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I'm From the Philippines—Here Are 12 Items I Swear By to Stay Cool in Hot, Humid Destinations

I'm From the Philippines—Here Are 12 Items I Swear By to Stay Cool in Hot, Humid Destinations

I've lived most of my life in the Philippines, where average temperatures rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the rainy season, and keeping cool is paramount for surviving the hottest dog days of summer. Having grown up in a tropical climate has allowed me to navigate the summer heat with more ease, no matter the destination. Whether I'm back home visiting family in Asia or commuting in the subtropical climate of New York City, I've learned a thing or two about how to stay cool during the season—and many of my everyday warm-weather essentials can also serve summer travelers.
Along with a sun-shielding hat and a pair of sunglasses, travelers may want to pack loose-fitting, lightweight clothing to allow for plenty of airflow. Alternatively, clothes made from moisture-wicking materials are great when you inevitably work up a sweat. Plus, they're less likely to wrinkle when you're in transit. In addition to your summer travel outfits, it's also worth leaving room in your checked or carry-on luggage for accessories that keep you cool and comfortable when you're on the move, like a portable mini fan.
Keep reading below for more of my travel must-haves for keeping cool, whether you're summering in your own country or abroad—and with all of them on sale up to 54 percent off, now's the time to stock up.
Summer calls for loose and breathable clothing that keeps you comfortable in the heat. This tiered maxi is perfect for blistering hot days—and is stylish enough to easily transition into the evenings. It's made from a tropical-weight Tencel Lyocell fabric, and its roomy silhouette allows for optimal air circulation. Shop the dress in 20 colors, including summer-ready prints, for nearly 50 percent off.
If I'm spending time outdoors on a hike, at the beach, or just around town, I typically gravitate toward clothes with more coverage, in order to leave less of my skin exposed to the sun's harmful rays. A breezy button-down—like this one from Columbia—offers just that without trapping in unwanted heat. This loose-fitting garment, made from 100 percent cotton, not only allows air to pass through the material, but also in and out of the relaxed neck, armholes, and hem. It comes in 7 color options to add a little variety to your travel wardrobe, but I'm partial to the beautiful sage shade pictured above, which is currently on sale for 20 percent off.
Linen clothes are undoubtedly a reliable choice for hot and humid weather—and these highly-rated linen Roxy pants are no exception. They're made from a combination of linen and viscose to minimize wrinkling and come with a trendy low-rise waist and drawstring tie to offer you an ideal fit. The off-white color looks especially light and airy, but you also have the choice of 11 other options.
If you want more wiggle room, consider the Faleave Linen Palazzo Pants, now 21 percent off. They have a drawstring waistband that cinches the waist and wide pant legs that sway like bellows to keep things breezy.
For casual wear, this mini dress is an all-in-one outfit that would transition easily from urban sidewalks to beach towns. It's made from polyester, rayon, and spandex to wick away moisture and maximize comfort—all essential qualities in tropical weather. Its billowy fit and adjustable straps lend to its overall ease while the built-in shorts provide coverage, and two deep pockets offer enough room for your phone or wallet. Choose from more than a dozen colors, ranging from classic neutrals to cheery pops of color.
If I'm visiting any one of the Philippines' beaches (or any beach, for that matter), I dress in pieces that feel easy. This terrycloth romper fits the bill: It's essentially a wearable beach towel, crafted from viscose and cotton to sop up excess water and has added elastane for stretch. Whether you wear it as a swimsuit cover-up or as casual everyday wear, it's made with comfort in mind. It's available in 9 colors—including this gorgeous teal option pictured above—for 16 percent off.
When the sun is strong, it's best to play it safe rather than risk a bad sunburn. Along with sunscreen, consider sun-protective clothing like this UPF-rated tee that has earned high marks among Travel + Leisure editors. It has a UPF rating of 50 to block out skin-scorching UV rays and is made from a moisture-wicking combination of polyester, cotton, and elastane. Neither too loose nor too tight, it's cut just right to keep you cool and comfortable in the heat. Right now, it's available in this pretty lilac color for 49 percent off, but also comes in 21 other shades.
