Guides

Well my family is spread all over the world and canada is home now. i live in tofino on vancover island which is breathtaking and im reminded daily why i call it home. i have been travelling and living out of my homeland australia for 4 or so years now and im not looking to move back to australia anytime soon. i have been surfing since i was about 2 foot tall. i grew u100m from suffolk park beach (just south of byron bay) and my dad started pushing me into waves there. I started competing on longboards at the age of 12 or so competing uto national and international levels. anyway surfing is epic, i have been teaching for a while too and its all about the smiles on peoples faces that made me want to teach. whether your a beginner or a pro if you forget to smile while surfing you have forgotten what surfing is about.

I have been travelling to Central America for over 10 years. Costa Rica has gone through some incredible developments in tourism adding to the culinary and accomodation aspects of an already ecologically magical environment. The waves have remained the same; Consistent, Warm and diverse making it's coastline a dream destination for any surfer. I met the BT crew 2 years ago and have been on many a good Costa Rica adventure with them and our guests since. I like to balance my day out with a good morning stretch followed by a rich blend of Costa Rican coffee and a fresh breakfast of Rice, Beans and eggs and of course fresh fruit followed by an early surf to take advantage of the smaller crowds and off-shore winds which always blow before the sun rises. After a short siesta and maybe an adventure to a waterfall I like to take a sunset surf or whole afternoon to sit in the ocean and surf to my hearts content. Of course once the sun sets I have a rubber arm for any invitation involving music fun and drinks and there's always plenty of great options for any mood in Costa Rica. I always look forward to a BT adventure filled with Pura Vida vibes, Good people and the ocean at my footstep. Besides guiding for BT in the Winters I also plant-trees and fight fires in B.C. Canada keeping my adventure level stoked for the next time I go south.

It all started last September when I was sitting with a friend trying to find ways to surf & travel more, maybe even start our own company. We had good visions but no money. Then I discovered Beach Travellers and realized that these guys founded something awesome. I started helping BT by being a campus reat UQAM in Montreal, and I was keen on eventually becoming a guide. I had been to Costa Rica a few times and was in love with the place. The surf, the vibe, la pura vida. No worries, no traffic jams, cellphones turned off...you get it. It's paradise down there.

So here I am, sitting at the airport in Florida waiting for my flight to CR, excited to surf and meet some people who have only one goal, having the time of their life. Guiding for BT represents a lot of good opportunities for me and we'll have a blast for sure. Waking at 6 am to the warm sunshine, without having a care in the world, except catching a few mangos and bananas before paddling out with your amigos. I can't wait to get back there, enjoying the beauty of the country, the easy living and good people. We will definitely be living LA PURA VIDA!!!

Tuanes amigos!

Although my roots are planted in the golden pancake prairies of Saskatchewan, as a kid I was continuously on the move with my family: living in Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, USA and Germany. At a young age, I quickly developed a sense of appreciation towards people, place and culture. I presently find myself in absolute euphoric paradise - beautiful Costa Rica where life is so simple and pure. Costa Rica is extremely rich with life and so much diversity exists within species. Surfing is a way of life down here and the waves are majestic and certainly in abundance. When I day dream about Costa Rica, I think of tasty sweet succulent fruit, howler monkeys growling in the treetops, sunshine, perfectly shaped waves ripping down the line, friendly people, mangos falling on my head, and a culture which tends to really appreciate life and all the beauty that surrounds them. Beach Travellers truly has perfected the ultimate Costa Rica experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this unique experience with travellers. So get on board and escape the sights, sounds and smells of the urban city to revitalize your mind, body and soul. Visiting Costa Rica will connect you with what is most important in life. - Pura Vida.

I first travelled to Costa Rica 5 years ago not really knowing what to expect or how it would change my life the way it has. It was a complete eye opener of another way of life that didn’t involve any of the hassle and worries of the world I grew uin. I have met some of the most generous and friendly people here, and just seeing how happy they are makes it easy for me to come back year after year.

Aside from the rich Latin culture this country has everything to offer from the white sand beaches of Tortuga Island, to secluded jungle waterfalls, to late night beach parties and no matter how many times I take that boat ride or walk down that deserted beach it never ceases to amaze me. Now if that were all Costa Rica had to offer, I would have been satisfied, but it holds one more important thing, which also happen to be my passion in life “surfing”. I have explored the entire length of the pacific coast here and no other place in Central America and have this many perfect waves all year long. Just be careful surfing has a way of taking over your life…at least it did for me.

