Holidays - am i excused?

In 2 days Im going on holiday for a week (France - not looking forward to it to be honest, but thats not the point) and there's no chance of access to a piano. I'm aware we should practise preferably every day (though I realise the odd day doesn't mater as long as we persevere) but a whole week seems a little lengthy for me and since I'm only, well, between beginner and intermediate and in the middle of learning quite a few scales and arpeggios, Im a bit worried I'll just forget everything!

I've heard about practising without a piano - just on the table, and of visualizing the scales and stuff. Do you think this is sufficient to stop me 'losing' me progress? Or am I just a bit paranoid?

I had the same problem last week for my vacation (holiday ). I was so worried about missing out on playing that I almost bought a really cheap used keyboard to take with me but finally decided against it.

I have heard about mental play (playing piano in your head), so I spent time during the week at least reading about it. I tried it briefly, but found it incredibly difficult. I would like to find out more about it. Apparently, according to this book, if one cannot play a song in one's head, then one really doesn't know it well enough. I was surprised on how much of the songs I "know" I really didn't know. My fingers just do their thing, but I couldn't remember which keys I actually play. It was a real eye opener!

Anyway, before my week long break I had about 6-7 weeks under my belt. When I returned and played, I definitely lost a little, but now after 3 days I have regained and am actually playing the songs a little better.

So, don't worry about your holiday. There will be more breaks too, I'm sure. If you take some time to think a little about piano, or read a little about it or study a piece, perhaps you might return from holiday a little better!