Crappy weather while travelling can make or break you. Extreme heat, wild winds, torrential rain, snowstorms, just to name a few. You somehow have to suck it up, pull your growth mindset out of your ass, and continue travelling on. You can’t let the weather stop you or get you down as it has the potential to derail your plans.

I mean travelling during wet season is cheap for a reason. I have learnt my lesson now after travelling through Asia during wet season and the heat, the humidity, the sudden rain out of nowhere means you have be like Girl Guides and ‘be prepared’.

There are ways around it. My top tips for what to do when bad weather strikes your getaway;

• Pack protection from the elements – an umbrella, a raincoat or waterproof jacket. Waterproof shoes can help too. Sunglasses, hat, insect repellent, sunscreen. Pack it even if you don’t think you will use it. You never know

• Source out places, attractions, entertainment; that are indoors or under cover

• Opt to take transport rather than walk

• Expect that travel days will take longer - there will be delays, route changes, accidents

• Go with a patient and optimistic attitude. That’s the fun of travelling and going on adventures, you never know what is just around the corner

• Pack a waterproof cover for your bag for times when you are travelling and its wet

• For the windy days, take a windproof jacket, pack your scarf, beanie, even cotton buds for your ears; its going to hurt. Pack an extra jumper. We never stayed long at the top of the Empire State Building. The wind was so icy and the chill went straight through our clothing but we never let it stop us

• Stay in and use it as a time to network; make friends at your hostel, get tips on the local area

• Spend the time updating your travel journal, your socials, or download your photos, return or write emails

• Go out and do what you had planned anyway - we climbed a huge mountain in Thailand in the pouring rain with water running down the hill, straight into our shoes as we took the steep incline. But we did it anyway. Don’t let the rain stop you

• Remember it is not forever. As soon as you see blue skies, or the rain stops, get out there. You don’t know how long you have. Make the most of it

• Treat yourself to a café with a bathroom; you need a dryer especially in the rain or stop in for a coffee, take a long lunch, catch up on postcards, download the latest podcast, go to the movies, read a book, visit a library, museum, and stay somewhere for hours

• Research the weather before leaving home. Pack accordingly. Look up the weather each day while away

• When it is boiling hot get up early and stay out late. Go back to your accommodation and rest during the heat of the day. Wear light clothes, keep your fluids up, take taxis with air-conditioning rather than walking, stick to shopping centre’s, museums and indoor sites. Egypt, Cambodia and Qatar especially come to mind

How do you deal with the weather while travelling? Do you stay in or don’t let it bother you? Have you travelled in wet season or been unlucky to get caught in a place and it rains for the week? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.