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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The weather, part 2: how much do you let it affect your enjoyment of travel?

Perhaps the issue of how weather impacts your travel experience, providing it's not of disastrous proportions (epic heatwaves and heavy floods aside) is more a question of attitude than planning? We were at a restaurant the other night at Apollo Bay on the southern coast of Victoria where we met a keen young traveller who'd been waitressing for a couple of months to save money to do the big drive north with her boyfriend in a Wicked Camper. When we warned her not to travel to Northern Queensland before April, when the Wet season ends, she said they were in fact leaving Australia in April, so they'd intended to set out soon to ensure they covered the vast distance before then. I imagined the poor things huddled in the back of their Wicked Camper in a caravan park, the relentless rain pelting down around them. And because Australia's geography is the way it is, they'd have little choice but to head back south again, or take an expensive flight to another (drier) part of the country. I wondered if they'd persist with their original travel plans and if they did strike weeks of neverending rain, whether they'd see it as a disaster, a terrible end to what had otherwise been a good trip so far. Or whether they'd still enjoy it and think of it as an adventure, snapping pics of the flood waters rising around them, determined to make the most of it. I'm keen to know how you react to the onset of bad weather that puts a damper on your travel plans. Are you the type of traveller who endeavours to ensure you're not caught in snow storm in the first place? But if you are and the circumstances are beyond your control, do you make the most of it? I'm keen to learn more about how you travel and I'd also love you to complete my poll (top right), please.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It really depends on how bad the whether conditions can get. It is a part of the decision when planning a trip, definitely, but on the other hand, it's all part of the experience. When me and my friends went on a roadtrip in Ireland, the whether was changing in a matter of minutes. Heavy rain, sun, snow, storm, sun again...it was crazy. At some point you could barely see outside. But as I said, it's all part of the experience and we had a great time anyway.

Anonymous said...

Thinking about it, I am pretty persistent in the face of unsuitable weather unless the weather is really extreme. Saying that, I try to plan in advance to avoid being in places at the worst possible time such as ytour example of heading to the north of Australia in the wet seson or walking up a mountain in the middle of winter. Will be interested in others' views.

Anonymous said...

Bad weather = great stories. On the other hand, bad weather can impede photography. That's the only downer I can think of. I try to take outerwear that will allow me to get out in just about any weather condition, but the element of surprise, while initially can result in disappointment usually makes up for that with story fodder. The glass is half full!

Lara Dunston said...

Hi Stella - I'm so sorry I missed this message of yours! Yeah, changeable weather can be both funny and frustrating, can't it? And it can make the trip exciting. We've certainly enjoyed getting snowbound in Europe on various trips - but we were on holidays - different story when you're working unfortunately.

Thanks for dropping by and so sorry I missed this comment!


Hi Tammie

You're spot on! Some of our best travel stories are from the worst weather experiences. But you're right too that it's not great for photography - especially if you're shooting a book - editors don't want to see grey skies.

Thanks for commenting - much appreciated.

jubeljane said...

i care so much about weather!! i am going to sumatra next week, but i consider changing it into a myanmar / cambodia / borneo / whateversnearby trip all the time, just for blue sky's sake! since i have to sit in an office all day long, i am craving sun and intense colors and the heat on my skin - i'd hate every grey day while being on a vacation.