Summer Before Real Life - Ideas?

Hey guys, figured I'd see if the WSO community had any interesting insights on how to spend a summer after ending bschool. I should have a month or more free before starting my gig and after spending a month with friends/family in the US. Any interesting ideas that won't absolutely crush me financially that you've contemplated or seen friends who completed their MBA do?

My only criteria are I don't want to be mindlessly traveling - I am currently doing an exchange in Europe and traveled a bit during my MBA and a ton before so hopping around crazily isn't super appealing. Also, looking to be in a place that doesn't have a huge drinking/party culture (i.e. can't go to asia as I'll just want to blackout everyday and fuck everything that moves) and hopefully learning a skill and being able to workout/cook. So far my thoughts are going to Africa and hiking or going somewhere in Central America and perhaps doing a surf school.

 

this is a good thing i could tack onto surfing, i'm not padi certified or anything would be fun to spend a week doing that

edit: i'm a dumbass and read this as dives lol, this looks cool but a bit on the pricey side and have enough friends in places i'd like to roadtrip too in the near future that i wouldn't benefit in having this company curate something for me. very cool concept though thanks for sharing!

 

PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), AT (Appalachian Trail), or CDT (Central Divide Trail) are all good options in the US, but you have to be putting in 40 mile days on trails (extremely difficult) to condense these down to 2 months (if you're targeting full completion of the trail).

Most people are taking 5-7 months to do it. The budget for most hikers is around $5-7K.

But there are shorter hikes like the John Muir Trail (a section of the PCT) or Sierra High Route on the PCT.

 

If you have the money do New Zealand, more specifically, Queenstown. Easily one of the most breathtaking and beautiful places I've been.

A lot of the country as a whole revolves around outdoor activities and having an overall good time. You can go hiking, surfing, biking, boating, so on and so forth. If you want to learn a new sport there is 100% going to be somewhere that'll teach you. The people are also very welcoming and it's easy to make friends and find people to hang out with. The only reason I say if you have the money is because it can be a bit expensive to get too and the country as a whole is pretty pricey. Overall, would be an unforgettable trip.

Love, abigreguy
 
Most Helpful

if you've never been to africa, make that a later trip, it's a difficult trip travel wise and will be more expensive than the other options. africa is beautiful, but as a novice traveller, it'll be tough.

central america is easy, short flight from the USA, great climate, easy for novice travellers, easy waves to learn on (africa is not a good place to learn to surf outside ghana, sierra leone, and senegal), and more "chill"

if I were you, I'd do the following

week 1 - northern costa rica, fly into liberia, see N Playa Hermosa (there's another one), hang around papagayo, get a solid rental car, surf lessons at tamarindo/nosara (super gentle waves on the right day). maybe take some day trips into playa negra, guiones, etc., the waves will be good and the scenery is great.

week 2 - begin your trek to the interior of the country. volcanoes, rainforests, ziplining, hiking, this is the place to do it. the coastal areas are beautiful but the hiking leaves something to be desired, spend a few nights in san jose, have a ball. it's about a 5 hour drive from nosara (central guanacaste) to san jose and that's right near one of the main volcanoes.

week 3 - back to the beach, try your hand at jaco, don't go to the monkey bar (unless you like getting stabbed), dance with locals and tourists, go to the casinos in herradura, etc. you only need 3 nights in this area if you want to avoid a party culture, it's wonderful, but the waves are too powerful for beginners and if you stay too long in jaco clubs, you'll never come back (the women are WOW). manuel antonio is about 1.5-2hrs from the casinos/jaco area, beautiful park, worth a stop if you want.

week 4 - take a short flight from san jose to panama city, and either enjoy a metropolitan experience with great panamanian food or go back into the water and check out scuba at bocas del toro (surf is too heavy for beginners there). ALTERNATIVELY, take a flight to bogota, see the sights, and end it in cartagena for the best combo of spanish architecture/hospitality with caribbean views and tranquility. colombia may be dangerous if you're worried about inserting things in your nose or inserting yourself into people, but it's a great country and you'll be so tired from 3 weeks of outdoorsy shit you probably won't have the energy to get into too much trouble

 

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