How do you manage when it rains??

Natalia,, I am going to assume you live somewhere that rain is not common??? Rain in summer is not cold, so most of us just put on a rain jacket with a hood, or carry an umbrella and continue on with our day. Perhaps more time inside a museum or church,, but rain in summer can be short showers,, so not going to ruin ones holiday. We just live with a rain shower. I carry a small umbrella in my purse, which is like a messenger bag carried cross body.

Well, living in Seattle, you learn to get a good rain jacket and say "what rain?". So, that's how I'm dealing with it in Europe.

We were in Munich etc in May/June and it rained for a short spell each day- no matter how clear it looked in the morning. We carried fold up umbrellas and they were sufficient. occassionally we would need to duck into a store or church for half an hour or so. Didnt affect our plans- just delayed them a little each day. I also have a semi waterresistnat jacket which I often wear. We are from Los Angeles, so we are not used to rain- but we survived fine. I always pack a second pair of shoes for when the others get too wet

The best advice I've received is "never save the beach for the last day." If there are activities that absolutely require good weather (the beach, a walking tour,) I take advantage of the first warm and sunny day. I juggle things a bit, so that rainy days are spent in museums. It has become a family joke that torrential rain seems to follow me wherever I go. I have adopted a "so what if I get wet" attitude - Paris and Rome are still magical, even in the rain. I carry a light jacket or sweatshirt in my day pack, and I will occasionally buy a cheap umbrella from a street vendor. A miserable, rainy day in Stratford-Upon-Avon is responsible for one of my favorite travel memories ever. I was tired of being wet, so I spent the morning waiting in line at the Courtyard Theatre, hoping to score a ticket to Hamlet (the entire run had sold out within hours.) 5th row center, and the best show I've ever seen.

As others mentioned, unless you're made out of sugar, just grab an umbrella or jacket and continue on. At least in NW Europe, although rain is frequent and fact of life, showers are usually not heavy and rarely accompanied by high winds (one exception being the cloud bursts that quickly erupt in the Alps). In the heat of summer, I usually get more wet from sweating than I do from rain.

I bought a lightweight rain jacket from Landsend which I wore almost every day in Denmark. Also took a small umbrella for when the rain was heavy. Most of the time it just drizzled.

As others have posted, check the weather reports for same day and the next couple out, every day. Then juggle your schedule accordingly. Sometimes, there's nothing you can do about a rainy day. We had plenty of them on our recent trip but did as others have posted - used an umbrella and rain-jackets, and just kept going.

I use disposable ponchos. They're pretty easy to find and very cheap. The advantages are they take up very little room, they keep you far drier than an umbrella, and when you go into places that have a problem with water being brought in (I'm gotten some nasty looks in museums) you can go straight to the restroom, wipe it off with paper towels, stuff it in your bag, and go about your business. The negative is they're nearly impossible to fold back up so I carry two in my main bag just in case. Sometimes I like a good shower though while walking around.

Joseph, where do you buy these disposable ponchos, and how many do you take with you on your trip?

As others have said, I try to plan for certain activities (the beach) to be on days when the forecast looks good, but continue activities with a rain jacket and umbrella when it rains. I won't let the weather ruin my trip. The view from the Alps looks more mystical with clouds-look for the positive in all weather!

I'm going to second Brian's advice about packing another pair of shoes. I know a lot of people on this board are minimalists on packing, but, for me, having to put wet shoes back on is miserable. Even if you're doing a museum day, you'll get outside (and wet) a bit, getting back and forth, especially if you're using public transportation or walking. Last summer, in Ireland, we really wanted to go to the Cliffs ASAP, but the first 2 days on the west coast were foggy and overcast. We went with plan B on those days. By day 3, the weather was perfect, and we had a glorious day at the Cliffs.

I get them at my grocery store, but we have them at dollar stores as well just lesser quality (they work just fine.) I'm more than cetain any Wal-Mart has them. I've never looked for them on the internet but I'm sure that they're there. The cheap ones you really can't use again but the slightly better ones can if you know how to fold (I don't as I have hand injuries so I have others do it.) I usually carry two. I wear a waistpack (not a fanny pack, sort of a military style of bag on my belt) and have one there and another in my main bag. They're small enough that you may even forget that they're there. I'd guess they cost now about three bucks. If it's really rainy you can always pick up an umbrella very cheap but I think these things work far better and you always have them and they cover you almost to the knees.

