The Traveling Surfers Problem
Samantha, Benjamin and Kevin are three very disparate friends. Sam is a sportswoman, she loves the X Games and has even won a competition or two; Ben is a conservationist, he works at a local vegetarian bakery and volunteers at the animal shelter; Kevin is the son of two farmers from the Midwest and really enjoys that traditional life, he also speaks several languages (Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Turkish… lost count).
The three of them met at college in California, where they discovered one thing they had in common: all three loved surfing.
Often times they’d go on trips together on summer vacation, ride the waves from dawn till dusk, and share their vastly diverging life experiences. They really hit off, up until graduation, when their careers and busy schedules took them to different places.
A few years afterwards, they managed to reconnect, and planned a trip to revisit their alma mater and to ride those waves together, once again, like they used to. As they sat, chilling, watching the sunset, their old friendship rekindled.
—So, what did you do last year?—Ben asked.
—I traveled abroad—Sam replied.
—Me too!—Ben and Kevin exclaimed in unison.
They laughed.
—Well, maybe we went to the same country—said Sam—. Here’s some silly trivia: I realized that the name of my country contains all the initial letters of the colors of its flag.
Kevin though about it for a second.
—That’s also true of the country I went—he concluded.
—Yeah!, same with mine—Ben remarked—. However, knowing us, we probably weren’t even in the same continent!
The three of them agreed. This was true even before knowing it.
—So, how were the waves over there?—inquired Kevin.
—Nah!—replied Ben—I didn’t actually pack my surfboard.
—Me neither!—Sam and Kevin exclaimed in unison.
They laughed.
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Why had none of them packed their surfboards for their respective last year trips?
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If they hadn’t been surfing, what had they been doing instead?