Most travel guides are written for a holiday and never mention the surf. These start from your level: which beaches suit a first-timer, where to base yourself, what it really costs, and what to know before you paddle out. If you're working while you travel, each guide covers visas, wifi and coworking too.
Indonesia
Bali is the rare surf destination that works for a first-timer and for someone who has surfed for twenty years — as long as they go to different beaches. The island splits neatly in two: the Bukit Peninsula in the south catches everything the Indian Ocean throws at it, and the gentler beach breaks up the west coast are where almost everyone actually learns.
Read the Bali guide
United States
Which shore suits your level in which season, what the state's ocean-safety officials say about reef and high surf, and every surf school we list, island by island.
Read the Hawaii guideEvery price, rule and rating is sourced and dated, and we say plainly what we haven't verified in person. Photos are openly licensed pictures of the places themselves, credited on the page. Nobody pays to be featured. Read the full method