Summer and shorts go together like burgers and buns—and this flowy, under-$20 drawstring pair is an obvious choice. It's constructed from breathable cotton, and it has room through the legs to allow for movement, while the drawstring closure can be tightened or loosened to your ideal fit. Plus, you can select from over 25 options, including solid colors and fun prints. At 24 percent off, you may want to purchase multiple pairs.
This matching set is the definition of effortless summer dressing, in more ways than one. The shorts have an elastic waistband that ties at the waist with a drawstring, and the button-down top offers breathable coverage. Both are made from cotton and have a roomy silhouette to let in the breeze. Plus, you can mix and match each piece to create multiple outfits, saving you the stress of getting dressed while leaving more room in your suitcase. It's available in 15 colors, including this one-trend butter yellow, which, as a bonus, is over 50 percent off.
Come summer, I love letting my toes see the sunshine. When it's hot outside, I'm usually wearing these Teva sandals, which are currently 35 percent off. This strappy sandal operates as a water shoe, but it works just as well for jaunts outdoors and in the city. The pair has wide (and adjustable) straps, with an EVA cushioning and a grippy sole that keeps me upright even in the event of a summer shower or thunderstorm.
This packable sun hat will shield your face from the sun while making you look good in the process. Now 23 percent off, this sun visor has an ample brim that cuts glare and keeps out UV rays, plus a Velcro closure to help you customize the fit. A hidden sweatband along the inner brow also helps to keep sweat out of your eyes. It's lightweight, breathable, and the open-top design allows for airflow so your head can catch some wind—just be sure to use scalp sunscreen.
An insulated water bottle is ideal for those long days spent out in the sun. This highly-rated option, currently 37 percent off, keeps water cool for hours, even in hot weather—but don't just take my word for it. It has a 4.7-star overall rating with more than 7,800 individual ratings to back it up. If your summer plans involve travel, it can also make a great on-the-go companion for flights, walking tours, and excursions. A leakproof cap helps to prevent accidental spills while the carry handle allows for easy transportation.
Summer just started a few weeks ago, and it's already blazing hot outside. To avoid overheating on those days you're brave enough to leave the house, a portable fan can provide some breeze. This handheld fan, currently 24 percent off, has six speed settings ranging from a light gust to a powerful wind, and, according to many reviews, it has an impressive runtime to carry you through the hottest summer days. It can run continuously for up to 18 hours on the lowest setting and four hours on the highest setting before having to be recharged. It recharges via a USB cable, and you can also use the device to charge your phone. The fan comes complete with a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck—or you can prop it up on a table when you want to use it hands-free.
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The 20-minute flight that became the world's first airplane hijacking
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These days, travel between the harbor cities of Hong Kong and Macao takes an hour by high-speed ferry. But from 1948 to 1961, when the two were still colonies of European powers, wealthy tourists could opt for a brief trip by air. Miss Macao was not a beauty queen. She was a Consolidated Model 28 Catalina seaplane that whisked travelers from Portuguese-controlled Macao to British-controlled Hong Kong, a 20-minute trip. These jaunts were called 'cigarette flights,' since the duration was about the length of time needed to smoke one — and you could, since there were no rules against smoking on planes. Back then, getting on a plane 'was like taking a bus,' says Dan Porat, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. If they could afford it, passengers could buy their tickets as they boarded the plane, with no need to book in advance. 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Although Wong claimed to be an ordinary passenger and explained that the plane had exploded in midair, inconsistencies in his story and his questionable behavior — including trying to escape from the hospital — led authorities and the press to a different explanation: The Miss Macao crashed into the sea while being taken over by 'air pirates,' an incident that the China Mail, a Hong Kong English-language newspaper, called 'unparalleled in the history of aviation.' On the day it last took off, Miss Macao had two pilots in the cockpit: American captain Dale Cramer and Australian first officer Ken McDuff, both former military airmen. In total, there were 27 people on board: along with 24 passengers, there was a single flight attendant, Delca da Costa, a Portuguese national from Macao who was also