We can learn a lot on the road. Photo: Philipp Kammerer//Unsplash
Sparking outrage from people across the internet, The New Yorker published a piece on June 24 titled “The Case Against Travel.” Author Agnes Callard argues that travel “turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing ourselves that we’re at our best.” Does surf travel fit the confines of Callard’s criticism? Or is surf travel exempt from these complaints?
Agnes begins by claiming that everyone loves to travel and that, partly for this reason, travel becomes an identity crutch for people. “What is the most uninformative statement that people are inclined to make? My nominee would be ‘I love to travel.’ This tells you very little about a person, because nearly everyone likes to travel; and yet people say it, because, for some reason, they pride themselves both on having traveled and on the fact that they look forward to doing so.”
Surf travel is an interesting way to put this to the test. It is a subgroup of people, and it is a specific activity. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this example is that travel is not just a pleasurable aspect of surfing; travel is integral to being able to surf.
When people talk about where they like to surf, they are talking about swells and weather conditions and times of the year and all kinds of changing factors as much as the place itself. Even waves are not completely tied to singular locations. World class regions like the North Shore, for six months at a time, are as useless to surfers as Bolivia or Alabama.
Spots turn on and they turn off. There is no magic spot that works all year round. Even geographical markers, like names of beaches, do not tell you where the spot actually is or if there will be a wave there. Sandbars, for example, come and go, making spots sometimes disappear as fast as they appear.
“I like to surf Huntington.” Which tower?
“I go to Malibu.” Do you log first point or shortboard second?
“I take surf trips to Mexico.” Puerto in the summer, or Sayulita in the winter?
Travel is not just enjoyable, it is fundamental. Of course, surfing is considered a leisure activity by most, but as a sport, it is the same level as all other activities by now. We’re sending Griffin Colapinto to the Olympics!
But now to address the two-part claim that nearly everyone likes to travel, and that all of these people pride themselves on doing so. Surfers do travel, and travel is enjoyable, so this part of the claim may be true. But do surfers like to travel more than they like surfing their local? Not sure. Being known in your own lineup is a huge advantage, and it takes lots of time to gain respect at quality breaks. Going somewhere for a week and giving up waves because you’re new isn’t everyone’s favorite thing.
Next, the claim that people pride themselves on traveling is a bad thing. I suppose in any situation or experience, being humble is better than all other alternatives. But this is, then, a straw man argument. Yes, we can all go through life perfectly ego free and selfless, but is this a reality that would be fun or interesting to experience? No.
Travel is something to pride oneself on because it, A) uses money that could have been spent on many other things, and B) forces oneself to break free from routine and re-learn how to receive stimuli.
Similar to taking psychedelics, travel allows people to open their minds to new thought patterns. People do both things to remind themselves how to stop taking their life for granted and remain more present and grateful, whether that is in a foreign country or when they return home.
Moreover, surfers, like everyone else, can go on extravagant trips: boat trips to the Mentawais, five-star resorts in France, all-inclusive surf camps in Morocco. But, far more commonly, surfers are revered for their ability to dirtbag their way into five-star waves. Roughing it: putting up with bugs, disease, language barriers, minimal clothing, cheap food… that is something to take pride in.
Callard does address this, saying it is “different” to have such a deep passion for something you fly somewhere to pursue it. Which is, sort of, what surf trips are. But people take surf trips to reconnect with friends, enjoy themselves, and relax. In other words, to travel, like everyone else.
The concerning part of this criticism is that traveling is low on the scale of harmful things people pride themselves in. Owning expensive cars, working grueling jobs, seeing live shows, doing drugs, having college degrees… people pride themselves on all sorts of things. People priding themselves in something doesn’t make that thing good or bad.
Furthermore, the lack of meaning associated with travel seems to be one of the major downsides to the author, leading her to conclude traveling is bad. She excuses travel when “necessities or duties demand it,” but writes off travel for fun, especially if there is no learning involved.
The idea that travel can occur without learning can, at least mostly, be debunked. It is virtually impossible to do anything and not think differently because of an experience. Unless you are replicating, second for second, something you have already done, your brain will learn something.
Secondly, and more importantly, does our free time need to have meaning in order for it to be worthwhile? Perhaps surf culture is more leisure oriented than mainstream hustle culture, but I’m not convinced this is a bad thing.
Another author, also writing for The New Yorker, seems to agree. In an article titled “The Frustration with Productivity Culture,” Cal Newport explains that productivity should be used to minimize work time, not to turn every waking minute into work. Essentially, in the modern age, people find it impossible to relax, because we are constantly told that all of our time must be meaningful for it to be a “good” use of time.
Learning how to relax is a skill. As far as downtime goes, traveling is a much better way to spend one’s free time than watching TV or swiping through dating apps or wasting time in countless other ways. We live in a consumerist society, and we are allowed free time and leisure. Travel is no more than free time combined with curiosity.
Surfing is the perfect antidote to this harmful culture. Surfers of decades past rejected consumerism and lived out their own slower paced ways of life, and even today, many surfers prioritize flexible schedules, personal health, and less stressful existences over high paying, corporate career paths. Maximize time in the water, minimize things that lack personal importance.
If travel is part of this equation, so be it. Just don’t wax on and on about your insanely epic trip to Uluwatu to everyone in the Salt Creek parking lot. Nobody wants to hear about it, and they’d rather surf Salt Creek anyway.
