for romantic strolls with your boyfriend or some inline skating if you are the athletic type. Balboa Park offers a great area for walking as well as museums and theatres.

My favourite spot in San Diego has always been the zoo and safari park. It is a world class zoo with lots of unusual animals that you won’t see in most zoos. The safari park is a place to see wild African animals like cheetahs, elephants and lions outside of a traditional zoo environment. There are bus tours and trams for when your legs get tired. I’ve been several times now and there is always something new to see.

If you want to explore the city’s nightlife, try hitting the Gaslamp District after dark. Home to several nightclubs, it also has many fun shops, great restaurants, and fun places to explore.

2. The Chilean Coast

I have never been to Chile although I have always wanted to go and researching this article has only increased my desire to explore it. Chile is a long, skinny country that extends over an area that is as far apart as Edinburgh and Baghdad (over 4,300 km). It is eighteen times longer than it is wide. On one edge you have the Pacific Ocean and on the other side the Andes.

Santiago is the capital city. As with most capitals, it has many historical and cultural options for travellers. You are also within easy access of tours of wineries, horseback riding, skiing, beaches, and many other outdoor activities.

That’s nice but the really exciting part of Chile has to be the many nature preserves and unique areas such as Easter Island. You will need to take a flight if you wish to visit Easter Island. It has a unique history and, of course, the moai statues that remain a mystery even now.

There is also a huge nature preserve known as Torres de Paine, in the Patagonia region of Chile. The park covers over 181,000 hectares of land. There are hotels within the park and regular tours from them by vehicle, foot or horseback.

Patagonia is at the southern tip of Chile and the temperatures in summer can still be quite cool so you will need to dress appropriately if you plan on visiting it. It is home to a wide variety of species including mammals such as puma, guanaco, and Patagonian grey fox. For birdwatchers, there are a number of rare species including the crested cara cara and black vulture. There are also many groups of rhea, a large, flightless bird.

3. The Mediterranean Sea Coast

This area includes coastal parts of Spain, France, Monaco, much of Italy and Greece, Turkey, and Croatia. If Europe is what you crave, this is the place to go. It doesn’t matter what you like – history, beaches, coastal towns, art, ruins – it’s all here. If you have never been to this part of the world, it should definitely be on your bucket list. The history can be overwhelming in its scope, particularly in Greece because you’ve spent so much time studying it in school. Although I have not been to Turkey or Croatia, I have heard great things about them, especially Turkey, another area of tremendous history.

If you have the time, I would start at the Spanish end of the Mediterranean and just keep following the coast from country to country until you reach Turkey. There are some wonderful, reasonably priced cruises that cover the area as well.

4. The Southwestern Coast of Australia

The expense of getting to Australia can be a real deterrent unless you happen to live a lot closer than I do. I’m in Canada and it’s a 24 hour flight and the flight is seriously expensive. That being said, I still intend to go one day. It is such a large country though, you are best to focus on a few areas you want to see as you will not be able to see it all. On the plus side they do have many internal flights and a good train system for those who want to see a variety of areas.

The southwestern coast includes Perth and Margaret’s River, a winery area that produces some fantastic wines. Although they have some great forests, water sports and activities are one of its best attractions. Think incredible surfing, whale watching and marine life. The HMAS Swan Dive Wreck is near Dunsborough and is open to scuba divers. It’s a naval destroyed that was decommissioned in 1997 and the marine life has taken it over completely making it a popular scuba diving site.

If you don’t want to don scuba gear, you could always head to Busselton. There you can walk the jetty or take a train for the 1.8 km distance. At its end, you are able to descend to the ocean floor and view the artificial reef from an underwater observatory, 8 m below the surface.

5. Cape Town, South Africa

While Cape Town in certainly rich in history and has many museums, wineries and cultural exhibits as well as a number of sports including polo and golfing, to me going to Africa without going to see the wildlife is a bit of a waste. Although Cape Town is not the ideal place for a safari, for that you are better to venture further inland, there are a number of game parks and preserves to visit.

Table Mountain Park is a national park open to visitors and home to a number of unique land and marine species including eland, baboons, grysbok, zebra, striped polecat, and cape clawless otter.

Drakenstein Lion Park is a sanctuary for captive born lions, including a few rare white lions that cannot be returned to the wild. There are also a few tigers that came from a zoo that closed. They now also have a chimp sanctuary. You can even stay in the park overnight.

If I could afford it, I would probably spend half my time on the road travelling around the world. I am always interested in exploring new places.

I can recommend San Diego and the Mediterranean coast from personal experience. As for Australia, Africa, and Chile, what is there that you wouldn’t want to see? They even have the advantage of being asthma friendly places for a vacation.

Cover photo: www.playersclubtours.com