The Endless Summer had a powerful impact on me as a kid. I remember watching it over and over while looking at my globe in my bedroom and thinking about what it would be like to travel to the coastlines of countries that most people couldn’t point out on a map, let alone even heard of, and escape the crowded San Clemente lineups and surf either by myself or with just a few locals. I finally pulled the trigger about 15 years later, and over the course of a year, took my young family to every continent (minus Antarctica, no one will take young kids there). It was the most educational year of my life and I learned a lot about the world around me, geography, cultures and most importantly…people. Here are seven of the million things that I learned from my travels.
You can accomplish your dreams if you really want to.I never had the resources to make such a trip back then and I never believed that I could accomplish such a daunting goal. As I got older, I became more confident. I realized that I get the life I choose. I choose to be adventurous. I choose to live life the way I have always envisioned for myself, even when others tell me its not the path I should take, or society tells me it is irresponsible to not focus on my career at this stage in my life. I wanted to surf every continent and I wanted my kids to be there with me when I did it. It didn’t matter that they might not remember it, it mattered that we did it together as a family. Even though getting tubed at Hossegor and Mundaka, or teeing off at J Bay are incredible memories, they’re even more incredible when your family is there experiencing it with you. Its just as cool when you see your wife paddle out and do the same thing, as you show the kids that is what she calls fun too!
There are waves wherever there is coastline.Every time I hear someone say that there are no waves in a place that I have surfed, I am in disbelief. Not only have I found waves in countries where people claim that there are no waves, some of them have actually been really good. One of my best friends took a trip to Nicaragua the same week I went to another nearby country that everyone says has no waves. He got skunked and I had overhead waves every day. Just because it isn’t all over the internet doesn’t mean that it isn’t true or that it doesn’t exist! That’s part of the intrigue with surfing. I have had terrible conditions on the North Shore and unbelievable sessions in countries where I wasn’t expecting much swell. There are spots with reliable wind, swell and weather. They typically have reliable crowds too. No one likes getting skunked, but even if you do, there are always so many interesting things to do and people to meet abroad. While surf is always a focus of our travels, we make sure to do other stuff daily to get an authentic feel for each country we visit. I always do ample research before I book a flight. Some places have tons of information, others have almost none.
Kids travel way better than you would expect. Most people think I am insane for taking my kids across the world and especially to third world countries. I think people are insane who won’t take their kid on a 3 hour flight. We can agree to disagree. We have been on some really long flights and the kids have behaved perfectly fine. Yes, you have to change their diapers, yes, they usually cry when they wake up or are hungry, but I would never not go somewhere I have always wanted because I am scared of taking my kids on a flight. They also adapted to time changes much faster than we did. Most people don’t have the luxury of having someone watch their kids for a week or two, so they assume that no travel is better than traveling with the kids. I couldn’t disagree more. The whole reason we started our blog is to show others that it is not only doable, but it is a great way to spend time as a family.
Kids remember a lot more than you think they do.My daughter still claims South Africa as her favorite vacation ever. She went when she was 2. She is now 4. She remembers staying in a game lodge, hanging out at the beach while we took turns surfing J-Bay, going on a safari, and seeing penguins. Kids pick up everything. She still tells her friends that Fijians greet each other by saying, “Bula,” that Colombians eat arepas, that tuk tuks are her favorite mode of transportation in Thailand, that Cubans love salsa dancing, and that the French call water “ewwwwww!” Because my globe is a relic from the 20thcentury, she has a map on her wall with all the countries she has been to and and she tells us where she wants to go next. While she tells her friends about all of the cool things she has learned abroad, her friends are usually staring at her with a confused look and picking their noses. Traveling has kick started her curiosity of the world around her and has helped her understand and appreciate many things that are not available to her without that unique experience.
The world isn’t as scary as most people make it sound.I am not saying there aren’t dangerous places. I am not saying there isn’t tragedy and suffering anywhere. I am not saying bad things don’t happen to good or innocent people. I am not saying that there is a 0% chance that harm will come upon you, even if you are minding your own business. I am saying that if you use common sense, the likelihood of encountering problems is low. I have been to most of the countries with the highest murder rates in the world. Nothing has ever happened to me. I am not invincible and I am not saying that I will never encounter problems in the future, but I am saying if you aren’t bar hopping at 2am in Port Au Prince or trying to score drugs in San Salvador, and you’re not wearing your new watch and your new $1,500 camera draped around your shoulder, your chances of encountering trouble will greatly diminish. I have felt unsafe in LA, NYC and Houston too. There are no guarantees in life. It might not be a good idea to go to North Korea and wear a MAGA hat, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bring my kids back to Honduras.
There are a lot of rad people. Some of the coolest people I have ever met have been abroad. There seems to be a direct correlation between how rad these people are and how little they have in terms of possessions. We do a lot of third world traveling and the people there are almost always the friendliest.They’re the ones that invite you into their home for a home cooked meal. They’re the ones that will help you get local prices on food and souvenirs. They’re the ones that will take you to their local and secret surf spots without you asking them. They’ll hang out with you and talk story all night long if you let them. They love meeting visitors and always seem to take interest in you and what you’re trying to accomplish in their country. The locals almost always give my kids gifts and souvenirs without asking for money and they refuse me when I take out my wallet. We have learned a lot from these people and make a conscious effort to treat others the way they have treated us.
I lived my version of the Endless Summer. I will definitely do it again periodically throughout my life. My bank account grew back, my resume didn’t become unacceptable, San Diego didn’t change, nothing was any different than how I had left it. The only thing that was different was the strengthened bond with my family, the friendships I made along the way with people around the world and memories of the countless waves that we caught along the coasts of every continent.
