Extreme temperatures are causing travelers to hunt cooler destinations. And there’s a term for the trend: “coolcations.”

Heat waves — whose frequency, duration and intensity are increasing, in line with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — are disrupting people's vacation goals, especially through the hot summer months.

“When we think of vacations, beaches and tropical getaways often come to mind,” an Expedia spokesperson told CNBC Travel. “But coolcations are all about choosing destinations where temperatures are more moderate and where you pack a light sweater instead of a sun hat.”

According to Expedia, flight searches to Lapland, Finland increased 705% from January to June 2024. The online travel agency said flight searches also come to Canada, particularly to Banff (65%) and Lake Louise (55%), its data showed.

Home rental website Vrbo reported that cooler places were among the many 40 most booked destinations this summer, including Breckenridge, Colorado; White Mountains, New Hampshire; and Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania.

California resident Stephanie Greitzer said she planned a family trip to Whistler this summer.

“We live in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, where we experience extreme heat for most of the summer, reaching highs well over 100 degrees,” she said. “We want to be comfortable when we travel, to experience everything a city has to offer and to take a break from the extreme heat at home.”

European cities like Rome and Madrid top the list of hottest summer destinations. But the rising temperatures in southern Europe are hitting the summer travel season hard.

This summer, Italian authorities issued heat warnings for 12 cities as temperatures reached triple digits in some areas.

“Throughout the summer, from June to August, temperatures in southern Italy averaged 3 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit above historical averages,” Jason Nicholls, senior international forecaster for weather website AccuWeather, wrote in an email to CNBC. “From July to August there were several heat waves across Italy and the Balkans.”

As a result, Northern Europe is experiencing a boom in tourism.

“Northern Europe as a whole has really experienced a resurgence in the last two years,” says Delphine Combes, product manager at travel agency Scott Dunn. “Norway has become one of the five most popular travel destinations in Europe for us, rising eight places compared to 2022.”

She said Scott Dunn is adding more summer travel options to Finland, Sweden and Switzerland to satisfy increased demand.

“These are destinations where, until recently, we only offered winter and holiday products,” Combes said.

According to Visit Finland, foreign visitors made greater than 4.8 million trips to the Nordic country within the last 12 months. The variety of registered overnight stays abroad increased by 9% from January to June 2024 in comparison with the previous 12 months, with most visitors coming from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States and the Netherlands, it said.

Combes had a suggestion for American travelers on the lookout for a cooler vacation.

“Be open to traveling to places where Americans are not the main tourists,” she said. “Unlike the Mediterranean, many coolcation spots are not crowded with Americans. This creates an interesting atmosphere that perhaps allows for a more cultural experience.”

Combes also recommends booking early. “Many cooler, less visited destinations have fewer quality hotels. Growing demand is beginning to outstrip hotel inventory, so prices will either be exorbitantly high or there will be no availability if you wait until the last minute.”

Sara Steele-Rogers and her husband, who currently live to tell the tale the Caribbean island of Anguilla, booked a visit to Estonia in September to beat the warmth.

“It's always hot in the Caribbean, so cooler weather destinations are more attractive than ever to experience fall,” says Steele-Rogers. “Little things like being able to walk distances without sweating through my clothes are things you don’t miss until they’re gone.”

A Parkinson's expert visited the White House several times last 12 months, including meeting with President Joe Biden's personal physician in January, NBC News confirmed Monday.

Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease, visited the White House a minimum of eight times in eight months, in response to public visitor logs through March. Several news outlets had previously reported on the doctor's visits.

The transcripts didn’t indicate why Cannard was on the White House, who he planned to satisfy there, or whether Biden was present during his visits.

Biden’s physical fitness has been a persistent public concern throughout his term in office. But those worries changed into full-blown panic when 51 million Viewers watched him stammer his way through the controversy against former President Donald Trump in June.

Responding to reports of Cannard's visits, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden's medical exams “have shown no evidence of Parkinson's disease and he is not being treated for it.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t provide any further information in regards to the Parkinson's patients' doctor visits during Monday's press conference.

