Travel Tip: Of all the things to spend a little bit more on, a raincoat should be at the top of your list!

We are both smiling because despite the never-ending downpour that was our first day in Budapest, we remained dry! 🙂

Why It’s Important: Prior to our trip to Ireland, both John and I agreed that we both needed to invest in a good raincoat – mainly because of the reputation of the Irish weather and its never-ending rain! We wanted to be prepared, and as neither of us owned an actual raincoat, we decided it would be as good a time as any to finally invest in one.

Now, the above picture shows John in his SECOND good raincoat. It was a necessary purchase, mainly for me, because I couldn’t listen to John complain one more minute about his first raincoat. One that he had put in the necessary research, had hunted for the good deal and the one he ordered with high confidence only to be exceptionally disappointed.

Coat #1 – He’s only smiling on the outside.

So, what makes a good raincoat? Now, I am NOT a spokesperson for this company, and it is slightly hard for me to admit only because North Face is a slightly preppier brand than I normally tend to invest in, but my rain coat, the North Face Women’s Venture Waterproof Jacket (which I found on Sports Authority for $49…a steal for the normally $99 coat!) has yet to let me down yet. (Nor has my fleece or heavy coat from them but that’s for another day.) I’m not a brand-name only person by far but the truth is, if a coat by a certain brand is known for it’s high quality, there’s a good chance it is worth the hype.  The reviews on The North Face Women’s Venture Waterproof Jacket were nothing but glowing and by finding it on sale, I could not pass it up! And it has saved more than a couple of days on our many adventures around Europe – where the weather can be completely unpredictable no matter the season. Not only does it do a great job keeping me dry, but it also does an excellent job doubling as a  windbreaker as well.

Thanks to my rain coat, the torrential downpour was a non-factor!

Now, John had looked at the same coat on the men’s side and to be honest, I can’t quite remember why he didn’t buy it…although I want to say it was because he couldn’t find a deal like the one I found and therefore opted for a deal he did find. His Columbia raincoat had all the features he could have wanted except one – underarm air vents. If I could sew at all, I would have sewn in two underarm zippers to escape his unhappiness in being overheated while being forced to wear his rain coat. It would just get too hot for him to be at all tolerable which leads to no fun for everyone! By the time we got to his birthday, there was no question what the purchase would be. He also got a North Face this time around, and I am happy to report that he loves it. Although sadly, the Columbia coat is tucked far in the back of the closet.

All smiles in his new favorite rain coat!

So, when planning for a trip – take a little extra time and spend a little extra money on a quality and highly reviewed rain coat. It is the difference between spending the day miserable and soaking wet, or dry and happy!