What was once a routine question for holidaymakers when is the best time to travel is no longer easy to answer. From floods in the Himalayas to heatwaves in Europe, climate volatility is steadily dismantling the idea of fixed travel seasons, forcing travellers and tour operators alike to rethink how, when and why they travel.
For Bengaluru-based industrial and product designer Vivek Saurabh, the shift became personal during a trip to Srinagar and Ladakh in September 2014. The month was considered ideal post-monsoon, pleasant weather and open roads. Instead, relentless rain greeted his group of eight, triggering one of the worst floods in Kashmir’s recorded history. Roads shut, networks collapsed and escape routes vanished as the Jhelum river swelled dangerously.
With no advisories or reliable forecasts, the group scrambled for safety, eventually finding refuge in a hotel where they remained stranded for six nights, searching for food, mobile signals and news of family. Vivek’s parents, travelling separately, had to be airlifted from Srinagar. The experience permanently altered his relationship with travel.
From predictable calendars to climate uncertainty
The Srinagar floods were a turning point, not just for those caught in them but for how travellers began viewing once-safe travel windows. Increasingly, similar disruptions are unfolding across the world. Tourists have died during heatwaves in Greece, cherry blossom seasons have shifted in Japan, and hundreds of travellers were stranded in Manali last week due to sudden heavy snowfall. Weather, once a background consideration, has become central to travel planning.
Delhi-based climate change professional Ananya Mukherjee says analysing weather patterns from the past three to five years has become standard practice before finalising any trip. She cancelled a January getaway to Manali after predicting heavy snowfall following a dry December. “The gap between expectation and reality has widened,” she says, making travel decisions far more stressful.
Travel writer Anita Rao-Kashi echoes the sentiment, noting that shrinking glaciers, altered landscapes and stressed local communities are now impossible to ignore. “Weather used to be incidental. Today, it shapes the entire travel experience,” she says.
For travel content creator Lakshmi Sharath, climate unpredictability is no longer seasonal but year-round. She recalls sudden snowstorms in Ladakh, unseasonal rain in Jaisalmer and cyclone-driven delays in the Andamans, even before the pandemic. The biggest lesson, she says, is adaptability. Travellers must now build buffers, avoid packed itineraries and accept that plans may change at short notice.
This shift is being noticed by tour operators as well. While online travel platforms say they do not track the trend formally, companies like Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel report changing traveller behaviour. Rajeev Kale of Thomas Cook says climate volatility does not dampen the desire to travel but encourages more mindful planning. During European heatwaves, Indian travellers increasingly adjust travel windows or opt for cooler alternatives.
According to a 2024 report by the European Travel Commission, climate events have caused reputational damage to several Mediterranean destinations. Travel companies are responding by designing flexible itineraries, monitoring weather conditions closely and offering alternative routes. Insurance uptake, Kale adds, has also risen.
SOTC Travel’s SD Nandakumar notes that destinations affected by extreme weather may see short-term dips in demand, but interest rebounds once safety and infrastructure confidence return. He says travellers are now more conscious of sustainability, environmental impact and destination vulnerability.
Local insight and responsibility gain importance
Many seasoned travellers now rely on local advice to navigate uncertainty. Video producer Kannan Parameswaran cancelled a planned trip to the Northeast after locals warned him of unseasonal rains. Jewellery designer Meghna Vachher lost two days of her Sri Lanka trip to unexpected torrential rain and found herself unprepared for the cold.
Climate adaptation, experts say, is becoming essential. Mukherjee advises travellers to learn basic emergency response, track real-time weather and air quality data, and prepare for disruptions. Platforms like Windy, Surfline and AQI trackers are increasingly part of travel planning. For Bengaluru-based researcher Nirmala Singh, poor air quality readings led her to cancel a family trip to Delhi and Chandigarh last November.
Entrepreneur Rahul Jagtiani nearly missed his Antarctica cruise after weather-related flight diversions, reinforcing the need for flexible bookings. Frequent road-tripper Jasprit from Chandigarh says preparedness knowing alternate routes, understanding terrain and carrying emergency supplies is now non-negotiable.
Rethinking travel in a warming world
Beyond personal safety, the conversation is also shifting toward responsibility. Rao-Kashi advocates slower travel, longer stays and deeper engagement with fewer places. “Responsible travel is no longer optional,” she says.
The urgency is backed by data. Tourism accounts for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, with emissions projected to rise sharply by 2030. As climate risks intensify, travellers and companies alike are being forced to rethink traditional travel models.
Sharath sums it up succinctly: seasons no longer define travel—purpose does. “Sustainability and climate awareness are not buzzwords anymore,” she says. “They are shaping the future of how we move.”