This is exciting. Like, slap-me-am-I-dreaming(?!) unbelievably exciting. In 18 days Eric and I are taking off on a yearlong round-the-world surf trip.
We first started talking about long term travel about three years ago, not long after we first met. And then, you know, life gets busy, things come up, and items on your to-do list like “plan a round-the-world trip” get pushed to the side. Last year we went to Bali for our honeymoon, absolutely loved it, got inspired, and realized that we needed to make this trip happen.
We want to have more time to explore and not be restricted to the ridiculously short 2-3 weeks a year vacation time allotted to working Americans. The saying “life is short” is somewhat of a cliché phrase, but guess what? It really is.
Life is short even if you live to a healthy 90 years old, not to mention all the unfortunate things that could randomly cut life even shorter. Not be be dismal, it’s just reality. So after lots of dreaming and fantasizing about a long term trip, we decided to make a plan.
>> How we made our plan to travel the world >>
As we began to plan our trip last year, we started Lush Palm to share helpful information about surf travel, and inspiration for our own travels. We’ve been planning and saving for about two years, so the fact that we’re so close to departing is just incredible!
The feeling is pure happiness, excitement, and glee. It’s unexplainable. We’re basically singing and skipping through our days… it’s ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome :).
• LET’S PAY IT FORWARD •
Eric and I had always talked about ways we can volunteer throughout our trip here and there, but through some recent experiences and reflection we’ve decided to really prioritize giving back. As travelers, we gain so much from exploring and visiting different cultures around the world, but we seldom consider our impact on the places we visit.
We’re so fortunate to be able to travel and visit amazing places around the world, and we want to give back to the environment and communities along the way.
We’ve decided to volunteer in some way on every leg of our trip. Whether it’s helping build a school, install clean water, or participating in a major beach clean up. We want to make sure we’re not just taking from the places we’re visiting and we’re making the time to give back.
So if you know about any non-profits or organizations in the areas we’re traveling to (outlined below), please let us know! We would love your recommendations.
• MISSION: ENDLESS SUMMER / SURF TRIP ROUTE •
We want to be spontaneous in our travels, so our plans could definitely change, but here’s our rough draft route so far, along with pricing for airfare. We were pleasantly surprised to see the airfares so low! I think it’s because we’re used to longer distances and round trip costs, as opposed to the shorter one-way legs we’re doing on our trip.
We’ve been happy to find that since we’re taking relatively short flights, the prices are pretty darn awesome.
10/1 Mexico (driving)
10/14 California Coast Road Trip (driving)
10/30 San Diego >> Hawaii ($240)
12/4 Hawaii >> Auckland ($575)
1/13 Auckland >> Tahiti ($372)
2/3 Tahiti >> Brisbane ($505)
2/28 Brisbane >> Bali ($234)
Epic surf trips made easy.
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4/22 Bali >> Thailand ($133)
5/23 Thailand >> Maldives ($218)
6/6 Maldives >> Sri Lanka ($134)
6/22 Sri Lanka >> Nepal ($350) monsoon season means we’ll have to do Nepal another time
7/ 8 Delhi >> Athens ($400)
3 months in Europe
TOTAL FLIGHT COSTS: $2,811 each (not including baggage or surfboard fees, or travel within Europe)
As you can see, we were planning on going to Nepal and northern India, which would have been fine in May, as we previously planned, but we changed our schedule a bit which landed us there in June, which is monsoon season and wouldn’t be a great choice. So for now instead of filling that time with another location I’d rather just leave it open to give us some more flexibility to discover a new place while we’re on the road.
It’s been fun mapping out our route but also a bit challenging, as we’re trying to hit a whole lot of surf destinations at (at least) decent times for surf. We definitely don’t want to find ourselves on a remote island in a wave-less time of year!
We’d love your thoughts and insights on your favorite surf destinations! Where should we go?! Please give us a holler in the comments at the bottom!
• HOLY SERIOUS TO-DO LISTS BATMAN! •
As much as we’d like to think we can just up and leave our lives in a cinch, turns out it takes some doing! Planning and trip prep ain’t no joke. I mean, I’m not complaining… just sayin’. Apparently being a jet-setting nomad takes some prep. Here’s our final to-do list below.
I looked at it yesterday and said, “that’s not too bad,” and Eric reminded me of all the lists that exist within the individual items. We have some major lists within lists happening here.
Example: figuring out the packing situation. Oh boy, that’s a big one. Imagine packing a bag for a full year. Then add surfboards. Then add laptops and cameras… and maybe a drone. So yeah, we’re figuring it out. The clear solution: Pack a pack mule.
Eric has been selling off most of his quiver because we’re taking 1-2 boards each (tops). The other day he texted me that he sold another board, and added a very very sad emoji. I felt for him, I really did. And my reply was: “If it’s any consolation, we’re taking off on a yearlong round-the-world surf trip in a month.”
So yeah, that’s pretty much my reply to any first world stress in our lives right now. Cry me a river, you have a lot to do before you get to go travel the around the world. I mean, life is freaking good.
xo,
Tara
P.S. We’d love recommendations on your favorite surf destinations and/or any awesome charities we might able to work with along the way! Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!
If you make it back to the states with time to spare, check out the consistent waves here in my little surfing beach town of New Smyrna Beach. Ponce Inlet has been an east coast surfing destination for decades for many pro surfers. C’mon down if you get the chance.
Thanks, Dan! We’ve yet to explore east coast surf, but it’s definitely on our list. We’ll have to check out New Smyrna Beach when we make it over. Cheers!