Hey folks, I’m gonna be traveling far (not really practical to bring my guitar) for about 12 days. Lately I’ve been trying to play every day, so I’m already thinking I’ll miss it. I’ll have quite a bit of free time though. What do you think I should do to make the most of it? I was thinking maybe dive into some music theory.
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If there are music shops close to your destination, it’s quite likely that they can rent you a guitar.
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I tend to learn some theory, or do some ear training. There is plenty of theory available on this site. In the “Tips from approved guides /teachers” section there is one on the modes, one on the circle of fifths, one on intervals and scales and one on borrowed chords - plenty to be going on with. For the ear training I do either interval recognition or some transcription. There is plenty of content available elsewhere on the internet for both theory and ear training.
I bring a D’Adario finger exerciser (with simulated finger tip abuse to maintain calluses).
Other than that, I’ve just pined, worked with lyrics, and the Justin Music Theory course.
Not that same though…
You don’t need to rent a guitar. Find the local guitar shop, buy some picks and hang out test driving their guitars every other day.
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Carry a pick in your pocket and work on your pick tricks. Unless you do that all the time like I do. 
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Pick tricks?
rentals are good if you want to play in peace and quiet. or go play somewhere else.
I considered renting a guitar so I could attend a campfire jam on my vacation in the spring. But I ended up being too busy to go to that jam, anyway. so I just played in music shops
Yeah like doing little finger tricks with you pick. Moving it around with your fingers, like gamblers do with poker chips. It’s sort of like practicing manipulation of the guitar pick. Helps with moving from picking to finger style.
Where to pocket the pick in your hand type of thing. Between two fingers or pocketed within the fold of your ring finger. Where ever you do it.
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- Take lots of music with you to listen to in order to pick some songs you want to learn/transcribe
- There’s an ear training course from Jordan Klemons I like with some mp3s for your smartphone to train recognizing intervals for when you’re bored.
- pen and paper? EG. draw the fretboard and name the notes on the fretboard. Then do the same again later.
Lots of things you could do without guitar. Or just relax on your journey and be really happy again when you’re back…
I mostly did the latter until recently I bought a “traveler guitar” + “spark go” mini amplifier which is tiny enough to take on a holiday and I just had my first holiday with guitar.
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I bought a travel guitar, Journey OF-660,similar to the Rainsong guitars. It’s traveled all around the world (literally) with me.
I bought an Enya Nova Go for that purpose (very inexpensive, and carbon composite so weather doesn’t bother it.) I’ve hardly touched it.
Before I retired I always did a lot of business travel and overseas postings. I bought an Erlewine Lazer as a travel guitar. Took it everywhere.
I used a dirt cheap, second-hand small sized guitar. Far from perfect but it allowed me to keep playing, it was small enough to travel with me, and it was cheap enough that if it broke I wouldn’t have cared.
Just be careful where you do this. You don’t want to get arrested. 
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I have one of those, too. Haven’t really traveled with it yet, but I have taken it backpacking in the rain and played it around a campfire on said trip.
I had considered taking it on my vacation in the spring and I’m glad I didn’t. My wife bought a tenor ukulele on the trip and considering she brought a ukulele there to play on the beach, we had to fly back with two instruments. One of the airlines on the way back was a PITA regarding where that instrument was kept so it would have been pretty troublesome if I had also brought my travel guitar.
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Practice your singing 
If you want to push the boat out, practice solfege singing
do re mi fa so la ti do and back again
then 3rds and 5ths do mi so do so mi do etc, majors then minors then other sequences.
It’ll help your ear, your theory, and also make it easier to sing and play later 
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Sometimes a guitar is a bit much, but the Blues Harp (key of C) never gets left behind. It might not fit your preferences, but thought I’d share what I do, just in case it’s helpful.
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Thanks everyone for your input, it really added a lot to this post!
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You could also check the 2nd half of my past Live Clubs;
Often they are about topics that don’t require playing the guitar.
https://www.justinguitar.com/clubs
setting goals, making a self assessment, improve your storytellign on stage, etc…
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