yeah, definitely build 2 board. Buy one of those boardbags for 2 (without fins) boards, and it looks like one board, (so you pay less charges at the airport)
if you´re not in to the quad world, let it be… i would say. If you want give it a try, use a 5 fin system, tri or quad.
Lots of good advice here. If you have a reliable car I would suggest you get that passport and head south. The best way to do this is with a friend helps with the cost and you will watch each others back. Yeah lots of bad things are happening in Mexico. There are also some very warm and wonderful people down there. Look around for some surfers who have spent some time on The Baja. A few beers might loosen their tongues. From La Paz You can take the Ferry over to the Mainland and keep going south. For many years it was almost a Southern Calif Surfers right of passage to do a Mexico surf trip. Some of the best surf and even better memories are of my times spent surfing in Mexico