There’s no running away from the fact that going surfing in another country is always a fun adventure. After all, exploration and visiting new places is almost an essential part of being a surfer: there is a special instinct that compels most surfers to take risks and chances in life. At the heart of a surfing experience is the quest to find the perfect wave that will be burned into your memories forever. There’s always a part of surfing that is unprecedented, no wave is the same, there is always something new. In this article we will shed light on the best tips to consider when planning to go on an international surfing trip.
Air , Water or Land
The first thing to be mindful about is how will you go on your trip. Traveling by air, land or water (boat trip) requires a bit different approaches. To put it simply, a good rule here is the more you are dependent on external means of transportation, the less things you should pack and bring with you. Carrying lots of luggage from one transport to another is a pain. And even if go by car, meaning your own car that you can slowly fill with your surf gear and other belongings while it is parked in your driveway, packing only the essentials will make your travel experience more comfortable. Leave all the clutter at home as it will only get in the way.
For a real change of climate and waves you will probably travel by air, so for airline travel check our surfboard packing instructions to avoid damage to your surfboards.
Packing and Priorities
We already touched this subject in the previous chapter, here are a few more tips. Even if you are not an orderly type of person, you can make a packing list. A list of things that you need to take with you. This way it is easier to make sure you don’t forget things at home. This of course works if you make the list in advance when you have time to think about all the things you need on the trip. There is no good making this list while you are already packing.
We also recommend you to apply the 50% rule and cut down your luggage by half. For instance, if you’re about to move to Europe for a trip, you need to consult experts first. Even when you search for experts on moving to Europe from USA? , the internet will unleash tons of results.
Gather Your Basic Surfing Essentials
It depends on where you are going but there are a couple of pros to bringing your own surf gear:
- riding your own surfboard is way better that surfing with a rental, rentals are usually more beginner oriented and beat up
- renting all the surf gear can be expensive especially on the longer trip, way more expensive than airline surfboard fees
- you can go surfing right after you land, no looking around for a surfshop that rents surfboards
- in some places it is impossible to rent a surfboard
Bringing your own surfboard obviously also has some drawbacks:
- airline fees
- carrying a huge boardbag while travelling is not fun
- your boards can get damaged on the way
Insurance
You go on a surf trip to have the time of your life, but accidents can happen when you least expect them. So always get some kind of insurance plan for the place you are going to. You can get sick, you can hit the reef, you can get into a car accident. Insurance will even cover things like stolen gear and missed flights.