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There is nothing worse than spending months planning and anticipating your family vacation only to arrive and discover rainy, cold, or otherwise bad weather! And unfortunately, you can’t control the weather or accurately predict it more than a few days in advance. So, how can you prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation? Keep reading to find 7 tips for saving your trip!
Disclaimer: These tips are not intended to be used in cases where the weather is severe and potentially life-threatening, such as in the case of tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, or flooding. If you find yourself facing one of these serious situations, please follow the advice and orders of the local authorities. Your family’s safety is much more important than saving your vacation.
Tip #1: Check the weather before leaving home.
The first tip to prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation is to check the weather for your destination a day or two before you leave home.
Now, this won’t prevent the bad weather from happening, but it will allow you to properly prepare for it once you start your trip. This alone can help you have a great time even with less than ideal weather.
You can check the weather at your vacation location at weather.com.
Tip #2: Pack appropriately.
Once you’ve checked the weather, then pack clothing that will be appropriate for the weather you anticipate facing.
If the forecast is calling for rain, pack your ponchos and rain boots. Expecting chilly temperatures? Take coats and gloves.
Packing the right clothing for the weather can help you have fun on your trip, even if it’s not picture perfect. If, once you arrive, you find that you need clothing you didn’t pack, head to a local store and buy some inexpensive gear.
Tip #3: Bring the right shoes.
Just like you need to pack appropriate clothing for the weather, my next tip to prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation is to pack the right shoes.
For instance, if you are anticipating rain during all or part of your trip, pack shoes that you won’t mind getting wet. If you are going to be hiking, pack shoes that are made for muddy conditions. For cold and/or icy conditions, bring winter boots.
Traveling during bad weather is not the time to pack your expensive dress shoes!
Tip #4: Plan lots of indoor activities.
Prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation by planning lots of indoor activities. Now, this may not be ideal, but it can help you to salvage an otherwise doomed trip.
Your family may be bummed that they can’t spend the week at the beach, but that disappointment may be short lived if you can find something fun to do inside nearby.
Some options are:
- Visit a museum
- Go to an escape room
- Check out an aquarium
- Watch a movie in an Imax theater
- Spend the day shopping
- Head to an indoor water park
- Watch a Broadway-style or dinner theater show
Tip #5: Take plenty of photos.
I know this may sound counterintuitive, but one way you can prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation is by taking lots of photos.
While you may not think so at the time, you will probably always have vivid memories of this vacation. So, take lots of pictures so you can remember it well!
Snap some photos of your family all bundled up or soaking wet. If it’s snowing, capture them playing in the snow. Take some candid photos of your loved ones hanging out indoors. Capture it all! You will be glad you did later!
Tip #6: Embrace it.
You can’t control the weather, but you don’t have to let the weather control you! Prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation by embracing it for what it is. Just go with the flow and have fun with it!
The more you can embrace and accept the situation, the happier you will be and the better your vacation will turn out. And if you can have a good attitude about the weather, maybe your family will too!
Tip #7: Don’t cancel!
The last tip to prevent bad weather from ruining your trip is to resist the urge to cancel your trip. You can still have a great trip, even if it isn’t the trip you imagined. You just have to adjust your expectations a bit.
There are very few trips that could be completely ruined by inclement weather. Even going someplace like Disney World can be fun in the rain!
So, go! Have fun and make some memories with your family!
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the weather sometimes won’t cooperate with your vacation plans. But it doesn’t have to be a total loss. The above tips will help prevent bad weather from ruining your vacation! Have fun singing in the rain!
For more ways to improve your family vacations, see what to do when things go wrong, how to have an amazing vacation on any budget, how to plan an epic vacation, tips for stress free travel with your spouse, tips to stay healthy while traveling, how to improve your family vacations, and things to do before leaving for vacation.
And see my list of common mistakes to avoid on family vacations.
Happy travels!
P.S. Need help finding the best places to go on your family vacations? My Ultimate USA Bucket List for Families will instantly give you 60 of the best vacation destinations for families in the United States! Get it for FREE in the box below and start planning your next trip today! Plus, as a bonus, you will receive my weekly email newsletter full of family trip tips and inspiration!
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