With only a week to go before Christmas, things are amazingly relaxed for all of us here in the TTRide HQ. This week started with the ttride 08 Christmas party and it certainly lived up to expectation. It was off to Coldplay at the 02 Arena and if that was not doing it in style, arriving by powerboat certainly was. Thanks to an inside contact at the 02 the ttride team were treated to an evening of VIP style entertainment with front row seats to match.

2009 will more than ever see the ttride team spread literally across the world, making an evening with everyone in the same place all the more memorable.

Sam and Tim fly out to South Africa on 2 January to lead TTRide SA trips 1 and 2 respectively with the help of Chris and Nico.

George is already out in Costa Rica and I fly out on the 7 January to run our all new TTRide Costa Rica Course.

Nikki and Linley are manning the TTRide HQ for the early part of 2009 with Linley flying out to Costa Rica taking over from me and Nikki flying out to South Africa to run the first of our popular 6 week TTRide African Road Trips.

Tim is licking his lips at the prospect of running the TTRide 4x4 Mozambique Surfari, especially with returning Riders from past ttride experiences joining a ttride surf adventure for a second time.

At the risk of sounding repetitive I shall stop there, even though the trips mentioned above only accounts for the first quarter of 2009.

And so to take this blog a full circle, I shall finish where I started. TTRide Christmas parties are a fantastic way to mark our development as a surf adventure company. This year’s ttride Christmas party was by far and away the best yet, not only because Coldplay put on a fantastic show, but also because our ttride team is firmly established, set and ready for everything that we can be sure 2009 will bring.

Have a great Christmas!!!!

W

The sun’s going down but the day is just beginning. With Christmas coming up next week we’re off on our staff party, all five of us! Girlfriends have been roped in to expand the numbers and give Nikki a bit of female company and we’ll be heading over to the O2 to watch Coldplay this evening. It should be good fun and a great way to end a dark winter Monday.

Sam, one of our 2009 Trip leaders, has come up from Cornwall to catch up with goings on before heading out to South Africa with myself and Nico in just over 2 weeks; It’s hard to believe that our 2009 trips are going to be up and running in under a month. We’re all looking forward to long days, hot sun and pumping waves and the flights out to Cape Town can’t come soon enough.

The office has been busy with riders calling in to check up on last minute preparations. Jamie from Trip 1 has come by to see us and is catching up with Sam in the office as I type. It’s always a good time of year for us here, even though the nights are closing in and it’s freezing, all our thoughts are in warmer climates and there’s a real buzz of excitement as we gear up for our peak season.

This week we will be holding open days and giving you all the chance to come in and meet us. It’s always a good time of year to hold them as people seem to be in and around London doing their Xmas shopping. We’ve got a few more slots available so if you are thinking of a gap year next year and want to see what we’re all about then feel free to call the office and book a slot to come and see us. We’re always stoked when you do.

So it’s looking like a busy countdown to Christmas with a lot to look forward to. Hopefully we’ll see a few more of you in here this week and we look forward to seeing all the riders in South Africa soon.

Thanks for reading and have a good one,
Tim

It’s always a strange feeling when you finish a trip. For 3 months we travel together and the days are always packed with things to do and places to go. And then all of a sudden it’s over, everyone flies home and you’re left with time to yourself and a moment to sit and reflect on all that we’ve covered and all that we’ve seen. Over the last 10 weeks or so I’ve been lucky enough to meet another fantastic group of riders (a big howzit to you all), travel the coast of South Africa, find some new waves, make new friendships and cement exiting ones. It’s been a lot of fun!

As the guys all left and flew on to their next destinations, I dropped off the minibus and rented a pick-up, ready for the long drive back to Cape Town to prepare for the next group’s arrival in just over 4 weeks time! With some time on my hands I dropped in to Chintsa Bay for a few days. Over my time here I’ve heard many positive things about the area and I wanted to check it out. After 3 great days there getting to know Shaun and Sal, I contacted TTRide HQ and asked what they thought of trying something new for 2009.

We are always looking to tweak and improve our trips, looking to keep things fresh and exciting, and in keeping with the TTRide spirit, they said “go for it”, so I’m pleased to announce that our 2009 crew will be the first TTR group to visit our new location. Without wanting to spoil what’s in store I shan’t give too much away but I can safely say it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited on this coastline and the waves are plentiful and empty (except for the odd dolphin and a couple of whales). You’ll have to check the blogs next February and see how we get on.

I return to the UK for a brief stint over Christmas; A chance to catch up with family and friends and to drop into the office for a couple of weeks to prepare for next year. I will be in the office from the 7th – 23rd December and will be on hand to answer any questions for next year’s riders, so if there is anything you want to know call the office and I’ll (hopefully) be able to help you out! Likewise, if you’re having last minute doubts about how to spend 2009 and want some advice and information about or trips, call the office next week and I’ll be able to talk you through it all.

Sitting here in 30 Degree heat it’s hard to imagine Christmas is now right around the corner and that in 4 weeks time our 2009 trips will be up and running. I look forward to seeing all you guys out here soon and for those still making up their minds, it’s never too late and a trip out here may just be the best decision you ever make.

Thanks for reading and catch you soon,

Tim

December is all about preparation. Wherever you go, plans are being made.

