You know the feeling. You wake up in your comfortable hotel bed, stroll over to your floor-to-ceiling window, pull back the plush curtains… and can’t see fifty feet beyond your hotel because of the thick sheet of pouring rain.
Personally, I have experienced more than my fair share of rainy travel days due my strict work schedule. Oftentimes I’m forced to choose between visiting somewhere during the rainy season and not visiting at all. I’ve experienced all sorts of rain-related disasters, from having to wait two days for a boat to wading through a flooded hotel room when the balcony drain pipe became plugged. I’ve also experienced some rain-related positives, like when a sudden deluge left me trapped in a café in Ulaanbaatar and I was forced to sample another pastry… and then another… and then another…
Let’s be real, though. I know you’ve invested too much time, money and energy in your holiday to let bad weather ruin your vacation. Instead of retreating back to bed, ordering room service and spending the day watching old movies in a language you don’t understand (tempting as it may be), follow my recommendations to get out there, get exploring and make the most of every day you’re away from home, rain or shine.
How to Survive a Rainy Vacation Day
After taking a year off work to travel around the world, and visiting more than seventy countries as a solo female traveler, I’ve developed some tried, tested and true strategies to keep bad weather from ruining my vacation days. Check them out below, and leave a comment with your tips for finding the famous “silver lining” on a rainy day abroad.
#1 – Visit the biggest and best attractions
Many travelers will put off visiting popular attractions until the weather is more pleasant. This is especially noticeable at outdoor or open-air locations.
In 2012, London’s most famous tourist attractions, including the London Zoo and the Royal Botanic Gardens saw visitor numbers decrease by up to 20% on rainy summer days. Travelers who toughed it out and went anyways were treated to shorter queues, smaller crowds and more personalized attention from local staff.
I once met a friend for lunch on Istanbul’s Istiklal Caddesi, a famous pedestrian street, and was shocked by how empty the rainy street became. It normally sees almost three million visitors every day, but the crowd dissipate almost immediately at the first sign that it might be more than a sprinkle.
#2 – Buy a museum pass
Many cities have special passes that provide discounted access to multiple museums, meaning you can condense all of your planned museum visits into one or two rainy days and save money in the process. Head to the nearest tourist information office to inquire about the local version of these programs.
One of the best museum passes is the Paris Museum Pass, which gives you access to amazing indoor exhibits including The Louvre, the Museé d’Orsay, the Pompidou Center and even the Palace of Versailles.
I also love the Barcelona Card. This pass gives you access to more than 25 of the city’s best attractions. My favorite is the MACBA (Barcelona’s Museum of Contemporary Art), but I’m also a huge fan of the free, skip-the-line entrance to the city’s Picasso Museum and the National Art Museum.
In Berlin, it’s the Berlin Welcome Card that offers discounts at the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Alte Museum and the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of Contemporary Art, along with free transportation between all the tourist attractions in Zone A and Zone B.
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#3 – Ride the hop-on, hop-off buses
Double-decker buses that make a circuit around the city’s most popular tourist attractions are one of the best ways to get your bearings in a new city. When the top floor happens to be enclosed, these buses are also a fantastic way to see a rainy city from street level without getting soaked.
Leipzig, Shanghai, London, Manchester and Christchurch are just some of the cities with enclosed or partially-enclosed double-decker tour buses. Many other cities have hop-on, hop-off buses with retractable roofs, so they can provide protection from the rain should the need arise.
#4 – Look for cozy cafés
Immerse yourself in the local culture by ducking inside a café and sampling authentic regional drinks and snacks. Unlike restaurants, cafes and coffee shops are used to customers who linger, slowly sipping their beverage and simply enjoying a slow morning or afternoon.
If it’s raining in Istanbul, try visiting a local tea house for a cup of Turkish coffee and a savory filled pastry (called a börek). My favorite Istanbul cafes are in the neighborhoods of Fener and Balat.
If you’re in Tokyo, look for a dessert café serving towering bowls of colorful shaved ice (known as kakigori). After a cold bowl of this delicious treat, the warm tropical rain outside will actually feel refreshing!
It’s polite to leave your umbrella in the basket by the door to avoid dangerous drips across the floor and furniture.
#5 – Sign up for a class or lesson
Mark Twain once wrote, “One must travel, to learn.” A rainy day presents the perfect opportunity to learn about your destination by signing up for a local course.
Although my Indonesian farm cooking class was open-air, it was fully covered and we stayed completely dry when the rain started to fall. My day learning to make delicious Indonesian dishes remains one of my favorite travel memories (to be honest, I’d almost forgotten that it rained!).
In Paris, Grasse, and other cities along the French Riviera, you can spend a day learning about the art of perfumery and leave with your own customized scent. You might even be inspired to include some notes of petrichor, which is the word that describes the smell of the soil after a heavy rain!
#6 – Stock up on cheap rain gear
If you forgot to pack your high-tech rain jacket and lightweight, retractable umbrella, have no fear. In much of the world, local people rely on inexpensive rain gear purchased from the nearest market.
Around the Caribbean and in Southeast Asia, you can easily buy a pair of flip-flop sandals, a plastic poncho and a basic umbrella for less than $10 total.
In busy European tourist areas enterprising street vendors may also pop up with essential rain gear; make sure you have exact change on hand because they are unlikely to be able to break a hundred-euro bill!
It always helps to know the local words for “umbrella” and “poncho”, but you can usually get the same idea across through a combination of pantomime and pointing at your soaking-wet clothing.
#7 – Treat yourself to a spa day
When a rainy day makes your stress levels rise, relaxing at a local spa can help you get back in the holiday spirit. Some spa treatments are particularly useful for travelers: firm foot massages might hurt at first but will ultimately soothe your aching feet, and a vigorous body scrub can help heal peeling, post-sunburn skin.
If you’re in Baden-Baden, Germany, head to the Caracalla Therme to sweat it out in an indoor sauna or relax in a steaming-hot outdoor pool while the rain pours down from above.
I also recommend visiting QC Terme Milano, where there are some outdoor pools but the real experience is in the laybrinth of saunas, steam rooms and pools in the underground spa zone.
Parting Words
You don’t have to holiday in Chile’s Atacama Desert (parts of which haven’t seen rain in more than five hundred years!) just to stay dry. Instead, choose to either embrace the rain – preferably in a chic new €5 plastic poncho – or to avoid it altogether by opting for a sheltered activity.
Having the opposite problem? Check out my guide to traveling during a heatwave, with twelve tips to help keep you cool!
Planning a trip? Pin this post for a rainy day! 😉
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