We recently connected with a new travel agency run by a young couple, Nadia and Mac, who personally craft individual and group surf trips around the world. They visited Florblanca and we had such a great time introducing them to our favorite surf spots as well as our yoga and Pilates classes, Spa Bambu, and Nectar Restaurant. We’re thrilled to announce that they’ve chosen us as a surf trip destination for Costa Rica.
We asked Nadia and Mac about their vision for a travel agency focusing on surfing, eco-travel, and exotic destinations around the world.
Florblanca: How long have you been surfing and what worldwide locations have you surfed in your lifetime?
Mac: I’ve been surfing for over 15 years. I’ve surfed up and down the east and west coast of the US, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, The Canary Islands, South Africa, Bali, Sumatra, The Mentawais, Fiji, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
Nadia: I only started surfing 2 years ago but have already traveled and surfed in USA (Flordia, California) Mexico, Grand Canaries, Morocco, Bali, Sumatra, South Africa, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.
FB: When did you know that you wanted to make this love and this lifestyle into a career?
Mac: I don’t know if it was a specific time but an actual feeling or state of mind. That feeling when you’ve been in a job or a place too long and you have that pull to get out. Something inside is telling you to change it up, go on an adventure, take a risk. We all enter that state of mind at some point, but we suppress it. At least it did for us when this feeling would come up, we would make justifications, to stay in a safe place with a safe job. The feeling would go away for a while, but it would always come back. That is what made us look to starting a travel brand.
Nadia: I was lucky to grow up traveling and knew from a young age that I wanted to follow a career path that allowed me to continue following this passion. Whenever my parents could save a few dollars they’d pack up my sister, brother and I and go some place. Sometimes it was a 3 hour car trip to the beach, other times it was a plane ticket half way across the world and 2 years of being homeschooled. I think it was due to this type of childhood that I didn’t have an ordinary career path in front of me but more of a lifestyle that I’d turn into a career with Mac.
FB: How did the idea for World-Class Surf Trips come about?
Nadia: Mac and I decided to throw all caution to the wind and travel the world together, young, in love, carefree and full of adventure! I was 21 and Mac was 23, we had the most amazing trip. 10 months later we returned to the states from our travels and decided to “settle down” in Southern California. Within two months of returning from our trip we already had the travel bug again, instead of dropping everything and leaving for another wild adventure we decided to create a business that provided other people with amazing travel experiences. We are building the brand around surf, yoga, travel and exploring remote parts of the world while highlighting different cultures.
FB: What’s different about your trips from other travel agencies or surf retreats?
M & N: We only offer trips that we have personally experienced. This is to ensure trust and transparency with our clients. We are just a phone call or email away from an honest, unbiased first hand account of all of our venues, the surrounding area, and the surf. We, as a company never feel right promoting any service that we have not fully experienced prior to encouraging others to do so.
Mac: I think people make up the essence of travel. We have traveled and developed relationships with every place we represent. Just yesterday I was talking with our good friend in Sumatra, he manages our location there. We were catching up talking about surfing, his son and family. It is a silly thing to write here but in a nutshell it is that. We really love the places and people that we promote on our website, it’s authentic.
We have to deny venues all the time, whether they have no environmental component or you can’t walk to go surf.
FB: Are your trips only for experienced surfers? Or do you offer learn to surf trips?
M & N: Our trips are for all levels of surfers. A majority of the venues we list can accommodate any surfer. We do have some locations listed that are more for the advanced surfer, but we also list venues that will take you out on your first day and teach you to surf. A good example of this is Florblanca, their surf instructors and coaches can take you out on your first wave or teach an advanced surfer a new technique. When a client reaches out to us to book their next adventure we take their surfing level along with other criteria and match them with the best location.
FB: How did you hear about Florblanca? And what made you want to visit?
M & N: We heard about Florblanca through one of our clients, it was recommended to her by a friend. She reached out to us for our personal opinion. After doing some research we realized that this boutique hotel would make a perfect addition.
FB: Why did you pick Florblanca as the surf destination for Costa Rica?
WCST has 6 tiers of requirements before we work with a venue.
Florblanca outshined all of our requirements!
FB: Tell me about your experience at Florblanca. What were some of your favorite parts of the visit?
M & N: The best way to describe Florblanca is attention to detail. From the moment you arrive, you are well taken care of and treated with respect. The hotel is an interesting fusion between modern luxury and jungle hotel. The use of reclaimed water, locally sourced ingredients, sustainably caught fish, organic spa products,and bamboo straws in the restaurant makes for a luxurious experience as close to nature as you can get. We really enjoyed the staff, who often chatted with us about surf conditions, fun local events and made sure we were well taken care of. The entire experience was incredible and we are excited to work with them and bring clients to them!
We’re so excited to work with Nadia and Mac through World-Class Surf Trips. We encourage you to check them out and we hope to see you at Florblanca soon!
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