Words by Johanna Harlow
After decades of surfing, former pro-longboarder Julie Cox still fondly recalls the high of catching her first unbroken wave off the shores of LA County at 14. “I remember those moments and how much I just wanted more of it,” she reflects. “I’ve been chasing that first ‘green wave’ throughout my career.”
In 2016, Julie said goodbye to sunny SoCal with its warm sands and tame water temp, left her job as director of the California Surf Museum and moved to foggy Pacifica with her partner Rel Lavizzo-Mourey. Though the area boasted great swells, the chilly water off Linda Mar Beach came as a bit of a shock. “I used to drive home in my wetsuit, getting my car seats all wet,” Julie recalls. Once home, she’d have to stow her surfboards—an “awkward, ding-prone process of guiding nine-foot ‘logs’ around a corner staircase and into a back room.” Little did she know that this cumbersome scenario would inspire a thriving business.
Cover photo: Courtesy of Miah Klein / Patio Photo: Morgan Saunders
As Julie and Rel acclimated to their new environment, they envisioned the ultimate surfer’s haven: a place to talk waves and gather for local events with access to changing rooms, board storage, a backyard lounge and beach-day merchandise. And warmth. Hot showers, heated patio furniture, a sauna—the whole nine yards. One day, after a Christmas Eve surf session, the two stopped to check out a possible location a block from the ocean. “It ticked all the boxes,” Rel recalls. Traveler Surf Club & Coastal Outpost had found its home.
Today, the patio welcomes members with comfy furniture and all the amenities a surfer could hope for, while the front shop (for members and passersby alike) satisfies beachy needs from swimsuits and serapes to sunscreen and sandals. You’ll find books like Driftwood Shacks and The Little Guide to Shorelines as well as Rel’s line of hoodies, hats, tees and tanks. To achieve this, Rel drew on her previous design experience from founding Silver Lining, a clothing collaboration with artists that tucked paintings and illustrations into the linings of coats and bags.
Photo: Courtesy of Morgan Suanders
They sell boards too. Among the mid twins and pintails, you’ll find longboards designed by Julie. The versatile California Coaster is her collaboration with local shaper John Moore of Mystic Surfboards. “It’s based off of one of my favorite boards that I personally ride on and compete on,” Julie notes. As an international competitor and a team rider for ROXY, her stamp of approval means something. “I was ranked fifth in the world for three years, which was kind of cool,” Julie mentions, almost as an afterthought. “It was very much a social thing as well as competition,” she adds. “I had an excuse to go travel to different places, and meet up with friends, and meet new people and cultures.” (“Hence the name ‘Traveler,’” Rel remarks).
With their surf business catching on, Julie and Rel have expanded to two more locations in Santa Cruz and Malibu. Running a tight ship, Julie helms day-to-day operations and stocks new products, while Rel, the big-picture strategist, handles club maintenance and designs apparel. They work seven days a week to balance retail, club services and events. “We’re kind of pinging all over the place,” Rel chuckles. “It’s juggling. It’s like being in the circus.” Julie chimes in, “It keeps it fun!”
Photo: Courtesy of Michaela Rabinov
The ocean keeps them grounded in this vortex of activity. “You clear your mind when you’re in the water, because there’s really nothing else you can be doing,” Rel points out. “When you get out of the water, too, there’s something about the energy of the ocean that stays with you—that kind of tingly feeling throughout the day.” Julie nods her agreement. “I love that it’s different every day,” she adds. “It’s not like a skate park or like snowboarding where you can see it ahead of you. The wave is being formed right in front of you.”
Seeking to share their passion, Traveler cultivates the next generation of wave riders with surf lessons for all levels. Rather than group sessions though, expect one-on-ones tailored for those “looking to become independent in the water,” says Rel. “We’re trying to get people to establish surfing as a lifelong practice … becoming a real person of the ocean. That’s our goal. The lesson is the catnip that hopefully turns you into a lifelong surfer.”
And when you’ve reached that point, the Traveler club is a perfect place to get plugged in. “We overhear that they’re going on a surf trip together or we see them coming into the club together, and they just met in our backyard,” Julie says of their members. “There are so many cool little connections and friendships that are happening. That feels like a measure of success for us.”
Of course, it helps that they’re all rallying around a shared love. “You’re out there together, riding little balls of energy that come into shore,” Julie describes. “It’s pretty magical.”