This video is going to be something a little bit different, something a little bit new.

It's basically my end of summer favorites video.

We did manage to do quite a few things this summer,

and one of the things that I got to do was take a vacation.

It sounds funny because our channel is a Travel Channel.

One would assume that we're constantly on vacation.

But that is not the case. When we travel for the YouTube channel, we're filming; we're editing; we're doing social media

And even though it's fun, it still is kind of a job.

In the middle of July I took two weeks off,

and I went to Costa Rica with my girlfriend, Carrie

I spent a couple of days surfing in Playa Hermosa

We stayed at the Surf Inn Hermosa, beautiful place super friendly people

and then Carrie and I hopped back in the car

We drove all the way down to the border of Panama where we posted up at Pavones.

We got really lucky. The surf was incredible, but at the end of that trip

I wanted to do something super special, and I really wanted to

take that relaxation level up a notch. I drove Carrie and myself to the Volcan Arenal, which is this big

beautiful active volcano. I had never been there before, but I had heard rumors about this place.

Tabacon Hot Springs.

They've created a hotel there.

You get a room and then you basically just throw on a robe, and you live that robe life.

Right when we checked in, we went down to the hot river.

I mean this place, the images, literally speak for themselves.

Needless to say we will be coming back there soon,

and if you get the chance to go to Costa Rica,

don't miss out on Arenal on the volcano,

and especially do not miss out on Pelicon Hot Springs. Summer has always

been about the beach; it's been about good vibes and

during the summer, I listened to a lot of reggae music.

When we went to Jamaica earlier this year, I was really into kind of the roots rock reggae.

I love old roots reggae from Jamaica,

but I wanted to tell you guys about a band that I really enjoy. It's called Katchafire.

It is a New Zealand roots reggae band.

If there's one go-to band for me this past summer,

it's been Katchafire, but I recently discovered a

new song, which I think takes the cake for my favorite song of the summer.

It's by a band called the Lagoons,

and the song's name is California.

I will link both of those artists down there in the description and

make sure you guys go check those out.

California by the Lagoons is a song that I would recommend you listen to

at sunset with a glass of wine and your loved one nearby.

For clothes my favorite clothes of the summer have been these t-shirts by the company called

Serengetee. It's play on words, it's Serengetee like a t-shirt,

but you know based off of the Serengeti. They have all of these different

artisanal fabrics that are sourced from around the world.

They work directly with the

indigenous communities who make these artisanal fabrics,

and then they bring the fabrics back to LA and sew them here in Los Angeles.

It's a pretty cool concept. I just really like how the colors pop on something

that's you know relatively normal.

I'm usually the guy in the earth tones

and you know, like a simple white tee or a black tee,

but it's really cool how they've been able

to give that extra pop by adding a little travel flare to a normal product.

One of the coolest things about these t-shirts is that 10 percent of all profits are reinvested

into the communities with

grassroots charities that empower these indigenous communities

to continue creating and to continue building their businesses.

You have to keep the culture happening.... love these designs.

So one of the best things about summertime is that you have free time.

And in free time you should be doing things that you enjoy doing.

I do really like to read.

I just don't feel like I have a lot of time to do it.

So during my vacation in Costa Rica,

I bought this book. I saw it at the....at the airport,

and the title caught my eye because it's upside down.

That whole concept of taking what you think you know and turning it upside down is the idea behind this book

Basically what I liked about the book is that it was something that was different for me.

It was challenging what we take for granted as fact and just asking questions

that make you think, that make you think about everything from

gravity in the first chapter all the way up to the NFL and the future of entertainment.

So it's a very broad book

It's basically like a little collection of essays in which he

speaks about one subject in depth and then asks questions about all of the things that we take for fact.

After finishing it,

I'm very happy that I read this book because it's just good to kind of keep you on your toes and keep you thinking

creatively and openly about the present and about what we take for given.

Speaking of given, that actually

brings me to my next favorite,

which is my favorite film of the summer.

As you may or may not know, you

probably know if you're watching his video,

I really enjoy surfing.

And so I was looking for a good surf- like film, not a , not like a surf movie,

but like a film. I found this film called Given on the website Forgiven

It says Given is the simple, yet powerfully

contemplative story of a unique family legacy come full circle.

Basically the film is narrated by the six-year-old son of

two surfers who

have recently had a newborn child.

It's a family of four traveling around the world

surfing and

exploring different cultures and giving their six-year-old son and their newborn daughter a

hands-on education

about life and

all the different forms of life that exists here on our beautiful planet.

