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Spring is the Grossest Time to Travel

Maybe it’s because of where I grew up, but spring has never been my favourite time of year. You would think maybe it would be winter with it’s cold weather, snow and near hermit living conditions, but winter has its perks. There’s something to be said about the consistent temperature, making you want to bundle up and stay warm at both home and when you go out. There are few things as enjoyable as eating a nice hot meal or drinking a hot beverage by a fireplace with good company, while it snows something fierce outside. Yes, my attitude may be different if I lived a few more hundred years ago or in poverty conditions… but I don’t. And I’m not complaining!

Spring though, just sucks. It really does.

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Best case scenario… it’s pretty… I know

In the popular mindset spring is a time for rebirth and new beginnings – where the beauty of the world emerges from its cocoon and bursts forth in all its colourful majesty. It’s a time of blossoms and gentle showers and babies and returning warmth where hope returns and anything is possible. In reality, it’s as messy and disgusting as childbirth and you’re more likely to have a big pile of slop waiting for you outside than a majestically colourful backdrop.

The same goes for travel destinations. People often try to get away from wherever they are in the winter to someplace warmer or embrace the winter wonder in skiing or other snow activities, but nobody goes someplace to get in the rain or mud. Blossoms are a beautiful thing to see in places like Japan but it’s also one of the most expensive and unpredictable times of year – a strong wind or rain storm can make it all disappear.

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…the rest of the time. Gross.

Hiking in the spring isn’t ideal because of mudslides and general grossness of the trails, so doing the outdoors thing isn’t for spring. I’m willing to bet most people would rather be out walking while it’s snowing gently, taking in the beautiful harbours or quaint streets of a new destination than darting from overhang to overhang when it’s raining. Rain gets through pretty much whatever you’re wearing – snow sits on the top. It would be fine too for planning if it was one or the other but in spring you never know which one you’re going to get!

This unpredictability is terrible for packing for a trip because what clothes do you bring? It’s not like going to Scotland where the weather is pretty much guaranteed to be bad, even in the summer – it could be blistering in the spring or it could be miserable. You pretty much have to have a back up plan for sightseeing because the weather could ruin it all. The trade off is that it’s not peak season in many places so crowds won’t be as much of an issue but if you’re on a tight schedule, it could be dreary the entire time you’re away, which unless you’re a down in the dumps donkey, isn’t the recipe for a great holiday.

I’m no climate expert but even though autumn is also a transitional season, the weather is typically more favourable and beautiful than spring. Warm to cold seems better to me than cold to warm and the scenery is infinitely more attractive. Of course if you have no choice as to when you travel, you have to make the best of whatever time of year you can get away – but if you have the choice, why would you ever do so in spring?

But then again… that’s just me.

(Also I’m well aware the last thing I wrote was about how much I’m looking forward to spring and how much I hate winter… what can I say… I’m complex lol)

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