Surf Careers: Meet Dani of FlyingSurf
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Ever sat in the seat of an airplane taking you on a surf trip, and wondered what it must be like to be a flight attendant and get paid to fly to surf destinations?
I certainly have (more than once). Whenever I sat in that plane seat, lots of questions would be popping into my head about the perks of a job like this, so when I came across Dani's instagram account (@flyingsurf) a while ago, I had to follow her!
Dani works as a flight attendant for Lufthansa. Her job takes her to the greatest surf spots around the world. She writes about her experiences in her blog, FlyingSurf.
This was my chance to find out about the life of a surfing flight attendant!
Meet Dani, flight attendant and surfer girl:
· My name is Dani. Im a flight attendant working for the German airline Lufthansa. My biggest passion is surfing, so I travel the world with my surfboard and have been surfing in places like Indonesia, the Philippines, the Maldives, Hawaii, Portugal, and Spain. I can take my surfboard with me when I work, so I usually surf when I go on layover to New York City, Los Angeles, and Panama. I love what I do, and that’s why I I enjoy my life so much.
· I honestly thought about it after high school. I decided to go to university first, but I decided not to pursue a job in event management. I couldn’t see myself doing such a confining job. I became a flight attendant instead, and I have never regretted it for a single day. So, I would say it wasn’t my dream, but I’m living my dream right now.
· The best experience on my job is definitely that it allows me to do what I love. I can travel with my surfboard. I can surf while I’m in a layover, which indirectly means I can surf while I work. What else could make me more happy than that? Crazy passengers are a daily occurrence, so I can’t begin to go down that road. One of the craziest layover experiences was in a several day layover in Panama. Panama City is not an easy place to research for waves. I found a potential spot near Panama city, so I brought my surfboard all the way from Germany. I convinced a bunch of colleagues to take a 2 hours long bus ride with me to the spot where there was supposed to be a nice beach where I could find some waves and teach them to surf. When we got there, the waves were basically flat and super blown out. The rest of the trip I gave up trying to surf, and I enjoyed the city with my colleagues. On the departure day, like a few hours before we had to leave, I decided to spend some more time strolling around the old town of Panama City. My mouth dropped when I met a guy walking down the street with a surfboard that was still wet from the water. I was so confused what he was doing over here with the board, so I asked him about it. The whole time I was there I didn’t know there was a perfect point break a 10 minute walk away from the hotel. Of course, it was 2 hours before I had to fly back to Germany so I didn’t even have time to surf it!
· I really do have a good opportunity to choose to where I want to fly. We have a request system which allows us to choose flights we would like. But of course its still up to the company, and seniority, if I am able to get the flight. Some desirable destinations like South Africa and the Maldives are much harder to get. I usually go for Los Angeles as my main request. I can usually get it, because a lot of colleagues do not like the time difference. Lucky for me, because California is famous for its waves and we get a full day off there. It leaves me plenty of time to get some surfing and sunny weather.
· We usually get our schedule for each month on the 27th of the month right before, so I actually don’t have any idea where I am going to be the first until a few days before. As a flight attendant, I am used to have my suitcase packed all the time, and I am also used to being ready to leave at a moments notice, so that’s fine for me. Standby time is the most difficult, because they call you only a few hours before to tell you where you are going. I could fly somewhere its winter or summer, so I have to be pack a winter jacket and a bikini.
· Yes I do have the chance to surf in between flights. A little less than a year ago I fell in love with a guy who lives in Los Angeles, California. Since we became a couple, I travelled to Los Angeles every month for a private trip for 7-10 days. Before I met him, I used to fly to Portugal or Spain every time I had the chance to.
If anyone else is thinking of becoming a flight attendant, do you have any advice?
· Go for it! That’s my advice! If you don’t try it, you will never know if its for you. You may regret it if you don’t. I have a bachelor degrees, which I studied three years for, but working as an event manager didn’t make me happy. Becoming a flight attendant was definitely the right decision for me. Yes, sometimes it can get pretty exhausting with flying all the time and being jetlagged, but I love what I do. That’s the most important thing in the world.
· Of course my favourite destination is Los Angeles. My boyfriend will read this interview so I have to say that. No im just joking, I really love being in California. I love the waves, I love the people, and I love the weather. Aside from California, I had one of my best surf experiences on the Maldives. It was just perfect. The water was crystal clear and warm. There were never any crowds at all, and the waves were amazing. I usually never come back to a place where I have already been, because I love to explore the world, but I will definitely come back to the Maldives.
· Since I surf a lot in California I surf a lot in a wetsuit. I am almost always in a 4/3 or 3/2 there. But I can tell you I love warm water surf. So I love to surf in a lycrasuit or a bikini. It feels so much more free.
What’s your favourite on the Seafoam website?
· I really love that you don’t sell the typical brands like Billabong or Rip Curl. I love that you support the brands you do, because they seem more tailored to surfing. A lot of brands look good at first, but they fall off in the ocean. All the products I have come across are awesome though. Everything is super practical for a girl who wants to explore the waves with confidence, and they will look and feel good doing it.
Want to find out more or keep up to date with Dani's adventures?
Follow them here:
Instagram: instagram.com/flyingsurf
Facebook: facebook.com/flyingsurf
Website: www.flyingsurf.de
Remember to live the dream, ladies!