Fires! Should we cancel?

Posted by Martha (California) on 07/16/22 09:02 PM

Hi all,

As California natives, my family and I are well acquainted with wildfires, and we are devastated to see what is going on in Portugal and Spain.
Unfortunately, we have a trip booked the first three weeks of August for Lisbon, Valencia, and Malaga (and other places in between).
I am hoping that anyone traveling currently or residing in any of these areas could let me know the conditions. This is a long planned, expensive trip for us, so we are considering cancelling and trying to recoup as much as possible for a future trip. Any boots on the ground info about conditions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Martha

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

07/16/22 09:16 PM

7159 posts

You didn’t say how you were getting around. You should have no trouble in the large cities. It’s where there are forests where those countries are having the problems. If you’re not near forests, then there’s no issue. Being from CA, you are well aware that no fire today doesn’t mean no fire tomorrow. Where the fires are now is no indication of where they will be in August. I wouldn’t cancel the trip, but be aware of the current situation and be prepared with a plan two. The part of the trip I’d consider changing are any hikes you had planned since there are plenty of restrictions or prohibitions is many parts of the country. Google maps does a pretty good job showing where the current fires are, e.g., Monfragüe National Park and near Monsagro.

Posted by Carlos

Barcelona + Sweden

07/16/22 09:29 PM

4180 posts

From now until August anything can happen. It seems like most of the worst fires have been in rural areas of Western Spain and along the border with Portugal. However there are some serious fires in the Costa del Sol now with thousands evacuated from the Mijas area, close to Malaga. I think you will be fine in the big cities like Lisbon, Valencia, and Malaga.

To be honest your main concern should be the deadly record-breaking heat most of Spain/Portugal has been enduring this summer. Just this past week 360+ people tragically died due to the heat wave. That would be more cause for cancelling a trip in my book.

Posted by Carol now retired

Lynnwood, Washington

07/16/22 11:55 PM

8883 posts

Ahh..... but those of us that live in areas with forest fires know that it isn't just the fire itself, it is the smoke! You can be hundreds of miles away from the fire and that smoke can just be choking and irritating.

Martha, I wish you well on making this decision. It is hard to predict what will happen in 2 weeks from now.