For us, everything is hotting up as we finalise all the trip preparations for our busiest part of the year as far as running Ticket to Ride Gap Year and Career break surf trips goes.

The beginning of January will see 3 ttride trips set off, 2 to South Africa and one to our new set up in Costa Rica.

Just typing that makes me smile. Mainly due to the fact that I am all set to lead the first TTRide Costa Rica trip. I fly out there a week before to ensure I am fully acclimitised to the tropical Costa Rican Surf Lifestyle by the time my group arrives on the 15th for 6 weeks of surfing, learning Spanish, teaching English and just genrally living the dream.

Unfortunately there are two of us that founded Ticket to Ride, and Linley is taking over from me out in Costa Rica at the halfway point. Fairs fair and anyway this means that I will be heading out to South Africa in early March to oversee the end of of our two ttride South Africa Surf Instructor courses. With Tim as the head of all TTRide African operations, my job will be to around about the ‘as good as it gets’ mark.

April for Tim sees him heading up to Mozambique with a bunch of lucky Riders in search of uncrowded perfection. Knowing Mozambique that shouldn't be hard especially with South Africa's most experienced Mozam Surf tour guide Ryan Ribbink leading the way. On his last visit, he skinned a crocadile to shelter from a passing rain shower!!!??!!!

Our May TTRide African Road trip offers a new season for TTRide adventures in South Africa, Nikki is going to be out there for this one. Her skills as a trip leader give everyone at Ticket to Ride something to think about.

And as for July we will be at our busiest running our Mini Gap courses in South Africa and Costa Rica as well as school trips to our surf camp in Portugal.

2009 is going to be a big year for Ticket to Ride, there are only 6 weeks of the year where we are not running a trip in South Africa, Mozambique is the trip that we all want to run, our new Costa Rican Surf Adventure Course brings a new and exciting dimension to Ticket to Ride. Portugal and Moroco offer fantastic shorter breaks for schools and universities and we are already well on the way to planning some exciting UK events for next June.

However for now, the heating in the TTRide office is not working, which bring me back to reality. I am wearing a had coat and scarf, all I need is fingerless gloves and then I wouldn’t be moaning. Great for the old foot print as well.

I actually think winter in England is great, it adds variety and lets be honest no one does Christmas better (maybe the Scandanavians). However, winter should be three months rather than six, and at Ticket to Ride we make the necessary preparations to turn this fantasised ideology into a confirmed reality. I trust that where possible, you intend to do the same.

With regards to the photos, I will let you draw your own conclusions about where you wanna be. Even though I can see positives in both, I know where I would rather be in the next few months. (Thanks to Nick Holland TTRide SA 2007 Rider, for sending is this one of his latest surf session in the North East)

As always thanks for reading.

Enjoy the rest of your week!!

W


PS. Like you, we are all waiting for the next update from the South African Sunshine by Mr Tim 'lifestyle' Conibear.

As with every year, Autumn is an important time at Ticket to Ride.

As it draws to a close with the signs of Christmas really beginning to show, I thought I would divert a little attention away from sunny South Africa with our TTRide South Africa Career Break course now in its final week.

As with every year September is about reflecting on a busy summer marketing season and for me there was certainly no place better than the a 10 day surf mission on the west coast of Ireland for ‘proper’ reflection.

September 08 is also remembered for the Rider reunion. This year we got everyone together down in North Cornwall which was by all accounts a huge success and one to repeated every year. The mix of good waves and weather makes it a no brainer.

Late September saw Linley and I over in Dublin and Belfast promoting Ticket to Ride to an extremely receptive audience.

October is now traditionally the month to catch up on everything that doesn't get done due to September’s combination of sunshine and surf.

November to date has been all about the new TTRide Brochure. It has really helped us continue to present Ticket to Ride in the way that we want to. We now offer 8 different trips, targeted across 5 different markets. All of these trips follow our very own surf travel ethic. Thanks here must go to James Fowler @ Madimo a true master of graphic design.

Last night Nikki, Linley, Lottie and I went along to the Shepherds Bush Empire to watch Donavon Frankenreiter play. Pro surfer with a unique style, turned fantastic musician with a handful of albums and an unbelievable knack for spreading style and positivity wherever he goes; What a legend! I left last night’s concert feeling as relaxed as if I had just been on holiday.

Talking of which Linley has just got back from 3 weeks in South Africa. To be fair, only 2 of these weeks were actually holiday, the 3rd week being a dash round all our SA service providers keeping them in the loop with future TTRide developments as well as to get there input into the course we run out there.

Tomorrow sees the London launch of the TTRide South Africa movie. With one of the artists from the movie’s sound track is coming along to play LIVE it is set to be a memorable one.

This event marks three years of Ticket to Ride. So to wrap this blog up and finish where I started, the last three months of Autumn have been full of excitement and full of ideas which considering the current climate of seemingly unchecked negativity is pretty good. We couldn’t be happier with where we are, what is around the corner and what could potentially be in store for the future. To put it bluntly, we are feeling as strong as ever.

A final thought for now can be this. With all the signs pointing to a slow down seemingly across all sectors, now could not be a better time to take time out and do what you actually want to do. There has never been a better time to take time out because right now, your not likely to be missing anything.

Hopefully see you tomorrow night.

W