How to Deal with Bad Weather on Vacation

You plan for months, maybe look forward to a single day at one of the iconic sites, you envision yourself in that cute little sundress you’re planning to wear. But then things don’t turn out exactly as you planned and you’re hit with rain, hail, gale force winds or worse. The truth is, there’s no magical solution for how to deal with bad weather on vacation. We’ve been pretty lucky, but there have been times …

The hot sunny vacation turned cool and wet

Likely the worst time for crappy weather is on a tropical vacation. You’ve been digging out of waist-high snowdrifts (I’m looking at you Winnipeg), you’re ready to slather on the sunscreen, sip a refreshing drink on the beach and then plunge into the ocean to cool off.

We were ready for blazing heat on our recent vacation to Belize, but for a good two thirds of our 9-day trip, it was rainy, at times super windy and cool. Well, not cool by Winnipeg winter standards, but we were certainly in no danger of getting a sunburn.

Good thing I’m not wearing a wig.

How did we cope? Well, we were initially a bit grumpy about it, but we made an attitude adjustment (aided by Belizean rum). It was still relatively warm (It was -20 C in Winnipeg at the time), and because our trip was focused on active adventure – snorkelling, kayaking, and paddling down the Moho River, we were spending most of our time wet anyway.

You just had to be nice outside for two days London!

It rains in London. I know that. Truth is, I’ve never had a great desire to travel to the UK because my general impression was of a cold, dreary place. In 2009, we lived in Paris for a month and one weekend (one weekend!) we took the Chunnel to London. Steve (who had longed to visit the UK) spent weeks convincing me that rainy, gloomy weather was not inevitable in London in May.

Maybe not inevitable, but probable. We had planned a bike tour, running through the Royal Parks, and had bought tickets for the London Eye Ferris Wheel. It rained both days, was cloudy the whole time, and had winds the like of which I’d only experienced once before standing beside a huge rushing waterfall in Iceland.

Spectacular rainy view from The London Eye.

How did we cope? Well, we just carried on regardless (aided by Gin and tonic). You know, like the British–with a stiff upper lip. What kept me warm was the smug, annoying smirk I gave Steve at regular intervals that said, “See, I told you this was what London would be like!”

I feel a need to mention here that we travelled again to London last June for a week on Steve’s business travel and it was sunny and hot the whole time we were there. I came away with an entirely different impression of the city. London, you redeemed yourself!

If you didn’t pack it — buy it at any cost

We spent one June touring Italy. Although we certainly had some nice weather, there were a number of days it just poured. It was damp and cold. I had to buy socks, a sweater, and a scarf!

Waiting for the rain to start … again.

I had a small, collapsible umbrella I always used to take with me travelling. It was very compact and fit easily into a small handbag. In that way it was extremely functional and well designed. When I had to actually use it, however, it was crap. The handle was too short, which often resulted in me catching my hair in the spokes on windy days. Its construction was so poor that with the slightest whiff of a breeze, it immediately inverted itself instigating an awkward struggle to right the damn thing. Despite these known flaws I continued to take it with us on trips. It was a regular source of marital conflict. Steve: “Why do you always take this useless umbrella?!” Me: “Because it fits so nicely in my handbag!”

Now THAT’S an umbrella!

How did we cope? On the streets of Rome on a rainy, blustery day (fortified with a glass or two of grappa), I finally conceded the umbrella was a piece of garbage and threw it in a nearby trashcan. We proceeded to haggle (to no effect), as raindrops pelted our faces, with a street vendor selling very handsome, sturdy (non-collapsible) umbrellas. We succumbed to “surge” pricing and paid far too much, but those umbrellas were worth every euro. I ended up wrapping them in plastic and duct tape and taking them home with me on the plane as carry on. Now I have a practical souvenir of Italy. Although they are far too large to fit in my purse.

Unless it’s a natural disaster, suck it up

Hurricanes, Tsunamis, and tornados are truly perilous and I can’t imagine getting stuck in such conditions when travelling. A little rain, snow or wind isn’t so bad in comparison. It’s all part of the experience of travel. Your vacation may not be exactly what you imagined it would be, but with a slight attitude shift and some determination you can keep calm and carry on!

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to Tag Along Travel? Twice a month, you’ll receive an email with links to recent posts.

Like it? Pin it!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin