SurfYogaBeer vs Travendly
same city, different weekBoth of us are aimed at American young professionals with limited vacation days and a preference for arriving alone. The split is what happens once you land.
Pick Travendly if the priority is seeing a country at a good price on a schedule built around US holidays. Pick SurfYogaBeer if you want the week to be physical, want a photographer on the trip, and want the company running it to be the company that answers the phone.
The quick comparison
Two answers to the same American problem: limited leave, no one to go with.
| What you are comparing | Travendly | SurfYogaBeer |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Marketed to 25 to early forties | Average 34, most 28 to 42, minimum 21 |
| Group size | 4 to 14 | 12 to 30 |
| What you do all day | Itinerary led sightseeing and culture at a good pace | Surf, hike, sail, ski and train, then a proper evening |
| Solo share | They publish over 85 percent solo | The large majority book solo |
| Trip length | Roughly 5 to 11 days, timed to US holidays | Mostly 5 to 8 nights |
| Rooms | Double occupancy with same sex matching, single subject to availability | Shared spots as standard, private upgrade on most trips |
| Price shape | From roughly $1,899 to $2,799 for 8 to 10 days, land only | From $1,950 for 5 nights, activities and most meals in |
| Best for | Maximum country per vacation day | Maximum week per vacation day |
Where Travendly wins
Smart product design for a real constraint.
Smart scheduling. Trips are deliberately built around US holiday weekends so you spend fewer vacation days getting a full trip.
Price. Published from prices in the $1,899 to $2,799 range for 8 to 10 day trips is strong for the length.
A high solo share. They publish that over 85 percent of participants attend solo.
A clear age target of 25 to early forties, which is a useful filter.
Where SurfYogaBeer wins
Twelve years of running our own trips, and what it changed.
We operate our own trips. Our leaders come through the SYB Academy and work for us, so the standard does not change with the destination.
Active is the whole premise. Surf, hike, sail, ski, train. Not a coach and a viewpoint.
A professional photographer and videographer travel with the group. You will actually have the photos.
A twelve year track record: 500 plus trips since 2014, 5,000 plus travelers, 55 percent of whom come back.
"I have been on the organised sightseeing version. This was not that. This was a week with friends."
SurfYogaBeer alum, BaliThe leader is the whole product
Two group trips can have identical itineraries and land completely differently, and the variable is almost always the person running it.
We train ours. The SYB Academy is a leadership programme that runs in Nicaragua, and leaders come out of it having lived the trip from the other side before they run one. They are not booked per departure from a pool. That is expensive and slow and it is the single thing we would defend hardest if you asked what the money buys.
You can test this on any operator, including us. Ask who is leading the specific departure you are considering, how long they have worked with the company, and how many of these trips they have run. A confident answer tells you a lot. A vague one tells you more.
Make the call
Book Travendly if
You want to see as much of a country as possible without taking much time off, and sightseeing pace suits you.
Book SurfYogaBeer if
You would rather do one place properly, move all week, and come home with a crew and a camera roll.
Travendly vs SYB FAQ
Are both companies based in New York?
SurfYogaBeer was founded in New York City in 2014 and still runs out of it, with a run club, events and an annual gala in the city between trips. Travendly is a New York registered company. If where a company sits matters to you, ask either of us directly how the trips are staffed and operated.
Which one is more active?
Ours, clearly, and that is a positioning choice rather than a criticism. Travendly's trips are paced for sightseeing and culture across a country. Every SurfYogaBeer trip is built around a daily physical activity with an optional workout on top, and an opt out for anyone who wants a slow morning.
Do either include flights?
Neither. Both quote land only and you book your own, which is almost always cheaper and lets you use points and pick your routing. Both also schedule trips around American holidays so you spend fewer vacation days.
What is included in the SurfYogaBeer price?
Accommodation, most meals, every activity on the itinerary, in-country transfers, your leaders, and a professional photographer and videographer travelling with the group. Not international flights, and not the drinks you decide to buy at 1am.
Trained leaders. Every trip.
the academy is the differenceLeaders who came through the SYB Academy, a photographer on every departure, and 500 plus trips of practice. From $1,950.