Summer is a common season for trips. As some of you are doing now. We go on vacations to take a break from our everyday situation. To finally destress and decompress from the daily routine and responsibilities. However, we don’t have to do this only once or twice a year. Moreover, you don’t need a grand plan or big budget. Wherever you live, there is some free space, a special place to escape into.

This could be a park or trail, meadow or forest, hilltop or seaside. Even a roof with a view or a cozy backyard corner will do. Best if it’s nearby, a local spot. So you can enjoy the 5-10 minutes you spend walking there too. No big deal to do, but a great deal to gain.

For example, where our HQ in Berkeley is, there are a lot of options. A favorite is the well-known, under-utilized Tilden Regional Park, among numerous others. There are also many nice areas on the UC Berkeley Campus to check out too, like the Eucalyptus Grove or Optometry Building patio. Go alone for some sweet solitude, a rare respite in the perpetual noise and constant buzz of modern life, online and off. Or, bring along a friend to chat and connect with. Better, ask a Training Partner to come practice together.

What to do when you get there? Firstly, on the way over, reflect on what you want to improve. In terms of WingChun, it could be a specific technique like Gwan Kuen (Rotating Punch) or Zam Sao (Sinking Arm). Or how you execute it. Maybe with more muscle speed and power. Perhaps with finer joint alignment and precision. Alternatively, you might choose a Form like the first Gerk Fat (Leg Methods) or Siu Nim Tau (Small Intention) to review and refine. Another possibility is flowing through the Second Student Level sequences of Lat Sao (Casting Arms).

Be creative. The sole requirement is that you do something – whatever, whenever, however.

In order to promote this process, instead of staying stuck in a static state, don’t forget to make these short trips. Simple training vacations, especially outdoors in Nature, can be as memorable and rewarding as far-flung flights to tour foreign landscapes. If not because they’re easier and cheaper excursions that you can depart to more frequently and spontaneously.

One great thing about having WingChun is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. All you need is yourself. No booking, packing, waiting. As long as you set the time, you can go off now. Literally! Your computer won’t be jealous.