College: parties, girls, studying and debt — a whole lot of debt. Thus far, college has been the best years of my life, but the hardest financially. Yet with longer summers and fall/winter breaks, there isn’t any use in moping around. For a good friend and me, it was finally time to take full advantage of it.
This past summer, Garrett Hughes and I sat down together and tracked swells all season long. Where did it lead? To a last minute trip to none other than The Wedge. We had the best trip, scored near-perfect waves, and flew back to the east coast with a couple bucks still left in our pocket. Here’s how we did it:
Flying
Shop around! There are some pretty incredible deals out there that go unrecognized. Most major airline companies offer deals on Mondays, which leaves second-hand companies like Jet Blue scrambling to offer something just as good, if not better, the following day. Plan of attack? Check flight prices every Tuesday and into the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Book ahead of time. I bought a ticket on a Tuesday last spring and was at Trestles three days later for under $400 (round trip).
Once you find an airline you like, stick with them! Almost every airline company offers frequent flyer programs, which will help cut your next flight’s cost if you have points to use. There are a bunch of surfer-friendly airlines out there — Jet Blue only charges $50 per board each way where US Airways is a scary $200.
Standby Flying
Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket of the airline industry. Garrett was kind enough to introduce me to this incredible privilege. Since his father is a pilot, he can fly in and out of any airport with a hub for his specific airline. He flew for a free, I flew round trip for under $200. In the middle of tourist season, no less. Game on.
Where to stay?
When in doubt, rough it out. Rent a hatchback. Bring a tent. There are a bunch of campsites all over California. We lucked out and grabbed a small SUV as our rental car and slept in it the entire trip. Crack the windows, ball up your sweatshirt and use your towel as a blanket. Bam. Just don’t be stupid. We found quiet streets in Newport and Laguna to crash where not a single person (or cop) harassed us.
Not fond of sleeping in the car? Meet people! Offer to shoot their session the next day for a place to crash.
After posting photos of boogies on the Wedge Action page, we had offers to crash on couches all over Orange County. Couchsurfing.com is a pretty great alternative as well or fire up Tinder and “swipe right” into oblivion.
The places you’ll travel, the experiences you’ll have, and the people you’ll meet can never have a price tag put on them. This trip is one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and I hope the tips help. Find the swell, make the call, pack a bag, and go.
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