Surfing
Surfing
5 of the world's epic surf road trips
Why not jump in a car and tour remote France, Morocco, Australia, Indonesia and the USA?
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1. The Bali circumference
Kolohe Andino
© Ryan Miller
How many times do we vacation in the currently not-so-mystical Indonesian island of Bali and barely shift our gear away from either the Bukit reefs (Uluwatu, Padang etc), the East Coast rights (Keramas, Sanur) or the Canggu ghetto?
8 min
Bali makeover
JOB and Kaikea share a spa day before blowing minds at a Bali surf lesson. Jamie competes in the Padang Cup.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to climb onto that moto of yours and circumnavigate the island? It'll take a few days to do it well. But once you've taken in the beachbreak-reef of Balian, the burger-y lefts of Medewi, eaten on remote hilltops that feel a million miles from the pizzazz of Seminyak and stared at Mount Agung in the grey dawn light, you'll have a deeper appreciation of what makes this Hindu enclave the most valuable gem in the archipelago.
2. Bordeaux to Biarritz
Spot Check - Biarritz Crowd
© Roxy
You like beachbreaks? Who doesn't? Throw that famous French culture (booze, cigarettes, gorgeous movies with short-haired girls and long-haired boys) into the mix and you and your little Citroen DS3 are really going to dice it up.
I'd flow into Bordeaux, grab the car, head out to Cap Ferret (a hamlet for wealthy Parisians on a sand peninsula just across the water from Arcachon) and hit some empty banks, fire it down to Lacanau, then towards Hosssegor via Mimizan.
Spend a few days in Hossegor (it has an underwater canyon like Blacks in San Diego that shovels swell straight onto its beaches) before experiencing the sublime treats of Biarritz: great waves, the most wonderful scenery and casinos right on the beach. Hello baccarat!
3. Sydney to the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Australia
© Marc James
Oh, this is cruel. A highway that only rarely ventures near the coast. But it's this very cruelty that so rewards your pioneering spirit. Turn off here, turn off there, and you'll be rewarded with white sand crescents shadowed by ancient headlands and… where are the people?
I've made this thousand-click journey maybe 50 times and I've surfed, if I want to be generous, not even one thousandth of its potential. Take a week. Take a month. Take the rest of your life.
4. Tangier to Agadir via Safi
Tangier skyline
© Sam McGuire
Morocco. It's everything you could imagine. All the exciting colours of the Islamic world mixed with the lingering hint of debauchery from all those great artists and musicans who've posted up there. And the waves. The waves.
You'll drive the coast and you'll point out reefs and beaches and you'll be there in winter because the temperatures are liveable and the swell doesn't stop. Take day-trips into the interior, to the Atlas Mountains, to Marrakech and to the famous all-blue city of Chefchaouen, for cultural hits.
5. LA to San Francisco
3 min
A Day in Los Angeles with Maya Gaberia
A day in Los Angeles with professional surfer Maya Gabeira as she rips up the massive swell.
San Francisco Bay Bridge
© Mike Blabac
Two words. Big Sur. If the Great Whites don't get you, the spirit of Kerouac and Ginsberg just might. Inflate your soul while getting barrelled.
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