Fun things to do on a rainy vacation

My husband will be the first to tell you that not everything goes smoothly on vacation. We learned this our  first time out as a couple. He and I planned and planned for our beachfront honeymoon. I packed an extra swimsuit, suntan lotion and we both brought a couple of great books. Then, the unthinkable happened. It rained.

This could have had an unhappy ending but we were determined to make it work. We scouted around and came up with ways that still let us enjoy our rainy vacation. Whenever a rainy vacation strikes there are a few things that we always do:

WDW just before the rain.

Pack a poncho and a sense of humor.
I know it sounds crazy. Really though. What else can you do? I got smacked upside the head with this idea at Walt Disney World. Even the most magical place on earth isn't immune from gully washing thunderstorms.

When the rain began I quickly donned my poncho, abandoned the family to their fun and zipped to the exit. My plan was to get to the campsite and cover the tent before everything became soaked. Did the plan work? No!

The buses were running late and it took me forever to back get to the campground. By the time that I got there you could go fishing inside our tent. Insult was added to the pride injury when the rest of the family showed up about the same time that I did.

What could we do? Wash and dry everything. Dry out and laugh it off the next morning.

Rain in Alaska

 Go around the flow.
It always seems to rain when we visit a national park for the first time. This happened at Shenandoah, Cades Cove, Glacier and even in Denali. This great shot was taken in Alaska. See those dots on the camera lens? You guessed it. A rainy vacation hit us again.

 Sometimes flooding can occur. It's important to know where and how to get around it. We use extra care when vacationing in the rain. It's important to use radios, watch for park rangers and pay attention to the road conditions.

Raining again at Logan Pass

Scout around for indoor activities in advance.
A rainy vacation is perfect for seeing a visitor center, window shopping at the mall. You're probably going to pick up a souvenir anyway. Going shopping when it rains means you won't lose any vacation fun. In fact, you'll be creating it!

Museums, shows, art galleries, movies are all great indoor activities. They may not be your first choice on some vacations but make good fill-ins for rainy days.

Carver's Gap and more rain.

Go ahead and go to the pool or beach.
As long as it's not storming why not head on out? If figure if I'm going to get wet anyway, then a little rain won't matter. Toss your towel cover up into a plastic bag or extra large zip bag if you brought one. They'll be nice and dry for your mad dash to the door.

Stay inside and read a book.
A rainy vacation can be a relaxing getaway. Stay inside, read a book or surf the internet. Make your rainy day a little special by using room service or ordering delivery. You'll be rejuvenated and ready to go when the sun comes out! Just don't forget to apply sunscreen as you go out the door.