Forest fire on your vacation: what you arrange beforehand and what you do on the spot

The chance that your vacation will be affected by a forest fire is small — but if it happens, you don't want to have to improvise. The good news: with a few preparations and the right app, you'll be safe and quick in an emergency. This is the straightforward checklist, without scaremongering.

Before you book

• Choose your location consciously. Accommodation on the coast or in a village or city is safer than a remote house or campsite in the middle of a pine forest or maquis. The latter are evacuated first in a fire.
• Travel outside peak season if you can. In most fire-prone regions, the risk months are July and August; the shoulder seasons are considerably quieter.
• Check your travel insurance. Natural disasters are not standard coverage. The Dutch Calamities Fund only covers package holidays through affiliated organizations; if you book independently, weigh up insurance with natural disaster coverage.

Upon arrival

• Walk the evacuation route. Where is the nearest main road, beach or harbor? How do you get there without a car? This takes five minutes and is the most important action of your entire trip.
• Turn on national emergency alerts on your phone. These send evacuation messages directly to your device:
  • Greece: the official 112 Greece app (messages by region, also in English).
  • France: FR-Alert (automatic, no installation needed).
  • Spain: ES-Alert.
  • Italy: IT-Alert, plus regional allerta meteo.
• Keep an eye on the live fire map during dry periods; the situation can change quickly.

If there's a fire nearby

• Follow the instructions of the authorities and your accommodation. Evacuations are usually carried out preventively and in a coordinated manner, well before there is direct danger.
• In doubt? Leave sooner rather than later. Waiting to 'see how it goes' is the biggest risk. Smoke and closed roads come faster than you think.
• Take only the essentials: phone, passport, medication, water. Belongings are replaceable.
• Head towards the coast or open terrain, away from forested slopes. Fire travels uphill faster than you can walk.

And afterwards

An evacuation is unpleasant and frightening, but rarely life-threatening if you follow the instructions. Keep receipts and take photos for your insurance, and report to your travel operator or local authorities.

In short

Fire on vacation is rare and survivable: choose a safe location beforehand, activate the right emergency app, know your evacuation route and act quickly if in doubt. Check the current fire risk for your destination in the atlas shortly before departure.