So while Canada will always be home for me, the friends I have made here and the waves I have surfed will always make Costa Rica feel like a second home to me and I just hope I can share the “Pura Vida” lifestyle with you.

In a nutshell, Costa Rica is paradise! I have fallen in love with all the aspects of this country - incredible rainforest, beautiful beaches, tasty food, exotic wildlife and diverse culture- but what keeps me coming back is the sun and the ocean. I cannot get enough of the amazing warm water, waves and diverse marine life. I love doing anything and everything in the water and I love watching others fall in love with it as well. I have spent the past few years traveling around the world to find a place like Costa Rica. It is a place where the sun always shines, there is something new to experience everyday and the people and culture surrounding you are always wonderful. I can seriously say that I am happy to have finally found, La Republica de Costa Rica! I am forever greatful for the opportunity Beach Travelers has given me. I can''t wait for you to get here so we can start sharing the good times!

Costa Rica is a magical place.  I felt it instantly when I first stepped on Tico soil 6 years ago, and every time I go back, the feeling persists.  It has everything I could ever ask for: friendly people, great food, beautiful nature, nice weather, warm water, and perfect waves. Seeing its breathtaking landscapes and diverse wildlife inspires a sense of wonder and admiration for Mother Nature. And in terms of waves… it doesn''t get any better than CR. The rich coastlines cater to all levels of surfing, and are littered with everything from long, mellow point-breaks to perfect, empty beach-breaks and hollow tubes.  I love sharing my passion for Costa Rica with other travellers, because there are endless discoveries to be made there, and every triis a totally new adventure.
Visiting Costa Rica is a shock to the senses, and the country really makes you feel alive. Not just the amazing surf and scenery, but the overall attitude.  The locals have it right when they say "Pura Vida"… because that''s what it''s all about there: Pure Life.  No worries or hassles, only good times.

Growing uI was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel with my family. We went on a few different vacations and a large majority of them still hold a vivid imprint in my memory. All of the trips varied in many different ways and although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was an amazing opportunity to see and experience different countries and cultures at such a young age...

As I grew older I found myself working more and travelling less. Working was my number one priority for many years and I was saving for something, but I had no idea what. I got quite wrapped uin working, paying the bills and spending the rest on clothes, accessories and luxuries I didn’t really need. But that was the way I perceived what was the norm, it was what I thought everyone my age did, worked for the weekend. You work, you spend, and you save, but the saving part always is the last priority on the list. I wanted to get out of this routine I had fallen into, I begun slowing down the spending and saving for a trip. I didn’t know where I wanted to go and I definitely had no idea it would turn my life into this.

After I had decided on a location, I continued to save as much money as possible and before I knew it was time to buy my plane ticket. Since nobody would join me on my adventure, I took a shot in the dark and chose Australia. A place where I could go travel, explore, and spend just like I did at home. I would arrange a working Visa so if I ran out of money I could always fall back on that, and as most people have learned the hard way, this is all to common as a young traveller. I was about to pack uand head to a country that has the same jobs, luxuries, culture and opportunities as at home.

It came down to the final week and I was planning to purchase my ticket the following day. Luckily I was fortunate enough to have had a conversation with a good friend of mine who had been travelling throughout Thailand for the last 6 months. He saved and planned as I did but he wasn’t searching for the same old backpacker highway that exists in Australia and Europe, he was searching for a true adventure. We probably talked that evening for over 3 hours on MSN Messenger as he described everything he had seen and done during his travels, and it got me excited.

It didn’t take much convincing, but two days later I purchased a flight headed strait across the Pacific Ocean scheduled to land in the heart of South East Asia. As I got off the plane I felt the humidity slame right in the face and the diversity of smells are something I will never forgot, both good and bad. People were yelling and screaming at me from every angle trying to get my fresh of the plane tourist dollars. I took a look to my left and there they were waiting for me, a grouof friends that I didn’t realize at the time would become my close friends for the rest of my life. We were about to take part in an adventure that remains so fresh in my memory it was like it happened yesterday. Even though we had TJ and Sara blazing the trail with their recent experiences we were all still travel virgins. Their experience and language helped us in so many different ways; bargaining, secret spots, local restaurants and night markets, and knowing when and where we where about to get scammed. It helped cut down on things that would put a negative spin on the trip, and it’s very possible Asia would have left a sour taste in my mouth and in my opinions. We would get uevery morning and the toughest decision of our day was what to order for breakfast and whether to head to the next location or not. We saw quite a bit in the two months we were there but we could have seen a lot more if we knew what we were doing. Sometimes we would spend weeks in a town just because we were to lazy or scared to pack. Looking back we wasted valuable time that could have been spent exploring and venturing off on our own.

