Surfing and travel have gone hand in hand ever since Bruce filled our screens with endless summers and undiscovered waves. Generations of inspired surf pioneers have paved the way to world-class breaks across the world and nowhere more famous than Bali’s Bukit peninsula and Lombok’s Desert Point. 

Yet there’s one fear that still makes a travelling surfer’s palms sweaty, the thought of budget backpacking with a surfboard in tow across Indonesia. 

A nightmarish reality of battered airport luggage, surprise baggage fees, lost and found, theft and a minefield of travel-worn dings freaks our minds. But with modern-day board bags, tougher resins and more established Indonesian surf tourism do we still need to flinch every time our board leaves our grasp and what can we do to make sure our beloved surfboards don’t break while travelling Bali and the rest of Indonesia. 

DO – Buy a decent travel surfboard bag

Even if you aren’t flying anywhere travelling around Indonesia with an unprotected surfboard or only a sock is a surefire way to ding your board.

If you are on a budget a quick hunt on the Facebook marketplace will get you a travel board bag for as little as 500k. 

DONT – Think a fragile sticker is lame

By the end of my Indonesian travels my board bag was more fragile duck tape than fabric. A modest little sticker is not the way forward here. We suggest having at least 2 large stickers on each side, bonus points for fragile tape and a top load-only sticker. 

DO – Learn the local word for ‘fragile’

This tip is particularly handy in the smaller Indonesian islands where surf tourism is yet to take hold. The Indonesian word for ‘fragile’ is ‘Rapuh’. Another potential savour is learning the phrases ‘on top’ and ‘Diatas dari’. You’d think in the surf mecca of Bali they’d know by now that surfboards should be handled with care, but sometimes a gentle reminder goes a long way. 

DONT – Be the first one on boats and buses…

First come first serve isn’t always the best route. The first bags that are loaded onto boats and buses almost always end up at the bottom of the pile. So if you don’t want to have to remember the phrases ‘fragile’ and ‘top load only’ in Balinese, I’d sacrifice your seat for a better less squished baggage space. 

DO – Get sporting equipment insurance 

Any good travel insurance should include damaged sporting equipment and lost sporting equipment luggage in case you break or lose your board. 

DONT – Forget to make your transportation aware before your arrival. 

Whether it’s a Gojek, taxi, boat or plane try and get in touch beforehand to let them know you are travelling with a board. This prevents any surprise fees and any shoving boards into full boot spaces. Plus many taxi companies have roof straps they can bring along if they know you are in need of transporting your board. 

DO – Pack your board properly 

There are insider packing tips for travelling with a surfboard that pro surfers use to keep their surfboard safe. Use pipe insulation for the rails, bubble wrap for the front and back and packing tape to keep it all together. Then surround the board with clothing and towels to make sure the boat can’t shift in the bag itself but do make sure the clothes don’t have zips or buttons. And please don’t travel with the fins in ….

 DONT – Rule out the moped

If you are only travelling a short distance to a nearby break, you can use a moped with a board mount. As long as there’s no wind, you hold on tight and trust your motorbike skills this will save you from having to cram the board into a taxi.

DO – consider using surfboard storage in Bali

Many backpacking routes and even surf trips aren’t going to always going to be fully focussed on the surf. You may want to head inland or to nearby surf-less islands, in which case you can easily store your board in Bali either at a storage unit, luggage storage, at your hotel or with a board shop for a small fee which is usually around £10 a month. 

DONT – assume your airline accepts surfboards as checked luggage.

Familiarise yourself with the airline’s luggage policy before rocking up to the airport. 

Garuda Indonesia – Free charge for one item of sporting equipment up to 23kg and 300cm in length (9ft 10in) 

Lion Air – Technically only 200k for a surfboard under 155cm. So unless you are a grom or a fish enthusiast you’ll need to pay an extra charge at the check-in desk. 

Air Asia – Free for you lucky Aussies going to and from Bali but there is a charge for the rest of us. You simply add the sports equipment that applies with its weight and height and pay the amount which typically is fairly priced 

Batik Air – Similar to Lion Air you’ll have to pay 200k per surfboard and an additional fee if your board is over 165cm (5ft 4)

DO – Buy a ding repair kit for remote surf trips

While on Bali expert ding repairs is almost always just a couple of streets away a dinged surfboard in Lombok, Sumatra or the Mentawais can stop your surf trip in its tracks. So keep your eye out for a Solarez repair kit in the local surf shops in Bali before your travels.

DONT – Obsess over your board’s safety

Don’t let worrying about your board ruin your travel days. If the worst happens and you get a ding, a quick trip to one of Bali’s ding repair masters will save even the deepest of dings.