There are many constants the traveler can plan on before they take off. You can work out where you are going to stay, how you are going to get there, and what you will bring.

However, as annoying and trite as the saying may be, it’s painfully true: You can’t plan on the weather.

I recently learned the hard way about just how much of a damper, literally, weather could put on travel plans. With spring breaks booked and planned to destinations like sunny San Diego and balmy Florida, we all would like to pack for the weather we want.

The reality though is that you can’t plan on what will pour out of the skies once you get there. Luckily, you can compromise with good old Mother Nature:

Buy What You Failed To Bring: I decided to visit Eastern Europe in one of its worst cold spells ever. Coming from Colorado, I figured I could handle Europe’s winter weather. I ended up buying the European equivalent of a down-comforter coat to keep warm. If you brought too many tank tops and it’s raining in San Diego your whole trip, fork over the cash for a poncho. Your travel budget might want to battle the bad weather with swim-trunks and flip-flops to save $50 but an uncomfortable vacation will result.

Follow the Sunshine and Book Refundable Accommodations: As weather can be so unpredictable, it never hurts to book refundable hotel rooms. That way if an unseasonable cold spell hits your spring break destination, you can pick up your bags and move on to greener pastures without paying for hotel rooms you never stayed in. You aren’t seeing or doing anything if you are stuck inside the hotel while on spring break. Don’t be afraid to be spontaneous and follow the better weather a few hours north, south, east or west.

Rent A Car: You might have booked a week long beach vacation, knowing you won’t need your own set of wheels. Then you arrive to nothing but gray skies and rain. If the weather forecast looks so-so or you arrive to weather not conducive to being outside, renting a car is a nice way to actually see something without getting cold or wet.

Research Indoor Activities No Matter the Forecast: I will never forget a spring break spent in Tucson, Arizona as a kid. I was so excited when I found out we were staying at a hotel with not just one pool, but seven. The week before, the weather was prime pool weather. When we arrived, Tucson didn’t just rain on our spring break. It snowed. I ended up spending far too much time in shopping malls. The lesson learned on this spring break?  Just because you see a forecast of sunshine doesn’t mean you will get one. Always research back-up things to see and do at your destination that don’t involve the great outdoors.

Take Food and Drink Tours: When it rains bad spring break weather, it usually pours. You might have planned a whole vacation enjoying the outdoors, but the weather is not cooperating. If that is the case, now is the time to become a food and drink connoisseur. Spring break towns from San Diego to Miami are filled with food and drink tours you can take if the sunshine makes you melt or the skies keep on pouring. And as the trite and annoying saying goes, you can’t plan on the weather so you might as well eat, drink and be merry.

CC Flickr photo credit: Tanveer Chandok