Face it: summer is practically over. And at least for most of our RealClearLife readership on the East Coast, it’s getting darker earlier, and an all-too-familiar chill is starting to return to the air.

But look on the bright side: the arrival of fall and winter also marks the perfect time to start planning your next vacation, preferably to a warmer part of the world where action sports abound. Maybe you can rent a luxury villa while you’re at it—or make time for that 128-mile trek.

To set you on the right course, RCLife tracked down three “travel experts”—professional surfers Quincy Davis, Alessa Quizon, and Bruna Schmitz—to provide you with ample ideas for warm-weather destinations. Of course, all have some of the best surfing in the world.

Quincy Davis (Ladyslider)

Quincy Davis

Age: 22

Home Base: Montauk, New York

Social Stats: Facebook (428K likes); Twitter (10K followers); Instagram (280K followers)

You’re an East Coaster. Are you a wintertime surfer?

“No, I surf up until November-ish. I’m not a big fan. I actually go to Rincon, Puerto Rico, in the wintertime. But my boyfriend actually loves to surf in the winter; it’s his favorite time to surf, because there are no crowds.” (Quincy tells us she’s dating fellow pro surfer Pat Schmidt.)

Give us the lowdown on Rincon. What’s the best break there?

“I’ve been going there since I was about 10 years old. My parents would bring a tutor that would come and live with us for the winter, so we’d [get] home-schooled. They loved it so much that they ended up building a house there. I surf Domes a lot.”

(Ladyslider)

(Ladyslider)

On your Instagram page, there’s a video showing you practicing martial arts. If we met in a dark alleyway, should we be scared?

[laughs] “I do it for a workout, so who knows how good I actually am. But I’ve been boxing a bunch with a trainer from Gotham.”

If you could surf with one U.S. politician, who would it be?

“Oh god. I don’t really know that many. I’m bad with politics. Does Michelle Obama count?”

Sure. Would you go surfing with President Trump if he offered?

“No…I don’t want to surf with Trump at all.”

Better Patrick Swayze movie: Point Break or Dirty Dancing?

“Dirty Dancing. It’s my favorite movie.” [Writer’s Note: Unbeknownst to this writer or the interviewee, this question was asked on that movie’s 30th anniversary.]

A post shared by Quincy Davis (@quincydavis) on Jul 21, 2017 at 6:35pm PDT

A post shared by Quincy Davis (@quincydavis) on Jun 6, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT

A post shared by Quincy Davis (@quincydavis) on Apr 7, 2017 at 8:12am PDT

A post shared by Quincy Davis (@quincydavis) on Feb 19, 2017 at 8:04am PST

A post shared by Quincy Davis (@quincydavis) on Dec 8, 2016 at 5:39pm PST



Further Reading: In 2013, The New York Times wrote a rather detailed feature on surfing in Montauk (and around New York, for that matter), and Quincy is quoted throughout.

Alessa Quizon. (Courtesy of Billabong)

Alessa Quizon

Age: 23

Home Base: Honolulu, Hawaii

Social Stats: Facebook (815K likes); Twitter (9K followers); Instagram (293K followers)

Favorite warm-weather surfing destinations?

“My favorite one to surf aside from my home, Hawaii, would have to be Fiji. Cloudbreak and Restaurants are two of my favorite lefts to surf in the world.” [Surf Lingo Alert: “Lefts” are waves that break from left to right.]

Best post-surfing cocktail?

“I’m not a big drinker, but I do recommend you try the drink called ‘kava.’ It’s a Fijian drink that’s made out of a root. Have a local make you one.” [Writer’s note: Or just make one at home.]

(Courtesy of Billabong)

(Courtesy of Billabong)

Favorite fancy restaurant abroad?

“When traveling to certain parts of the world, ‘fancy’ can be hard to come by. Personally, I love the local foods. When I go to Fiji, I stay on an island called Tavarua. There is only one resort on that heart-shaped island, and they serve buffet-style throughout the day.”

The town of Makaha, where you’re from in Hawaii, means ‘fierce’ or ‘savage.’ Be honest: how many hearts have you broken?

“Haha, breaking people’s hearts is never a proud moment.”

What you’re really thinking during a photo shoot …

“I’m actually doing a shoot right now, and the last thing I thought about after shooting was: ‘Yes, dinner time!’”

A post shared by Alessa Quizon (@alessaquizon) on Jul 10, 2017 at 1:57pm PDT

A post shared by Alessa Quizon (@alessaquizon) on Apr 13, 2017 at 1:48pm PDT

A post shared by Alessa Quizon (@alessaquizon) on Aug 2, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

A post shared by Alessa Quizon (@alessaquizon) on Dec 27, 2015 at 1:38pm PST

A post shared by Alessa Quizon (@alessaquizon) on Jul 2, 2015 at 4:42pm PDT



Fun Fact: Alessa tells us she’s “not into politics at the moment.” Read: If you ever run into her at a popular break, you know what not to bring up!

Bruno Schmitz. (Courtesy of Roxy)

Bruna Schmitz

Age: 27

Home Base: Los Angeles, California (originally, Brazil)

Social Stats: Facebook (237K likes); Twitter (17.9K followers); Instagram (116K followers)

Favorite warm-weather surfing destinations?

“I love islands in general, and my top favorites would be Fiji, the Maldives, Indonesia, [and] Hawaii.”

What kind of media do you travel with?

“Spotify is my travel partner, because I can download all the songs offline and listen to any songs that I like, so that’s a really big one for me. I [also] download movies and shows on Netflix that I can watch on the plane.”

Bruna Schmitz. (Courtesy of Roxy)

(Courtesy of Roxy)

How about some music recommendations? Seu Jorge, Cássia Eller, and Claudia Leitte. [You might recognize Jorge from roles in critically acclaimed movies City of God and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, for which he recorded most of the soundtrack, too.]

Last Netflix show you binged on? Riverdale.

Your go-to bikini brand? Roxy.



U.S. politician you’d most like to surf with? Barack Obama.

A post shared by ➳⠀B R U N A SCHMITZ Z A U N (@brunasschmitz) on Aug 23, 2016 at 10:15am PDT

A post shared by ➳⠀B R U N A SCHMITZ Z A U N (@brunasschmitz) on Apr 10, 2016 at 10:04am PDT

A post shared by ➳⠀B R U N A SCHMITZ Z A U N (@brunasschmitz) on Sep 28, 2015 at 3:00pm PDT

A post shared by ➳⠀B R U N A SCHMITZ Z A U N (@brunasschmitz) on Sep 3, 2015 at 11:08am PDT

A post shared by ➳⠀B R U N A SCHMITZ Z A U N (@brunasschmitz) on Oct 2, 2014 at 9:54pm PDT

License to ‘Ill’ustrate: In 2011, Bruna was the first Brazilian athlete to ever appear in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Take a look at some outtakes from her shoot below.