McDuff's girlfriend. Four of the passengers, though, had no intention of going to Hong Kong. In a confession, Wong said that he and three fellow would-be thieves had sold everything they owned to buy the tickets, figuring that the proceeds from the crime would be worth it. As historian Luis Andrade de Sa explains in his book 'Aviation in Macau: One Hundred Years of Adventure,' shortly after the plane took off from Macao, the four hijackers quickly sprang into action, with one storming into the cockpit and demanding that the pilots surrender control of the aircraft. According to multiple historical accounts, the lead hijacker, Chiu Tok, had taken flying lessons in Manila and planned to take over captaining the plane once the pilots were subdued. However, he hadn't anticipated that Cramer would refuse to let go of the controls, nor that there would be resistance in the main cabin. As one passenger tussled with a hijacker, a gun went off. McDuff swung at Chiu Tok with an iron bar. The hijackers shot both pilots, and Cramer's body landed on the plane's joystick control, sending the aircraft plummeting into the South China Sea. An August 1948 article in Time magazine described the scene in colorful language, writing that the four hijackers 'looked hungrily' at the rich passengers they were targeting. Wong was picked up by a local boat and treated for his injuries. His story about surviving a midair explosion was quickly disproven when pieces of Miss Macao's wreckage were recovered, punctured by bullet holes. Getting the true account of events out of Wong wouldn't be easy. He was in poor physical and mental health, so police were reluctant to use harsh interrogation. Instead, they came up with an unorthodox plan: they filled the hospital with sleeper agents. Dozens of Chinese-speaking undercover police officers posing as patients were tasked with befriending Wong, and they eventually got him to admit what really happened on board Miss Macao. He confessed that the plan had been for the hijackers to seize control of the plane and redirect it to a town in Guangdong province in southern China, where the passengers and crew would be robbed of their valuables and then held for ransom. No one was supposed to die. The hijacking of the Miss Macao was so novel that no one had ever applied the word 'hijacking' to such a situation — press at the time called it 'air piracy.' The concept of scanning passengers with a metal detector before they boarded a plane was still decades away. Only the most cursory of security checks were carried out, with some items of luggage opened and searched. The hijackers had prepared for that — they'd tied their guns to their legs with black string, and the China Mail newspaper reported at the time that one had hidden bullets in the hollowed-out sole of his shoe. Although Wong eventually told the full story of what happened on board Miss Macao, there was confusion over how to prosecute him — and who would do it. Portuguese authorities in Macao said that because the plane was owned by a British company, Wong's trial would need to take place in Hong Kong. But because the hijackers were all Chinese, British officials in Hong Kong said the case was not in their jurisdiction either. Finally, in 1951, Wong was deported from Macao to mainland China, where he died not long after, at the age of 27. He never stood trial for robbery, murder or piracy. As for the two former colonial cities, their own air travel industries blossomed in the decades to come. Hong Kong became one of the world's biggest air hubs as its economy grew in the late 20th century. The city became a financial capital and the gateway to mainland China. It outgrew Kai Tak Airport, which closed in 1998 and was replaced with the larger Hong Kong International, which is consistently ranked among the best airports in the world. Meanwhile, Macao International Airport opened in 1995. These days, the airport has a small exhibit about important aviation stories that happened there — including the hijacking of the Miss Macao. The story of the Hong Kong-Macao hijacking quickly fell out of newspapers. Many people in the nascent commercial aviation industry saw it as a terrible one-off and didn't believe that plane hijacking — or skyjacking as it was called at the peak of its popularity — would become commonplace. There was also a fear that too much coverage of the story would scare off would-be flyers. When the United States established the Federal Aviation Administration in 1958 to regulate air travel, the legislation made no mention of preventing skyjacking, a sign that it was still not seen as a significant issue. But the social unrest of the years that followed, and the growth and increasing affordability of air travel, changed all that, historians say. From 1968 to 1972, the airlines went through what became known as the 'golden age of hijacking,' a phrase popularized by Brendan I. Koerner in his book 'The Skies Belong to Us.' 'Every five and a half days, there was a hijacking,' says Porat, the history professor. 