September is the month for dusky evening sessions and classic British surf right? Wrong. The Indian Summer we were promised hasn’t quite hit us yet and a lot of you have booked last minute surf trips to France, Portugal and Morocco over the past few weeks.

We’re still staying positive however, and are running a crazy October learn to surf in Newquay offer but  for those of you that have abandoned the hope of epic weather and waves this Autumn and have booked a trip to warmer climes, here’s our top tips to ensure your trip runs as smooth as possible:

1. Scan everything! Passport, tickets, visa, insurance, and email it to yourself. No explanation necessary…

2. Budget for transfers: We all know our home roads better than foreign ones so if you can fly from a one of the major airports with a budget airline that flies close to your holiday destination, go for it.  Transfers abroad can actually work out more expensive than the holiday itself, but with the Megabus, mates and family at home, you can get the first leg of your trip under your belt quite cost-efficiently.

3. Cram annual leave into one trip! Not only will it give you the biggest smile on your face when you’re thinking about your next surf trip whilst procrastinating in the office, but the best way to score good waves is time. The longer you stay the bigger your chance of scoring those dream sessions that will make your next office procrastination sessions even more enjoyable.

4. Travel light. You can buy pretty much everything abroad and for a lot cheaper. Except for Baked Beans and Branston Pickle in France.

5. Check in early. The check-in person is usually in a better mood, they can’t claim the baggage hull is full and you can try and get an exit aisle seat (extra room).

6. Smile and lie. When you turn up at the check in desk with your coffin full of boards you don’t really want them to weigh it as it could turn out more expensive then them just charging per unit. So you will either have to put on your best sympathetic voice and claim that the board bag is far too wet to put on the electronic scales and you wouldn’t want to break them. Or if that doesn’t work, distract/ flirt with the check-in person using some of your best lines and slip a foot under the bag to ease the weight off the scales. You can also claim that a triple board bag has only got “one” board in it and you have lost the key to the padlock that’s keeping your guilty sticks hidden.

7. Avoid flight food envy. Whether it’s boredom or genuine hunger, you always get hungry whilst flying and seeing everyone else get their food before you can be pretty frustrating, so just ask for a “special” meal when you book your flight as on most flights this guarantees being served first. Fear not, you don’t need to go the full Veggie options just ask for an extra bread roll or low salt option.

8. Don’t ask, don’t get. On scheduled flights if you are feeling a little peckish ask the cabin crew for an extra meal. Unlike chartered flights where each person is allocated a meal long before take off, scheduled flights always have a few kicking around. It pays to ask with a smile!

9. Master the vocals and hang with the locals. Before you arrive, make sure to learn some of the local lingo and try it out on when you arrive by making friends with the locals; it is the best way to find out about where and when to surf the local breaks. Be friendly and open.

10. Your rubbish is another man’s gold. When going to a poor surf country bring stickers, pens, and pencils for the local kid’s. It doesn’t take up much space in your luggage and your be a hit with the local kid’s. In turn when they grow older their view on visiting surfers is a positive one.

11. Surfing is life but it’s not the only thing in it. If it goes flat or you’re surfed out, go exploring!

12. You only live once. There is so much culture to absorb on this earth and if you’ve ever dreamed of a boat trip in The Maldives, surfing the picturesque waves in the Mentawais or even just learning to surf in boardshorts, just do it!
So there you go a few pointers. If you have any more questions or want to plan your dream trip just give us a call on (+44)1637 871324 or email us on info(at)errantsurf.com.

Hope this helps!

Max

(and here’s a few pics of me on my last surf trip to Bali… only 127 days and counting til the next one…)

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