How to Travel in Not-So-Perfect Weather: Lessons Learned on a Rainy Day
Written by Elizabeth October 27, 2015
Cheesin' in our rain gear.
The Croatia crew described their weekend as a "monsoon," but they still had a blast!
They look relatively dry in this photo, but the Rome group walked 35,000 steps in the rain when they were exploring on Saturday!
The beauty of Positano was evident even under cloudy skies!
Hannah stayed happy in the rain with a panini from Vini Panini in Positano.
A good mantra for a rainy weekend!
Be sure to keep a safe distance from the ocean while you have your shoes on, as well. ;)
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always sunny at the Amalfi Coast. Or in Rome. Or in Croatia. CIMBA kids went on adventures to all three places for the first extended travel weekend, and all three groups had very rainy Saturdays! Here are a few things that I learned from exploring Positano during “100% chance rain and scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon.”
Check the weather before you go. Make sure that you know the chance of rain, and what temperature it’s going to be. Rainy and 75 feels a whole lot different from rainy and 60!
Bring rain boots, or some sort of waterproof shoes! It sounds obvious, but everything seems a lot simpler when you’re packing on a dry, sunny day. My rain boots were one thing that got eliminated when I was trying to lighten up my suitcase, and I wish I hadn’t made that decision. Running shoes keep your feet dry for the most part, but once the sidewalks start to flood, they don’t stand a chance!
Bring a waterproof rain jacket. “Waterproof” is the key term there. A regular fall jacket is okay if you’re going to be inside most of the day, but when the day involves a lot of walking, it’s worthwhile to have a good jacket. Personally, I don’t like to use umbrellas, so I was very thankful to have my North Face rain jacket with a hood to keep my head dry.
Bring a purse or backpack that will keep your stuff (like your passport) dry. Are you sensing a theme here? It rained all. day. long. My leather purse would have been ruined by the rain, so I carried my Jansport backpack instead. That saved my purse, but the contents of my backpack were all damp by the end of the day, including my passport. After I bought a souvenir, I put my important documents into the shopping bag to keep them dry inside my backpack.
Dance in the rain. Embrace the cloudy skies. Positano was stunning even in the rain! The ocean was a shade of blue that was impossible to believe. The shops were full of limoncello and painted ceramics. The restaurants and bakeries served delicious paninis and life-changing cannolis. It was raining, and we were wet, but we still had a great day exploring Positano. From what I’ve heard, my friends that went to Rome and Split had positive experiences on their rainy days, too. It’s all about having a good attitude and making the best of the situation.
So, here’s the moral of the story: Don’t be afraid of the rain, but don’t be afraid to be prepared for the rain, either!
Blogger: Elizabeth, University of Minnesota
