By Ben Fanning, contributing columnist  |  I recently returned from a trip to Berlin, Germany, and learned several life lessons you can apply to your next trip. 

ONE:  You can do a lot in the freezing rain

We visited Berlin during the off-season to take advantage of the low rates for airfare and hotels.  Also, many of the sites were less crowded than usual.  Of course, this meant we faced freezing rain and wind every day, but we came prepared with heavy jackets and multiple layers.

I had an old band director who repeatedly said, “never wait on rain;” While freezing rain in Berlin might be a deterrent to some, it didn’t slow us down one bit.