Top 5 Tips to Make the Most Out of Your Week - France Edition
You've already chosen to come and surf with us this summer? Perfect! Regardless of which one of our camps you've decided to visit, we can pretty much guarantee that you will love it and will want to come back year after year. Even though some people choose to stay longer, most of our guests visit us only for one week. We realise that a week can either seem like an eternity or fly by depending on how you choose to spend it, so today we'd like to share with you our top tips on how to make the most out of your week here. Here's how to take your surf trip from great to unforgettable!
Be in the present moment
We go on holiday for different reasons, more often than not to take a break from our everyday lives and relax our mind. But the thing about the mind is that it doesn't always travel at the same pace as the body and it doesn't always travel to the same place either. It drifts and wanders to the things or people back home, or maybe to the uncertainties of the future, when the best place for it to be is the present moment.
Our first tip is to really try and engage with your surroundings, rein your mind back to where you presently are. Take a look around, use all your senses, smell the salt, feel the sun, listen to the ocean! If you find it difficult to connect with the present on your own, a good yoga practice will definitely help you with that! You can use the class to set an intention for the day and really ground yourself. You're at a surf camp, not anywhere else! So let go of any unnecessary feelings and emotions and savour every sensation for when you may need the memory of it to keep you sane during more stressy times of the year.
Take part in the camp activities
Tip number two is quite self-explanatory – our teamers don't want you ever to be bored at camp, so every day we offer a different activity to fill up your free time with. Most of them have been here a while and they know all the best features of the place, so the activities really will help you enjoy your trip to the fullest. If you want to check out the weekly plan in more detail, you can do so here (typical week in Vieux post).
Obviously, if you're too tired or just don't feel like participating – that's perfectly fine! But the days are long and there's plenty of time to chill, so when there's a volley tournament or a flunkyball game going on, let your competitive side show! If that's all too much effort for you, no worries, you can lay back and relax at the beach jam session or other more... stationary activities that we organise for you.
Make friends
Simple, right? If you listened to tip number two and took part in the camp activities, you've probably already noticed how many cool and interesting people you can meet at the camp.
Whether you came alone or with friends, a trip is always more enriching if you engage with new people. Who knows, maybe you'll find a kindred soul amongst your new surf buddies to share experiences with during the week – or maybe you'll meet your polar opposite who will show you new perspectives. Whichever one it is, Jack Johnson's completely right – it's always better when we're together. And if you feel a bit shy, like maybe it's out of your comfort zone to chat to everyone, just remember to smile, it will do most of the work for you!
Watch the sunset
Tip number four is an important one - take a moment to appreciate the sun. It shines so strongly all day, it makes your skin look beautiful and golden (maybe after a brief moment of redness if you're not careful), it makes your hair lighter and keeps you warm. But as all great performers, it saves its best trick for the last act, the sunset.
If someone asks you to go watch the sunset with them, always say yes, it is always worth it. Take a speaker with you if you feel like it and head to the beach to watch the sun's closing performance from front row seats on the dunes. You will be stunned by the mesmerizing colours that will fill the sky as the sun retires for the night behind the ocean.
If you're not too chilly, stay a while longer until it becomes dark and the stars and the moon come out for the night shift on the sky. How often can you stargaze in a place that is free of light pollution, where you can actually see all the constellations and with the sound of ocean waves crashing in the background? It's a cliché for a reason, it's magical and unforgettable every time, so enjoy while you can!
Explore the town
The campsite can be quite an international place where you will most likely hear English, German or Spanish before French. This little bubble that you'll spend most of your time in can sometimes make you forget that you're actually in another country with its own language and culture.
Our last tip to help you make the most out of your week at our surf camp is to go out of the campsite at some point during the week. Take a walk around the cute seaside town, explore the markets, really absorb the atmosphere of a little French town. Take a look around during the day (because we assume you will have already seen it at night during one of the party nights!), perhaps try some local food or just sit down for a coffee and people-watch, whatever feels like the best way to immerse yourself in the vibe of the town.
We hope these tips will help you take your week up to a whole new level.
See you soon!
Julia