How to enjoy travel during bad weather

Maybe you have carefully planned your vacation in order to enjoy the best weather possible. But no one has a contract with “good ol’ Mother Nature”, so there is no guarantee of how weather is really gonna be like. You can imagine that while in a hemisphere there’s summer and hot, in the other one it’s winter – and cold. You may have learned about the weather in the area you intend to visit (if we are talking about a different continent or even a different zone than the one you are used to visit).

Sometimes, however, your plans are simply turned upside down. OK, I’m not talking about severe conditions (like a tsunami for instance); I’m thinking more in the line of – I was preparing for lots of sun at the seaside, in the mountains or in the city I’m visiting and now it’s raining, or I was prepared for snow in the mountains and now it only rains.

How do you enjoy the trip under these circumstances?

Some people simply get discouraged. They don’t do anything – maybe they relax (“vegetate”) in their room or even return home earlier. They see the vacation as a failure. I still cannot stop wondering why do they feel so. Why not make the best of what you have. So let’s see some examples.

It’s spring/summer and you’ve prepared for a nice weather. Instead it’s cloudy, cold and rainy. OK, cold and rainy is not proper for a bath in the sea. That doesn’t mean everything is ruined. You have alternatives – several in fact:

• enjoy the offers in your hotel – if you have an all inclusive ticket it’s rather simple: you get it all. Otherwise you can choose: spas, sauna, pool, games and any other entertaining facilities but just don’t stay sad in your room;
• find some close (or easy to get to) indoor touristic objectives – this might mean you should search online even in the next town – but surely you’ll be able to get there and see a special show (sea animals for instance), visit a special museum or building. It’s only up to you!
• change your schedule – if you’ve planned your vacation day by day – knowing what you’ll do in each day – than there is a simple solution: switch days between each other! If today you wanted to visit a botanical garden or a special famous park and it’s raining but on the next day you’ve planned to visit 2 museums you simply switch days.
• go shopping – yeah, this is like an ultimate alternative – but when you cannot enjoy a special view or do something you planned, shopping may help. Besides, you probably still wanted to buy some souvenirs or get something special for you. You may never know what you discover.
• take a walk – “singing in the rain” – remember? OK, you don’t have to exaggerate, but if the rain is moderate and you cannot take pictures (unless you have a waterproof camera) you can discover that city or interesting areas – maybe not those presented in travel guides. You’ll be able to see the city beyond the nice promotional presentations – enter some coffee shops and relax for a while, enjoy a good meal somewhere and so on;
• ask the receptionist – if you didn’t come prepared with alternate plans and you are not in the mood for discovering interesting things to do and places to visit, simply ask the receptionist. Tell him what would you enjoy more so that he / she will be able to provide the most useful information.

It’s winter – you want snow for skiing and you only get rain or hot weather, improper for the winter activities you’ve planned. It doesn’t sound exciting, but it happens. Why some choose to get very sad or even go back instead of enjoying what they can under these circumstances, I don’t yet understand. You have some alternatives in these conditions too:

• you may visit the surroundings – maybe you’ll find a castle, a special museum etc. You can take a tour over the city (if possible) or a tour of the nearest touristic town/city. There are many information in fliers in the hotels or you can find out by asking the host/receptionist;
• as I said before, you can enjoy the hotel’s utilities or go shopping;
• take a walk – you might discover great views, take some great pictures, enjoy each moment of the trip – regardless if you travel alone or with your family.

There is but one conclusion: yes, it would be great to be able to have it all as planned, but when that doesn’t happen make the most of it. Enjoy each moment of your vacation – hear, smell, feel the rain, visit everything you can, discover as much as possible and don’t let the bad weather ruin a vacation. Remember that there could be only one rainy (or otherwise improper) day – and the others may just be great!

Did you travel somewhere and experience bad weather? What did you do?