Travelling with your surfboard: by plane, car and van without breaking it

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Europe is perfect for surf trips: within a few hours by car or plane you can go from the Cantabrian coast to Portugal, from France to Morocco or from Ireland to the Canaries. The problem is the board. Every season thousands of boards arrive with a broken nose or a cracked rail after a flight or a drive on the roof. This guide explains how to protect yours, which bag to pick for each kind of trip and what to pack so a ding doesn't end your surfing.

The bag: sock, day bag or travel bag

• Board sock: a stretchy fabric sleeve that protects against sun and scratches. Ideal at home and for short trips to the beach, but it won't stop a knock.
• Day bag: 5–6 mm of foam and a reflective side against the sun. The everyday bag for the car and for walking to the beach.
• Travel bag: 10 mm or more of padding, reinforced nose and tail, often room for two or three boards. This is the one you need for flying.
• Coffin bag: a large wheeled travel bag for three or four boards plus your wetsuit. For long trips or group travel.

Always choose a bag about 10–15 cm longer than your board, so it fits with the fins out and without straining the zip.

Flying: how to pack your board

Baggage handlers don't know, or care, what's inside the bag. Assume it will be thrown, stacked and knocked, and pack accordingly:

1. Take the fins out and keep them in the bag with the fin key. If your fins are glassed on, protect them with pieces of foam.
2. Protect the nose, tail and rails with pool noodles split lengthways, pipe insulation or bubble wrap. These three areas break most often.
3. Use your wetsuit and towels as padding around the board, not piled in the middle.
4. If you're carrying two boards, put something soft between them so they don't rub.
5. Add a tag with your name and phone number, and write FRAGILE in big letters. It doesn't always work, but it costs nothing.
6. Take photos of the board before check-in: if it arrives broken you'll need them to claim from the airline.

Always pack a small repair kit and some ding tape: a small ding can be fixed on the beach and save the trip.

What airlines charge

Almost every European airline treats a surfboard as sports equipment, with a fee per flight that usually runs from €40 to €75 on low-cost carriers and can go over €100 on some traditional airlines, especially on long-haul. Conditions change often, so always check before you book:

• Maximum length: many airlines accept up to 2.77 m (9'1"); others set the limit at 3 m or less. A longboard may not fit.
• Maximum weight of the bag, usually between 20 and 32 kg.
• How many boards are allowed per bag (some only accept one, others up to three).
• Whether you need to book the space in advance: on small planes room for sports equipment is limited.

Pay for sports equipment when you book or online: at the airport desk it usually costs a lot more.

By car: soft rack or roof bars

For road trips there are two options. Soft racks are two padded tubes strapped through the inside of the car via the doors: they fit any car, live in the glovebox and are perfect for short and medium trips. For long trips or motorway speeds, roof bars with padded covers are better.

• Put the board deck down and nose to the back, with the fins up and facing forward.
• Use surf straps with a covered buckle, never bungee cords. Put a twist in the free length of strap so it doesn't hum or vibrate.
• Check the straps ten minutes after setting off and at every stop.
• Keep the board in its bag or at least cover the deck from the sun: wax melts on a summer roof.

In the van and in the car park

In a van the board travels best lying flat, in its bag and secured so it doesn't slide around on bends. Boards left in a car in the sun get very hot: the wax melts and, on EPS boards, the heat can even separate the glass from the foam (delamination). Always leave a window slightly open or cover them with a light-coloured towel.

Rather than hiding the car key under a wheel (the trick everyone knows, thieves included), a key safe with a code, hooked onto the door or tow bar, is the easiest solution. And a portable shower holding a few litres to rinse off the salt after a session is a real luxury on a long trip.

Trip checklist

• Board in its bag, with protection on the nose, tail and rails.
• Fins and fin key, plus a spare set if you can.
• Spare leash and wax for the water temperature at your destination (see the wetsuit guide).
• Wetsuit, booties and, depending on the season, gloves and hood.
• Repair kit and emergency ding tape.
• Changing poncho, bag or bucket for the wet suit, and zinc sunscreen.
• Straps, soft rack and key safe if you're in a hire car.

Rather not travel with your board? Many shapers in the directory rent or sell boards locally: a good way to try a new shape and keep your money in the local surf scene.