Jim Mudry worked as a windsurfing instructor in Margarita, Venezuela; Los Barriles, Mexico; and in the Dominican Republic for Vela Travel Resorts (based in Palo Alto, California) for five years. He now works in the Research and Development Loft at Sailworks Sails in Hood River, Oregon.

For me, the biggest benefits of working at a resort were mainly the opportunity to windsurf all the time, to live in a beautiful setting, and to escape from the real world.

There were no phones to answer, no bills, and no one to answer to. The lifestyle there is really different. Much slower. Really relaxed.

It wasn't too tough for me to get the job, because it was all pre-arranged before I left. But someone trying to break in without knowing someone would have a tough time. The companies like to have a current recommendation from one of their employees. So you've got to keep digging and talking to people in the industry. You can get jobs, but you really have to know someone in the business. It's a really small industry. But if you talk to people and get to know them, chances are something will eventually come up.

The money's not very good. It's enough to live on, but if you're looking to make a lot of cash quickly, it's definitely the wrong business. Business opportunities do come up, but you sort of have to stick around and stay with it for a few years.

You also spend a lot of time stuck in one place. If you're on an island in the Caribbean, you usually start to feel sort of trapped. Most people who do this sort of work don't have a car or a permanent place to live, so you feel sort of transient. But if you make a commitment to it, then after a year or so you can work the bugs out - get a place and maybe a car - and then it can be a great career.

It was really interesting - and kind of funny - to watch people unwind at the resort. They'd come down and transform from super wound-up bundles of nerves to these mellow cats in less than a week. Then they'd never want to go back. That was kind of hilarious, but also kind of sad, really.

Most people party a lot or explore the area when they have free time. I spent a lot of time windsurfing and swimming and that kind of thing. I met my wife Heidi while we were both working in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. She and I would check everything out during our time off. We'd fly out to other islands on little puddle jumpers (small planes) and go snorkeling or waterskiing, or hike around. Or we'd get up in the morning and go sailing or something.

The housing depends on where you're working. The company paid for our accommodations, and they put me and five other people in the same house. I was the manager, and I guess living together was tough at times for everyone involved. There wasn't a whole lot of privacy. Sometimes the living arrangements are tough.

I learned how to manage people. I'd never really done that before, and it was a real eye-opener.

I also learned to really respect and try to understand other cultures. I learned to look into what other people were doing without judging them. Working in another country, with a different culture, just opens your eyes and makes you a much wiser person.

It's a pretty addictive lifestyle. I was basically following my love of windsurfing. I wanted to windsurf year-round, and this job offered a way to do it. When you're there you sort of start to bum out and want to get back to reality. But pretty soon you're wondering why you left, and then you start to crave it again. It'd be a great, low-stress career for someone. It's like escaping. Heidi and I keep in touch with Vela, and if the opportunity arises, we might just take off again.

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