Good Vacations in Poor Weather
How to Make Your Vacation Go Right When the Weather Goes Wrong
Nothing can mess up a family outdoor vacation faster than a stretch of rain. Planning can turn this misfortune into days of memorable highlights.
For many vacations and, most especially, family vacations in outdoor settings, a stretch of poor weather can create the kind of stress your excursion was supposed to banish. This may well be a secondary form of Seasonal Affective Disorder “SAD”, a form of depression normally associated with winter. And that just maybe reason enough to include some alternative plans before your vacation begins.
Families with no shortage of energy don’t want to spend five minutes indoors when there is canoeing, horseback riding, mountain climbing, or ogling the opposite sex on a beach, to do. But then the issue becomes what to do with that energy when weather rules out those attractive options.
There are interesting things to do with bored and cranky kids when rain inflicts itself on the fun planned for another day outdoors, or even worse, when a thoroughly bemused spouse is confined to directing putts into a plastic cup on a cottage carpet. And there are other great things to see when the beautiful views are covered with rain-filled shrouds.
What to Avoid
The reality is that fine, warm and sunny weather can be rather a “bully”, keeping you from checking out some of the more interesting points of interest in the destination of your choice. So the first thing to avoid in the face of uncooperative weather is anything to do with a board game or a deck of cards. Don’t even pack them.
Implement Plan “B”
When the sun takes some time off, here are a few “shouldn’t miss” ideas to pass the time and create lasting memories.
· Make a day of checking out the shops and markets that give your destination an individual flare. Most vacation retreats have an impressive number of people who have spent their lives skillfully creating edible, decorative and practical products using traditional methods.
· Make a list of the museums, indoor attractions and places that commemorate local authors, artists, inventors and other public legends. It is amazing how much you can add to your enjoyment and understanding of the part of the world you have chosen to visit when you delve into its heritage.
· The best plan for adventurous eaters is a lingering meal at an outstanding restaurant with a reputation for food that is fresh and local, but not necessarily expensive. Ethnic restaurants in culturally diverse communities, wharf-side fresh fish eateries, themed dining experiences, bistros, or a lobster supper in a church hall can create vacation memories that don’t require dark glasses and sun screen.
· Remember when you told your partner you liked long walks on the beach, too?
If there’s no beach or coastline at your destination, grab an umbrella and head for a forest trail, a historic part of town or a community garden, infested with rain-soaked roses. Your reputation as an incurable romantic will be restored to its original brilliance that made you so irresistible during your courting years.
A Caution
Part of your poor weather planning will involve tailoring your list to your own interests. For well healed empty nesters, vacationing close to large urban centres, the choices are easy. For families with adolescents who pride themselves on being demandingly different from each other, wise planning and outstanding parenting skills will have to be applied.
Just be careful not to succumb to the pressure of dining at an unbroken string of teenage-targeted eating haunts that specialize in starch. You will want to retain those fit physiques for the rest of your “hands-on” outdoor vacation in the sunshine.