“For security reasons, we cannot share names,” Jean-Pierre said, although Cannard’s name was included in the general public records.

“It doesn't matter how much pressure you put on me. It doesn't matter how angry you get at me. I'm not going to confirm a name. It doesn't matter if it's even on the record. I'm not going to do that from here. That's not something I'm going to do,” she said.

On Monday morning, Biden defended his place at the highest of the Democratic list in a surprise television broadcast interview on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” and on a conference call with Democratic donors.

“I'm not going anywhere,” Biden said within the televised phone interview. “I am absolutely convinced that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”

Since Biden's disastrous performance on the June 27 debate, several Democratic donors have been raising alarms about whether he can beat Trump in November.

“I'm so frustrated with the elites in the party who are calling for his resignation,” the president ranted on MSNBC. “I don't care what the millionaires think.”

Biden stressed to moderators Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that the concerns of his wealthy supporters wouldn’t determine his political future.

“I want their support, but that's not why I'm running,” Biden said. “I'm not running because they care about what they think and what they care about. And by the way, you don't see many of them turning their backs on Trump. You don't see many CEOs turning their backs on Trump.”

“I'm not going to explain any further what I should or shouldn't do,” the president added defiantly. “I'm running. I'm running.”

Biden's surprise appearance on MSNBC got here after a weekend during which his political wounds looked as if it would hurt even deeper. Despite his campaign's efforts to stop the injuries from spreading, a growing variety of politicians, donors and strategists have voiced their doubts publicly.

On Monday, several Democratic senators issued an ultimatum to the president to prove to the general public that he has what it takes to defeat Trump and secure a second term.

“President Biden must prove to the American people – including me – that he is fit for another four years in office. In the meantime, I will continue to do what I have always done: stand up to President Biden when he is wrong and protect our Montana way of life,” Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) said in a press release to NBC News.

Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., echoed that warning in his own statement: “President Biden must continue to demonstrate that his debate performance was simply a bad night and that he has a clear path to defeat Donald Trump.”

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Monday in Youngstown that his constituents have “legitimate questions about whether the president should continue his campaign, and I will continue to listen to people.”

The flood of comments got here after the cancellation a gathering of Democratic senators on Monday, reportedly organized by Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), to debate Biden's concerns about his re-election.

Warner echoed his colleagues on Monday: “It is the president's duty to make his case more aggressively to the American people.”

On the opposite side of Capitol Hill, the pressure to quit Congress has grown even greater.

During a gathering of senior Democrats within the House of Representatives on Sunday, 4 other top Democrats told party chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York that Biden should drop out of the 2024 presidential race, in response to NBC News: Representatives Adam Smith (Washington), Jerry Nadler (New York), Mark Takano (California) and Joe Morelle (New York).

They joined five other Democrats within the House who publicly called on Biden to resign last week, including Democrat Angie Craig of Minnesota, who announced her position on Saturday.

On Monday, as all of them returned to Washington after the Christmas break, Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats reiterating his commitment to remain within the race for the 2024 presidential election.

“The question of how to proceed has been debated at length for over a week. And it is time to stop,” Biden wrote within the letter. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”

Last week, Biden held several meetings and phone calls with Democratic lawmakers and allies, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., House Minority Leader Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Last Friday, Biden also gave a 22-minute interview to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, which apparently didn’t allay Democrats' fears.

Next week, Biden shall be busy with meetings for the NATO summit in Washington, where he has a dual mandate: to unite foreign allies within the fight for support for Ukraine and to allay Democratic Party concerns about his re-election.

Biden is scheduled to carry a press conference on Thursday, where all eyes shall be on whether the president can redeem himself in a relaxed atmosphere and with difficult questions. Biden can also be expected to make more phone calls to lawmakers in the approaching days to reassure them.

Some politicians see the approaching week as a vital moment for the fate of Biden's campaign.

“The clock is ticking,” Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), a detailed ally of the president, said Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union.” “This is going to be a really important and decisive week for the country and the president.”

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