How much does the weather affect your trip experience?
Written by Karen BryanI know that talking about the weather is a British obsession. However it is amazing how much difference weather makes to a trip experience.
Amsterdam canal view
We visited Amsterdam for short break a few years ago at the beginning of April. The weather was absolutely awful, cold (around 7 degrees celsius), windy and very wet. It was not at all alluring to venture outside our Botel (a boat hotel).When I spend a day in Amsterdam in June 2008, it was a beautiful, sunny, warm day and it was like a different city.
I think that the weather also had quite a negative impact on our trip to Italy at the end of May 2008, where the temperature varied from 36 – 14 degrees celsius, either baking hot and humid or wet, murky and cool. Neither conditions being conducive to a pleasant tour of Umbria when the anticipated conditions were the low 20s with some showers.
How much influence has the weather had on your enjoyment and perception of destinations?
I don’t mind a bit if it rains on my beach holiday. The only thing less enjoyable might be the photos are somewhat dreary.
No Roberta AKA as Cat Lady I don’t suppose that you mind if it’s “raining cats and dogs”? I;m not a lover of beach holidays as I burn too easily and prefer to see something of the locale rather than lie on the beach but I don’t like rain or hot temperatures on holiday if I’m trying to walk around and explore.
It rained cats and dogs, and blew a hooligan on our first day in Venice last year. At least, there weren’t so many crowds, and we didn’t have to queue for anything.
Keith, “bad” weather can sometimes have benefits. We spent a day in Venice February couple of years ago, to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and it was very murky, damp, cold Tuesday but there were still an surprising number of tourists around.
A born Dutchman married to a lady from, and hence living in, South California once stayed with us her in The Hague and spent a whole afternoon sitting inside before open balcony doors enjoying the heavy thunderstorm going on from pure nostalgia to bad weather….
Happy Hotelier, I suppose if you live in southern California with wall to wall sunshine, some rain does make a pleasant change.
I was the same question last night, and I don’t mind aslong as it does not rain, it doesn’t have to be warm and sunny, in fact I don’t like it too warm because I like to get around and about when visiting a new destination.
Your right that the weather does give you a different perspective on the destination. I visited Oslo last February and to be honest I loved it because it was snowing and loads of it, and I wouldnt have wanted it any other way.
I see we are in agreement Darren that we don’t like it to either be too hot or wet when we’re on holiday.
Oslo must have been beautiful in the snow.
At this page they have a short weather overview of Amsterdam, the Netherlands…
http://www.allamsterdam.nl/article/19/The_Weather_in_Amsterdam.html