Don't get me wrong... I would LOVE to go to Indo. I only say no to Indo because of the money and the length of time I feel like I'd need to spend there if I went. Plus... I have absolutely NO friends who would or could go at this point. But if money wasn't as tight as it is, and/or if I had unlimited time to take off from work... I'd do it in a heartbeat. France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland... been to all of them and can't say enough about the surf and surf culture there. Very different in many ways. Could definitely pull a Tom Curren and move to France... permanently.
Plenty surf on big island. I should be there 12/15 to visit my bro. I would prefer to visit Kauai or Maui (especially if I was traveling with a lady).
Surfed France three times. Pretty amazing. Can get scary huge. Very, very crowded & aggro in places like Cap Breton. You can also find your own empty breaks. Heaviest rips I've ever experienced. The food, the wine, the women. Amazing. Saw lots of guys who owned or rented those Euro camper vans, similar to the ones you see in the States, but seemed many more dedicated to the surf trek life. These guys surf-travel-drive up & down the coast, lotta Brits & people from all over Europe. They surf from the UK to North Africa & everything in between. Surfing, living in the vans, the campsites / vehicle spots are numerous. Saw some surfboart racks on Sprinter-type rigs that were awesome, gizmos not available here. Seemed like more of a surfer van culture there than here, imho. Pretty neat.
I would kill to be able to go back in time and do that trip again now, I was woefully unprepared for it at the time...
Speaking of longboard lagers, you ever been to kona brewery? If i ever did go to Hawaii I'd want to check it out. When me and the lady travel with in the US we usually hit up a brewery or two. Wondering if it's one of those big breweries that's cool to check out. You know, the ones that have stuff they don't have in stores to try and just fun to go to. Opposed to the ones that are just a brewery with the option to buy a 6 pack you could of got at the distributor.
The one in Kona is alright, decent restaurant, beer selection, not that scenic as its in a strip mall/industrial area. There is a new startup called Ola brew in town (also not that scenic) which has a lot of interesting ciders (dragonfruit, ginger). The Kona Brew Pub on oahu in the Koko Marina is a little more scenic to my mind being on the water. If you get to Maui (or oahu) hit up Maui Brewing for sure, they edge out Kona a little bit IMHO. Also up north on Big Island in Waimea definitely check out the Big Island Brewhaus.
Cool man thanks, I'll keep that in mind of or when i ever get there! This forum is a freaking wealth of information
6,000 seems like an arse ton of money to me....wife and I did 2 months in Mex last summer and it was a hair over 3,000 for everything and we weren't pinching pennies. Buuut, the waves you will get in indo might (or might not) be worth it. I am flush with time but not with cash so for me, I go to places that might be hard to get to but the money can stretch. I am also interested in some of those landcamps in sumatra cause that seems like a place to dissapear for not all that much cash for a couple months. Anyway, cool thread thanks for all the info people.
It's all relative man. How much do you spend on food, clothes, cars, whatever. I own 2 pairs of jeans. Havnt bought a single shirt in at least 5 years. I don't buy lunch everyday, i don't eat lunch. I drive a 2012 jeep that i put gas in once a month due to me driving a work truck for.... work. I don't splurge on anything. Except surfing and my girls rings. My point is i bet if you didn't spend money on stuff that you could do without, you'd have 6 grand in no time. Every person is different. With that being said 6 grand definitely id more than alot of trips. But did i mention that's for 2 weeks... for 2 people? And it's indo. Im not rich. I just cut out the crap to save money for what i want.
It’s definitely a premium trip. -premium waves -all meals cooked for you including, pressed coffee and smoothies made to order -trolling for game fish and eating it almost daily (shoot I would pay for the fishing charter). -kayaking and exploring estuaries around the islands (small time eco tour on your own). -taxi to and from the peak -a/c, surf vids, sunrise and sunset from the look out chill spot. -travel to and from spots based on conditions. -plane tickets across the world I hear you and have been envious of your south of the border stories and they sound epic. But a premium trip comes with some (or many) positives. 3k for 2 months in mex sounds about right. If your driving I guess. You have your system down for travel there which is cool. The $5k I spent for 11 days on a boat in Indo with all of the positives was well worth it. But, I could be down with 2 months in Mex for a couple of K...if I had the time. Sounds fun.
Indo has been a fantasy trip for me, didn't realize so many swellies made the trip! I have a lot of friends who have done Bali, none that have done exclusive boat surf trips though. Sounds incredible. I can't believe how much you guys spend though, and I understand Bass Mons point of it being relative, but still. The plane Tix are my only high cost item, maybe a rental car, on 90 percent of my trips. I really have traveling on the cheap down to a science. I find I definitely meet more people and get more local flavor that way. My only all inclusive trip ever was my honeymoon in Mexico, I do see the allure and ease to it, but still kind of bland. 6 g's for a trip? Hell, that would be 2 to 3 months for me. Then again, I am a cheap bastard, just ask my gf, lol...
Man isn't this the truth. I would say the same about about all my trips more than 5-10 years ago. I always think about what I would have done on a certain wave, knowing what I do now.
With the exception of indo, because that is a diffrent beast, i agree about the whole local flavor thing. I don't want to travel someplace just to say i went. I want to really experience the place. And it's cheaper. The coolest part of my CR trip was meeting this local who offered to drive us to this beautiful little beach to bbq and drink and just have fun. Awesome food, awesome people. At an all inclusive resort type place, your not getting that type of experience. Indo just doesn't seem like a place for that. Bunch of islands... you need a guide to take you around.
dude just go. don't worry about a thing the place is chill. nothing like paddling thru the cave at ulu. friggn mysto
Hahaha i am going man! It will be my next trip. Im thinking late 2019 or early 2020. Just got back from CR less than a month ago. Just gotta decide on where exactly i want to go. The mentawai islands is a strong contender right now.
Been to Bali 3x and Maldives 3x. Both have there pros and cons. Aside from Bali, I have not done "indo" - Kandui, Boat Trips, etc Never seen a flat day in Bali or Maldives, but Bali is def bigger (they usually get waves from the same storms). But with all these other resorts coming on board, (all over the pacific), there are FAR more expensive places than Bali/Maldives, etc. Just getting to Samoa is like $2200 pp round trip honestly, Bali can be one of the cheaper trips. Occasionally, you can score round trip tickets for under 500, but 800 is the norm. Aside from PR and CR, getting to places like El Sal, Nica, etc, the tickets aren't much cheaper than heading to Bali. Once your there, prices can be about the same. Boat Trip - I've done the Maldives 2x for 7 days for $2k total. Indo is a different story since you're usually travelling for 3 days just to get to the boat...and the boats are way more expensive than Maldives. Maldives - 18 hours in transit from JFK/Dulles, land in Male, Surf less than 2 hrs later. Same thing with departure...surf all morning/early afternoon, 4 PM flight, and your back in the US at like 7 AM the next day because of the time difference.