'This is the time where the industry is trying to develop. And basically, (hijacking) becomes a threat.' Some of the incidents followed the same plan as the Miss Macao incident — a group of hijackers would take over the plane, land it in a third location, rob the prisoners, and hold the passengers and/or the plane for ransom. Other hijackers claimed political reasons for taking over airplanes, demanding passage to North Vietnam, Algeria or Cuba, all of which were at odds with the United States. It happened the other way in a few cases, too. Individuals from countries behind the Iron Curtain — often members of the flight crew — would demand to be flown to a non-communist nation where they could claim political asylum. Hijacking became so common that airline head offices kept large amounts of cash on hand in case they needed to fork it over to a would-be hijacker, Koerner explains in his book. William Landes, a US economist and emeritus professor at the University of Chicago Law School, estimates that during this so-called 'golden age,' hijackings cost the aviation industry $219,221 per passenger. According to Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Porat, the hijacking of a 1968 plane by Palestinian militants was 'largely agreed upon in scholarly circles to be the first international act of international terrorism (via) the hijacking of a plane.' Three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine took over El Al Flight 426, which was traveling from Rome to Israel, and diverted the plane to Algeria. The non-Israeli passengers and crew were allowed to leave and board a plane to France, while 40 male Israelis were held for 40 days before being released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Although everyone on board El Al 426 survived, skyjackings had become too big to ignore. The cost to airlines was astronomical, and industry executives were fed up. As Koerner puts it, 'By the end of 1972, the skyjackers had become so reckless, so dismissive of human life, that the airlines and the federal government had no choice but to turn every airport into a miniature police state.' Porat agrees. Although there was initially pushback from travelers, there had been enough high-profile hijackings that safety had become a significant concern. And they acquiesced, agreeing to walk through metal detectors, have their luggage X-rayed, and more. 'We're so used to this being searched thing that it's quite incredible,' Porat says. In 1970, the UN Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, a multilateral agreement to proscribe and punish the hijacking of planes, was approved at The Hague. It called hijackings 'a matter of grave concern,' adding that 'unlawful acts of seizure or exercise of control of aircraft in flight jeopardize the safety of persons and property, seriously affect the operation of air services, and undermine the confidence of the peoples of the world in the safety of civil aviation.' In 1971, US President Richard Nixon appointed Lt. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. the country's first — and so far only — 'hijacking czar.' Davis wanted to impose strict screening procedures at airports but was met with pushback from the aviation industry, which believed that passengers would balk at the rules and give up on air travel. Still, in 1973, Nixon introduced mandatory metal detector screenings for all passengers in the United States and X-rays for all bags. And the 9/11 attacks, closely followed by the attempted bombing of a Paris-to-Miami flight with explosives hidden in a shoe, brought on the familiar grueling security checks of today — none of which, for all the industry's fears in the Nixon era, discouraged the public from flying. What happened on the Miss Macao was not a singular story. It was the first of many aviation incidents that would transform the way humans travel by air. Before 'the golden age of hijacking' or the September 11, 2001 attacks, one nearly forgotten seaplane set a new age of aviation into motion.

Kareema Bee
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Kareema Bee

Kareema B. Partin (Kareema Bee) is a senior video producer and writer at Travel + Leisure and has been with DDM since 2021. In her current role, she creates and develops long and short-form content for the brand, one of which earned her a second consecutive Emmy nomination. As a creative, she has also lent her writing, directing, and performing talents to various aspects of the Entertainment industry for over a decade. Kareema received her master's degree in TV, Radio, & Film from Syracuse University's Newhouse School and has a bachelor's degree in English from SUNY Albany, Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a graduate of the AIP Language Institute in Spain, where she studied Spanish and cinema. Whether it's chasing sunshine, discovering hidden gems, or taste-testing her way through a new city, Kareema considers every trip an opportunity to turn curiosity into a story worth telling.

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