We might have had the driest summer on record in Europe this year, but when the rain comes down on holiday, it can be a nightmare with your itinerary. I remember having a boat trip planned out while in Budapest, only to hear it wouldn’t be running due to choppy waves. The same happened in the Faroe Islands. While in Alderney, a full day out was cancelled due to immense rain.
Therefore, you do have to work out some alternative plans if the weather is playing up, so read on for my best tips.
Find Out What Your Hotel Has
Sure, you don’t want to waste time in your hotel room, but bad weather can provide a good opportunity for you to make the most of other facilities they have.
Quite often you’re on holiday as you need to mentally and physically recover, whether that’s from the stressful environment of work or general life. Therefore, a massage and a facial could be the perfect solution!
A large number of hotels have these spa facilities available, while you might also want to make the most of the sauna, gym or pool, depending on what they have.
I remember being in a hotel when it was raining and I found an entire games room. We had unlimited drinks while here, so we played pool, darts and table tennis while sipping on cocktails, bliss.
Order Local Food To The Hotel
Now you can order food from the hotel restaurant, but you also might want to mix it up, we often don’t think of ordering food to our hotel, but reception will often be happy to handle the call and enquiry for you.
You will have to ask reception if this is permitted, as different hotels have different rules, but in general it’s often fine to do. This can allow you to tick off a local food place, whether it’s a bakery, a supermarket shop or a nice restaurant offering a takeaway service.
The growth of food delivery apps has made this all the easier, so as long as reception is fine with it, you could just order your food and wait by the hotel entrance for it to arrive. Eating a pizza by the pool sounds so good right now.
Enjoy Some Downtime
There is a term called ‘holiday maximisation’, which is where people feel the need to fill their trip with non-stop activities. This is because they want to make the most of being abroad, they don’t want to return home feeling like they left something out and want to make the most of every moment.
The issue here is you often return from holiday feeling like you need another one! I can certainly relate to this, feeling burnt out from my escape, not exactly what you’re hoping for after a break.
The solution? Accept that you need some downtime to mentally recover. What you do with that time is partly down to you.
Many people choose to read a book on a terrace area (as long as it’s covered from the rain), or in the lobby, with a tasty drink in hand. Some use casino sites to try and win big, so they can plan out their next holiday straight after.
I personally like to sort out my Trello list for when I return. I know, what a nerd, but it’s actually my ADHD, being able to spend a decent amount of time sorting out my life gives me a great deal of happiness.
Covered Markets
We tend to think of markets as being out in the open, but a large number of them are actually covered, such as Borough Market in London or Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid. This is ideal for rainy weather, as you can waste away hours eating new foods, picking up souvenirs and trying on clothes, until the rain goes away.
Just make sure to also check photos on Google before trusting what you read online, you don’t want someone mislabelling the market has covered and then find out you’re caught out.
There are also quite a few food halls opening up across Europe nowadays and this is also a great way to explore different food options for lunch or dinner without leaving the building.
Visit A Museum
You might have to time your journey so you dodge the rain, but once you’re inside, you can wander around for hours, learning about history, art or science, whatever museum tempts you locally.
If you’re working to a tight budget, you could search locally for free museums, they still might hope for a small donation which is fair, but it’s a nice low cost day out and stops you getting wet.
You can then save all the famous landmarks and sights for a more sunny day and get those indoor activities ticked off when it’s bad weather.
Take A Cooking Class
If you’re going to dodge the rain, then you might need a lengthy activity, not one that’s over within 60 minutes. This is where a cooking class can be a great option.
I’ve tried a good few in Brighton, as well as on trips to Sri Lanka and Thailand, while they do tend to last about 3 hours.
This gives you plenty of time to learn a new recipe, pick up all the different tricks to ensure it cooks perfectly and then you get to eat the meal at the end rather than having to find a restaurant afterwards.
If you’re not into cooking, you could pivot towards a wine tasting event, a beer tasting class or even a chocolate making workshop, the limit is simply what is available in your holiday destination.
