What To Do When It Rains On Your Holiday

Y’know that time recently when I got a little overdramatic about it raining on my holiday?

Well I’m back to moan about it some more.

Just kidding, I’m actually here writing this because in that moment of panic when I really thought our entire week in Croatia was going to be ruined by constant thunderstorms, I seriously could have done with a list like this to calm me down and give me hope.

I realised that thousands of people must have this dilemma every year when they visit Cornwall for their holidays (soz guys), so hopefully this list will be helpful for you folks, and also any other wet and miserable sods in other places in the world where it was supposed to be sunny:

1. Get lost in a new book (or three)

Everyone brings books with them on holiday, right? Well use this opportunity to get utterly transported into another world by your books, without any distractions to bother you. With the right book, you shouldn’t want to put it down anyway.

My recommendations (if you love thrillers):
Inferno by Dan Brown*
Nod by Adrian Barnes*
Far North by Marcel Theroux*

2. Self catering? Try new recipes!

If you’ve gone self catering, then this is the perfect opportunity to hone in on your cooking skills and test out those recipes you’ve always wanted to try (or research some local ones to try too!).

(If you’re in a hotel, why not head over to Pinterest and find some recipes to try when you get home. You could even create a meal plan for the next few weeks with exciting things to make.)

3. Get artistic; sketch something or even try painting

If you’re not able to find a painting kit or haven’t brought one as an eventuality (I admire you if you did!), then the easiest way to get creative is just to sketch something with a pencil and paper.

Practice your still life/landscape drawing skills from whatever is in front of you, or have a competition with your holiday companions of who can draw the best portrait – it could get quite offensive entertaining…

4. Start writing like you’ve never written before

When I’m bored or in a sticky situation (ie. faced with a rainy holiday), I always write. If you don’t have your laptop you can write notes on your found or do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper.

Just write your thoughts or ideas down, like you’re chatting to a friend, and some interesting stuff might start to appear. Or work on a blog post, or that book/screenplay you’ve always wanted to write – why the heck not!

5. Indulge yourself in a ‘spa week’

Spa days are for people with no time; you have a whole week to spend pampering yourself! Gather all the beauty products you can find (head to a supermarket and grab any free samples too!), soak for hours in a hot bubbly bath, exfoliate all the bits of you that you always forget, moisturise like a maniac, nail those nails, and all the rest!

6. Have a movie day (with or without drinking games)

Yes, a whole day full of movies (or two days? Why not!). If you don’t have access to Netflix, go old school and – wait for it – rent a movie from a shop! You forgot that was a thing didn’t you?

Stock up on some bottles of something alcoholic (or non-alcoholic of course if that’s your jive) and try a few drinking games as the day goes on. Drink responsibly now folks :P

7. Get the board games out (or invent your own?)

There is no shame in getting the board games out, and the more people you get involved, the better it is! It’s also a great opportunity to make friends where you’re staying.

My faves include:
Cards Against Humanity (not for children!)*
Linkee*
Exploding Kittens*

Or if you’re feeling creative, why not have a go at creating your own board game?

8. Learn something new

Spend this time learning a new skill or improving your knowledge on a certain topic.

Sound boring? It doesn’t have to be!

You could start to learn a new language with an app like Duolingo, learn to master manual mode on your camera and improve your photography, learn how to create a herb garden when you get home, or even learn to do yoga (YouTube is a great place to to start with this!).

9. Embrace the rain and explore your surroundings

You can always suck it up and get out in the rain to explore – it may not be sunbathing weather but you can still go on adventures to new places.

Just plan your walks and explorations with plenty of coffee/food stops along the way to shelter from the weather!

10. Plan more things to look forward to

While it was raining during our holiday, I made a list of things I wanted to do for the rest of the Summer, and what I had to look forward to once I got home. Having some outings and activities planned for when you return from your trip means all is not lost – you’ve still got fun things to do without a holiday!

 

The main takeaway here is DON’T PANIC – treat this as a time to relax and do things that you wouldn’t usually get to do because of work/kids/responsibilities. Things that, in normal life, you’d feel totally guilty for doing because you should be doing something else.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday! (Got any other tips? Comment below!)

* Indicates affiliate link, but I wouldn’t include something here if I didn’t love it myself!