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Road Tripping, Part 2: Going Further

© Nathan Myers

Also: Bring a tent, sleeping bag, camping stove, bowls and utensils, cooking gear, flashlight and toilet paper.

Killing time: Bring stuff to do! Journal, book, skateboard, frisbee, cards, a ball, a guitar, or whatever it is you do to relax. Plan on taking some time alone. Bring boots to hike in, a walkman, or whatever. Pack as if you expect to get skunked. It's called "the positive power of negative thinking." Plan for the worst, and if you're right, well, at least you planned on it. And if you're wrong, then you're stoked.

Clothes: Assuming you're going somewhere warmer (why would anyone take a surf trip to somewhere colder?), all you really need is a pair of board shorts and your favorite t-shirt (okay, maybe some warmer clothes for the nighttime). Oh, and deodorant..

PERSONS:
Two or three people make the best extended trip crew. Solo missions are no good unless you are going somewhere familiar, or you're seeking a religious experience of some sort. Four people is okay, but it's starting to get crowded with everyone's stuff in one car. Five people need two cars, and then it's two road-trips that run parallel.

Know your traveling companions. This doesn't mean you can only travel with your best buddy. Just know the type person you're planning on spending your next days in close quarters with. If you go with someone who needs to be baby-sat, guess who gets the job?

Take time for yourself. Sometimes it's hard to just walk away from your friends and not invite them along, but do it anyway. Just take a walk or something. Go read your book on top of the cliff, or go swimming alone. Whatever. Time alone will prevent petty bitterness and multiple homicides. Really.

STAY:
Plan on staying at least a week. A month is more like it. I guess it's better to go short than not at all, but longer is invariably better. That way you have time to wait for a swell, and to ride each day of it, too. You have time to get in tune with the tide, to build your surf muscles and hone your skills.

Keep your trip cheap. Buy and cook your own food. Camp at a cheap campsite. Stay away from the bars. Surf. It's free to surf. Absolutely free. And then you're tired, you sleep, then you surf again.

Keep your itinerary loose. Have a rough "in general" sort of plan, but mostly go with the flow. If one place is good, then stay there. If it's bad, move on. Simple as that. Look at maps and talk to locals to figure out where to go for secret spots (surf spot and other attractions).