Before I knew it I found myself getting off a plane back in Canada and my eyes welled uat the thought that I was about to head back into a world where money, education and social status determines who you are on the social ladder. I found myself looking at everything in a whole new light and I begun asking myself how I could have improved my trito South East Asia. If I went back and did it all over again I could do it right, no wasted time, no stress, and no scams. Just travelling, exploring and trekking beyond the already developing backpacker traps.

Next thing I knew I was sitting in a meeting at business school and everyone in the room wanted to work at the bank and have their own little cubicle in the corner of floor 22. I replied to this situation in front of me by asking if anyone had done any travelling, and I got the standard reply; Mayan Riviera, Cancun, Hawaii, Florida, Cuba, Dominican Republic etc. They had been on all-inclusive holidays that went directly from the airport to the resort and a week later returned back to the airport with a tan. All of which could have taken place in the same country because they never went beyond the resort. All of which could have taken place in a different country with a different culture that they would have truly got to see and experience. If they were given the opportunity to live free beyond the resort and it’s manufactured environment. I was fortunate enough to have a few friends as my guide, who showed me a world beyond my own manufactured walls. I got to travel to new places and see hidden gems that others wouldn’t even know existed. All of these people around the table are stuck in the same mindset that I was once stuck in. A vacation is a holiday that involves lying by the pool and drinking Mai Tai’s all week long. You earn money to pay bills and spend it on clothes, accessories and luxuries you don’t really need. I went back to thinking about my travels and if you really researched, explored and developed something, you could create a flawless adventure of a lifetime.

Later that week TJ and I sat down and begun designing and developing what is now known as Beach Travellers. A company that is host to several locations around the globe, all of which still remain off the backpacker superhighway and with the helof all of our travellers, we continue to drive further and further off the beaten path. I am proud to be part of a team that continues to blaze the trail for travellers from across Canada. I personally have enjoyed watching it develointo what we envisioned from day one, and we never expected to discover and develotrips quite like the ones we have today. It is a lifestyle that pulls you many different directions and keeps you smiling on a daily basis. You meet so many new amazing people and you get to see them change right in front of your eyes, as I once did. Into a traveller... a surfer, an explorer, a leader, and they themselves are blazing the trails above and beyond what we have already established. They continually contribute to our mission of creating the most unique & free travelling lifestyle imaginable…

I grew uon the coast of British Columbia, staring out at the Pacific Ocean wondering where in the world I would one day end up. I remember my parents going away quite a few times bringing back Asian gifts and pictures of a world that I only knew about by reading their huge collection of National Geographic magazines. I worked a job during high school to save uenough to follow in my families’ footsteps and go travel to the unknown. After graduating, I left on an excursion that has forever changed my life and formed what I have now become. Influenced by a well-travelled family and an ever-growing curiosity, I left the town I grew uin and jumped on a plane to the unknown wonders of South East Asia. My intentions were to seek an adventure that would open my eyes and anxious mind to what every young aspiring traveller looks for: freedom and a hell of an adventure.

I began exploring Thailand and quickly fell in love with the beauty, the smells, the food, the language but above all was the feeling that it gave me. Among the sensory overload, I felt an incredible sense of harmony, love, and freedom in my heart. The emotions were so honest and genuine and possibilities were so endless that it kindled an ever-growing fire inside me to immerse myself in its culture and become a part of this incredible country.

For the past four years I have studied the language and searched deeinto the culture to design the trips that we now run through Thailand. We have picked locations based on what would be the most ideal for travellers whom were looking for something alike what I was seeking. The route slowly materialized and now is what I believe is the ultimate travelling experience.

While guiding, I love feeding off of people’s energy when exposed to something new. I familiarize this feeling to a baby seeing his first tree looking ufrom their stroller, people light uand express such genuine gratification of the beauty of their surroundings. This gratification is instantly absorbed and brings me that same feeling I had when I first was exposed to such astonishing places and people. I’ve witnessed the growth of countless people due to the warmth and genuine emotions of the Thai people that has been carved deeinto their culture through the gentleness and compassion of Buddhism.

I feel blessed and honored be able to open peoples minds and spirits to such an amazing country. I look forward to sharing incredible life-changing experiences with you.