The cinematography is incredible;

the locations that they go to are jaw dropping, everywhere from Iceland to Morocco to Nepal

surfing along the way, and when there're no waves,

exploring the culture and taking their young children and

immersing them in different cultures from around the world.

If you have Netflix just head over and watch the film Given.

it's just a really beautiful take on life,

and it will make you think about what's really important in life..yeah, enjoy it.

I really enjoyed it, and I hope you guys do too.

Speaking of different perspectives and different takes on life here in West Los Angeles,

Yoga is a big deal.

Everybody does yoga.

Everybody drinks smoothies and eats kale salads.

I'm not a huge fan of like super fast- paced workout yoga.

I do yoga to relax and to stretch...

the ones where they're like cat- dog, cat- dog, cat- dog, seal like uh? No.

I don't need that in my life.

I was very pleasantly surprised when my girlfriend Carrie introduced me to

Yin Yoga.

Yin is a style of yoga that's basically

doing less posing.

Each pose is held for anywhere between two to five minutes, and

the focus is all on breathing.

It's the release of both mental and

physical that you get from a class of Yin Yoga.

It is really, really real.

So that's what I've been doing all summer.

I've been really, really enjoying it.

I do it once a week, a 75 minute class.

I've been able to take a lot of those poses

with me on the road or if I'm traveling. So if I've had a long day of

traveling, been schlepping bags around, or hopping on and off trains etc,

I can just get on the floor and stretch it out, and after 20 minutes, feel way, way better.

This summer I've been really focusing on improving my

photography and my videography.

Hopefully you guys and girls out there, all you Vagabuddies, have noticed that

because we've been putting a lot of effort into getting

better and better shots,

which when you add them together, create an overall better viewing experience for you and

makes our Instagram feed look a lot better.

I've been focusing a lot on my portraits and my landscapes, and

we have been doing that with a very powerful new camera: the Sony A9.

It is a beast. I'm in love with it.

It has a 24-point 2 mega pixel sensor,

which is not as big as the A7 R2, but what it lacks there,

it makes up with just pure versatility.

It has a burst shooting mode, so it's great for action photographers or wildlife photographers.

The quality of the image is incredible. It's got five-point stabilization built in.

It shoots 4K. It has an incredible slo-mo mode. I think that

that camera, in combination with a couple of different lenses,

could be the best possible travel vlogging setup.

Don't worry all of you aspiring filmmakers out there, all you aspiring YouTubers,

we will be doing a review on our channel.

We will be doing a new video that's

going to have the best minimal travel vlogging setup.

That video should be coming out within the next couple of months,

probably going to be a little closer to Thanksgiving time.

But don't worry. We will have a new updated travel vlogging kit video for all of you guys and girls out there.

Last but not least the final item on my favorites list for this past summer has been these.

These are the Boardwalks. They're made by Rip Curl.

Almost every single surf company makes one product like this.

But these I have had for quite a while.

I have a couple of pairs in a few different colors.

Basically, it's a pair of shorts,

but it's made out of board short material ..so bathing suit material.

If you're in hot climates, if you're going to be going in and out of the water

and then you're trying to pack light, these are your go-to.

These things are super comfortable to wear.

I swear I haven't worn a pair of cotton

shorts in like a year and a half.

I just really love how light and

breathable and flexible and stretchy these are.

If you're trying to pack light, you can bring two pairs of these and use one as a board short and the other as

your go-to pair of shorts. It just helps you pack lighter

It's way more comfortable than a regular pair of shorts.

And I think these retail around 40 or maybe 50 dollars.

And to be completely honest,

I literally live in these things.

When I'm at home, I'm wearing these.

If I go to the beach,

I'm wearing these. If I go traveling to Costa Rica,

I literally only brought two pairs of those.

Hopefully, all of you guys and girls out there enjoyed this video.

It's the first time we've ever done like individual favorites.

I think we're going to have more of these videos coming out, kind of like every quarter.

You know as the seasons change,

we'll just do a little catch up and explain what songs were digging, what books we like,

what movies we've enjoyed...

you know, what products we're loving and just kind of share those tips and

our experiences back with all of you Vagabuddies out there.

Drop your comments in the comments section.

I'll be reading those and responding.

If you have any more questions for me, make sure you put them down there.

Remember to subscribe to my other YouTube channel and follow me on Instagram and in

the meantime, remember to stay curious keep exploring, and I'll see you on the road. Peace