Joseph, thanks. I just bought a dozen disposal ponchos from Amazon for about $20. Should last me for more than one trip.

The "disposable" rain ponchoes are good. Many NFL football fans use them as umbrellas aren't allowed in the stadiums. The Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, etc. usually have them for $1.00. K-mart, target, Wal-mart, etc. usually have them for about $2-4. Take several. I also have a good windbreaker type hooded jacket that zips and has several pockets. It folds up to almost nothing. You can get similar ones that fold up into a very small pouch at camping/outdoor supply stores. Some even carry pants made of the same material that you pull over your clothes. Then you are set for anything up to a hurricane. There are even covers your backpack.

*In England, I just reminded myself that it rains often and that I was seeing part of what my image of England was like anyway. *In Venice, I enjoyed watching them lay out the platforms on Piazza San Marco so people could walk over the flooding. I considered it just another site to see. * In France, I sang a Billy Joel song to myself: "It's a rainy night in Paris/And I'm sitting by the Seine/It's a pleasure to be soaking in/the European rain." Travel with the spirit of experiencing life however it comes to you, and a little rain never hurts.

We always carry our umbrella and poncho in our day back packs. We carry on with our plans.

I either pack really cheapo ponchos or buy them wherever we are. Then we just do what we'd usually do but get wet. We have had a few really rainy days on some trips but still just went on with whatever we had planned.

We take a cheap disposable poncho and my wife also has a small umbrella like Pat mentioned. The folks in Norway say there is no such thing as bad weather.....just bad clothing.

I manage by going to the pub and drinking when it rains. And if the pub is overly crowded and hot, I pull on my raincoat or whip out my umbrella and stand outside with my pint. This plan works well if you are visiting Ireland or the UK where it rains almost daily. Unless it is a beach or camping vacation you are taking, you just have to deal with it and keep on going.

One of the amazing things in tourist areas during spring and early summer is that as soon as it even gets close to raining, vendors stream into town to sell umbrellas and often ponchos. Me? Perfect excuse to duck under an awning somewhere for a glass of wine. In 20 minutes, the rain is over.

Hi all! What a huge number of answers! Thank you all! Where I live it does rain of course, but during the summer the rain is usually very strong and it makes it almost impossible to be outside, because you get completely wet in a second! Weather here is kind of tropical I guess. So it worried me that rains in Europe could be like that, but it seems they're very light and last very little! Of course that I plan to enjoy my days there no matter what, I just wanted to be well prepared :) I'll have in mind the raincoats and the extra pair of shoes! Also loved the idea of going into a pub and having a beer LOL Thanks all! Cheers!

I'm thinking about just wearing my lightweight raincoat every day, and then just dress in whatever's appropriate for that day's weather. It helps to look at the history of the weather at the places you'll be at, at the time you'll be there. Go to www.wunderground.com, and then go to Trip Planner under the "Travel and Activities" menu, then enter your dates and location, and voila! You may find that bringing a raincoat is unnecessary. Sorry if this is redundant, I haven't read the previous responses yet.

"but it seems they're very light and last very little". Yes on the first point, no on the second. Rain can last all day, but more typical would be an hour or two.

I travel in shoulder-season usually. I wear a lightweight raincoat with hood and have various layers of clothing to wear underneath..... When it rains I pull up the hood over my baseball-type cap and usually don't even need an umbrella..... Those thin plastic rain protectors are flimsy and useless in wind.... Best plan, do museums on rainy days, or sit inside a cafe and watch the rain from a nice dry place....This advice probably won't work in Ireland or another place with days-long rain.....Then you just have to bundle up and ignore the rain.

I agree with the disposable ponchos...and do what others in the area do...we were in Copenhagen at Tivoli Garden (world's oldest amusement park) when it started to rain. As we headed for one of the exits, we noticed that the Danes were still entering the park in quite large numbers. When we asked about the rain, the answer we got was, "If we always wait for sun we would never get to do things." An exaggeration I'm sure, but we put on our rain gear and went back to riding rides for several more hours.

Matt L., EXCELLENT traveling attitude!!! That's part of traveling, and life.........and my first thought was along the lines of Ceidleh's - a pint/glass of wine/an espresso/gelato, etc. Especially if it's cold and miserable outside.

I have a good cry, and then I want to shoot myself...