So you didn’t make it to Lebanon this summer… It’s not the end of the world.

Unpopular opinion: skip summer in Lebanon. Come in the autumn, habibi, when the swell of expats has departed, when airfare is reasonable, and when the weather is mild.


Nobody has vouched for the beauty and splendor of Lebanon as determinedly as I have. Let’s be honest here: how many born-and-bred-abroad Lebanese diaspora do you know who ditched their first-world livelihoods to carve out an existence in our precarious motherland? I’m guessing a very few. In fact, for those of you new here, the entire premise of my blog Beirutista, established in 2012, is to project the unique and enticing nuances of Lebanon to the world.

So while I’m proud to be one of Lebanon’s most genuine and heartfelt proponents, I can’t say I’m not weary with the Ministry of Tourism’s ubiquitous campaign to lure expats back to the homeland this summer. We’ve seen it on every major Instagram page mildly affiliated with Lebanon, haven’t we? “No matter what happens, see you in Lebanon.” Or how about the sponsored carousels tugging at your nostalgia for manakish zaatar, Bonjus pyramids, and the pebbly Mediterranean coastline? If you’re an expat living abroad, I’m sure the Instagram accounts you follow are succeeding to stir your emotions and potentially persuading you to book that exorbitant ticket to Beirut. (Admittedly though, isn’t a fare of 1,000 euros from Paris to Beirut round-trip bordering on the criminal?)

So what if you couldn’t dish out a wad of greenbacks to visit our 10,452 square kilometers of paradise? Is it the end of the world? I’ll tell you what: while you may be missing Jason Derulo live in concert at the Byblos Summer Festival in August, you shouldn’t regret your decision to defer your visit. I for one believe Lebanon’s beauty radiates more luminously in the autumn and spring. Summer is overcrowded, excruciatingly hot and humid, and undeniably overpriced compared to the rest of the year. Sure, we’ve got great rooftops in Beirut and clean beaches in the north, but isn’t it annoying that everything requires far-in-advance booking and that we lack free entry to what should be a public coastline?


Typical summer traffic (Dbayeh, July 2025, photo credit: Youhanna Zeidan)


I’m content to while away summer elsewhere. I won’t let propaganda or blind denial cloud my judgment, even if I can sing the praises of the so-called Paris of the Middle East. Besides, the chronic volatility in our country and especially in the region makes planning an impossible concept. You’re never assured peace and normalcy the next day, as Lebanese locals can attest. When Iran and Israel were exchanging rockets and missiles in mid-June, our airspace was infringed upon, delaying and cancelling flights and espousing general panic on the part of all ticket-holders everywhere with plans to descend on Lebanon this summer. 

Thanks, but no thanks. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed making plans for the next day and nothing (and I do mean nothing!) getting in the way of those plans. I can’t begin to describe how much I’m cherishing my right to queue in line and nobody daring to cut in front of me. Order and organization are so underrated, especially when you’ve lived in Lebanon for as long as I have. Sure, there’s an element of beauty in our messy state, and I will always tout that we exemplify humanness and empathy on a level few other places can ever hope to lay claim to.

But I’m relieved to be away until the deluge of expats flushes out by early September. In the interim, I’ll relish the tedium and repetition of the Western world. I’ll bask in good air quality, dry heat, litter-free streets, smoke-free eateries, air-conditioned stores and proper retail sales. I’ll exploit every free public library and every mall or restaurant that guarantees complimentary self-parking without the threat of valet vultures seizing the sidewalk for their own profit. I’ll bathe giddily in the ocean, rightfully deemed “the commons,” without having to pay an admission fee to feel the ebb and flow of the waves.

I love you, Lebanon, but distance away from you is the key to keeping the flame of our relationship burning. So whatever happens, sorry, but I won’t be seeing you this summer.  



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