I know that I should post this on the Puerto Rico, Carribean Forum but I feel as if I\'ll get way better results here and I\'d like to hear what u guys from where I live have to say. Im 23 years old and finally I have come to just about putting this Puerto Rico Extended trip together. Me and my one buddy are looking to fly out of here the first week in November. Here are the Specs.\r\n\r\n -Flight - Hoping fly free with Flyer Miles. (BoardBag Fee $100.00?even with free flght??)\r\n -Rent - In Aguadila 3 bedroom house only $300 a month thats 150$ each between me and my buddy.\r\n -Car - Was told we could get a car for $15 a day (little steep if we wanted it for a whole month) or make longterm investment buy a beater car for $600 or so.\r\n -Food and Gas Monthly - This is where Im asking you guys here.... Im not going there to live like a king just trying to surf some good waves and enjoy what PR has to offer. ( Me and my buddy were maybe thinking 200 a month on food and gas, so we each throw $100 in??? Thats a rough guestimate and may be an optimistic one)I\r\n \'am hoping to maybe go down there with $2,000 this is including rent and all expenses(I know its not much) HOw long do you think I would last out there with such a tight budget that I have?) Like I said I dont plan on living like a king. \r\n\r\nPretty much looking to stay as long as my money takes me. I have no problem with finding a job down there. I work in a hotel now so maybe I can throw my resume to one of the resorts down there. If anyone has any suggestions on a cheap car, or knows someone that would Hire people for work down there I would really appreciate the feedback. Also as I stated it is a 3 bedroom house we only have 2 people me and my buddy so one more would make everything cheaper, even if you wanted to stay a month to help with rent, we are looking for a 3rd person to make it easier. \r\n\r\n\r\nCheers!
First time to PR? Try to take as much cash as you can, things are really cheap down there, if you don't eat out. Here is the plan: rice and beans for dinner and pb&j for lunch.... when the money gets low -forget the bread and just start spooning out the peanut butter. I could be wrong, but the last time I was there(2 or 3 yrs ago)- a car was about $30 a day (taxes & fees included). Maybe there is a locally owned car rental place that has older/trash cars for cheap. If you want to save - either walk or bike to the surf or rent a car when there are forecasted waves, so you can get to the better spots when the surf is on. remember- you gotta pay for gas too. If you don't rent a car I would suggest finding a place to stay in rincon- since you may be able to walk to more spots. BUT the surf is not usually as consistent or as big compared to aquadilla. Plus- i think they get better swells in the winter- you may want to check into that... I would just go for it and see what happens, just have a ticket to get back. Thats the best kind of trip!
Before you go give someone $20 and a box. Tell them that when you email them, to send the box filled w/ Ramen to your address. There's some insurance in case you run out of $$$. $20 can buy like 100 Ramens.
Are you Bilingual? It will help if you get a job busing tables or working at a hotel. I used to live in Rincon and I go back about twice a year. Since I have kids now it's hard to do it on the cheap. If you are staying more than a month, buy a beater car or a moped/scooter. (if you get a scooter, watch your a$$, drivers are really aggressive, especially in Rincon). Or get a credit card just for the trip (car rental, gas, food, beer, whiskey, surf supplies, etc). When you get home, go to the bank and get a low-interest loan to pay off the card. Aguadilla is your best bet because it is central to the best breaks on that side- Rincon's breaks to the South and Isabela's to the North.
I've been down there a few times and thought about doing this too. A car is def a big problem as far as money. Renting them sucks, if you are a decent mechanic id say go for the beater option.... especially if your going to be down there quite a while. I've seen ad's in classifieds for cars in the 300 dollar range down there. Granted they always need some work to go more than 5 miles or so. I wonder if you could find a cheap scooter or something ? You could always use a bicycle for a while until you figure something out. How far are you from some good spots? I was down there for a month once and walked / hitchhiked everywhere, we met some interesting people that way. and 2,000 isn't much for an extended stay, I've lived on rice, water and peanut butter before and it gets really old after a few weeks. anything you could sell off before leaving to make some extra dough??
I like that insurance policy with the ramen. And yeah transportation may be the toughest key component. I'm pretty sure we are by the golf course, but thats not being too specific. Unfortanetly I am not Bi-lingual so yeah that will be the downfall to a job. Love the Responses guys.... Anythhing else?? Cheers!
Since you're not bilingual I suggest a English-Spanish dictionary just to have in case you need it. To be honest though if you want to and put in the effort it wont be hard for you to learn a good amount of Spanish just being immersed in it down there, you'll pick it up quick. For renting a car check out Charlie Rental Cars, they are a local place in PR and are much cheaper than the big names. Stoked for you though man, I've been to PR 3 times and love it there. I would love to fill that third room in the house haha I can dream...
Golf course= wilderness=forget the car. Lol One of the better and more consistant surf spots around! Good location bro!
if youre into the bar scene in rincon youll be broke quick and whatever you do,DO NOT f up and visit the jail system. youll be sorry.
I agree. You are next to Wilderness, Surfers, and Tabletops...... all good spots. I would stick with a scooter or bike and rent a car only when you have to, maybe some days to score some different spots if you want. There are def different, other, and maybe more peaks elsewhere but I still think I had some of my best rides that trip at surfers. As far as a job goes, you are going to be pretty far (from what I remember) from any real source of employment. My buddies have been doing this trip for years and they have tons of restaurant/hotel experience but still have trouble getting jobs. They have found that in order to get a job, they have to get down there pretty early in the season(before Thanksgiving) and stay late (after March), especially if they want to come back to work the following year. I'd take as much cash as possible, have a ticket to get back, have a back-up plan, stay away from the bars and white stuff, surf as much as possible, and you should be good. Enjoy!!!
Does anyone know what board prices are like down there? Headed there around Christmas to surf and was planning on just buying a board while im there because i need a new one anyway. Wont have to pay shipping so that isnt an issue
I think the prices are about the same as here in NJ- i don't remember a huge savings- maybe a local shape might be cheaper. The selection could be limited if your looking for a specific kind of board. I did that once in Hawaii and spent about 2 or 3 days looking for the board I wanted... 2 or 3 days that I could have been surfing!
