To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of organized travel; do this, do that, go there, now stay here and always with a mash of strangers loosely tied by the single strand of kiteboarding. Call me skeptical, but more often than not, the de facto itinerary caters to general group interests and typically, the lowest common denominator of skills runs the show. Drained by the social obligation of group interaction, my inner introvert screams for time alone and avoids situations that lead to social exhaustion. I’m in the mindset of do what I want, when I want, where I want—so much so that I can’t even commit to an occasional carpool to my local beach on the slight chance that my friend turns into an endurance kiter, leaving me to rot in the car for the remainder of her session.
 

Group trips are a crapshoot—you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes it’s a rowdy, tightknit crew from Massachusetts (you know what they say about those guys), or the kite couple violently seesawing between paradisiacal romance and logistics-based kite rage. Other times it’s the adorable kite-obsessed father/ son pairs, but more often than not, it’s a quirky grab bag of solo missionaries. Don’t get me wrong. There’s a place for organized group travel and a good-sized clientele throughout the kiteboarding world who prefer it. These souls dream of preplanned adventures where every detail is attended to without the burden of research, organization and coordination. Who could be blamed for wanting a stress-free trip that allows you to meet and travel with like-minded people with the same passions in a pre-calculated adventure? However, if you’re the lone wolf and anti-carpool kiter like me, just the thought of pre-organized activities, a locked down itinerary and forced social interactions brings a cold sweat to every part of my body, and for this reason, I entered my Surfin Sem Fim trip along the Brazilian coast with great apprehension and a slight dose of skepticism.
 

TKB’S VOL. 16, NO. 1 SPRING 2019 DIGITAL ISSUE IS AVAILABLE NOW. To read the full article become a subscriber of Tkb Magazine.