4 Things You’ll Need to Survive the Summer in Israel

April 13, 2016

Israeli summers are extremely hot! Being nestled between the desert and the sea creates the humid climate that is this beautiful, coastal country. Where I’m from in Kansas, summer begins in June and ends in early-September. But that’s not the case in Israel. Here, summer begins in late-March and ends in November, giving citizens and tourists almost year-round beach days with hot sand, a bright sun, and a warm sea.

Because I have pale skin, I have had to adapt to my new climate and take protective measures against the Middle Eastern sun. Ready to experience summer in Israel? Here are a few essential items:

4 Things You’ll Need to Survive the Summer in Israel

1. Supportive sandals

While living in Hong Kong, I developed plantar fasciitis, which is a tightening of the muscles in the balls of the feet. It is very painful to walk with this condition, and especially bothersome in a city where I relied on walking and mass transit to get around. To resolve this disorder, I started wearing more supportive, orthopedic shoes. No, these are not those funny shoes with springs in the heels or the Velcro tennis shoes my grandfather used to wear.

Today, there are cute, trendy options, and even strappy sandals and flip flops to choose from. I highly recommend getting a few pairs because walking is a popular mode of transport around these parts.

2. Sunscreen

Sunscreen is an absolute must in the Middle East–every day, all day, and for any skin color. Please wear sunscreen with at least SPF 30 on a daily basis. Wrinkly skin, age spots and worst of all, skin cancer, are not sexy. The sun in Israel is especially strong.

3. Light-weight scarf

I always keep a lightweight scarf in my bag for the days when I do not have time to reapply my sunscreen in the afternoon. The scarf makes for a nice barrier between my skin and the sun, while not being too bulky and hot. I have purchased a couple of infinity scarfs that use UPF material, which is like sunscreen for fabric. Either a protective coating is added to the fabric or the fabric is woven extremely tight to block UV rays from entering the material.

4. Sunglasses with UV protection

While protecting our bodies from the sun, we also need to guard our eyes! Before I came to Israel, I purchased some really cute shades from a designer outlet in the US. When I got here, I did some research online and discovered that my new sunglasses did not have UV protection!

I was astonished that a prestigious brand would sell sunglasses that did not really protect from the sun. So, I scouted out some proper shades that have 100% UV protection lenses. Before making the same mistake that I did, do your research in advance!

My go-to items for surviving the summer in Israel may not be the most fun or sexiest, but they have helped keep me healthy while living here! Which items do you recommend packing?