Windsurfing holidays: Hire equipment or take it with you?

"A set of windsurfing equipment consists of a surfboard, a wooden spar, a mast and a sail." The fun of booking often begins with such antique descriptions as those used by Turkish Airlines and does not end when searching for the applicable prices for the desired route. Anyone who finally decides to take the equipment with them instinctively has the flight costs in mind first. With Lufthansa prices of up to 400 euros per route, the words "Windsurfers not welcome" are invisible. However, Condor, for example, also flies a 32-kilo bag to the Caribbean or Cape Town for around 80 euros. But these costs do not stop there. Unfortunately, the overall balance sheet is often much more extensive and challenges such as "How do I get to the airport with the bag?" often only appear on the screen in the second step. The checklist shows what usually needs to be considered:

• Airline transport: 80 to 400 euros per route
• Transfer at destination: 25 to 100 euros
• Storage at the ward: 80 to 120 euros/week
• Possibly additional baggage insurance (from 25 euros)
• Travelling to the airport by public transport hardly possible
• Possibly parking at the airport: from about 60 euros/week

Storage and transfer in particular are often underestimated. Squeezing two people's equipment into a storage space at the surf centre is not a money-saving tip either. The centres usually only allow one person per equipment booking. This is understandable in most cases, as the price also includes infrastructure such as changing rooms and showers.

Option for frequent flyers: Condor Activity Card

Many years ago, the LTU Card was something like the golden credit card for windsurfers, with which the German charter airline transported sports baggage for 49 marks for a year at no extra charge. The current Condor Activity Card costs 199 euros per year for destinations in Europe including the Canary Islands and Egypt and 299 euros for more distant destinations. The price includes a seat reservation - which is otherwise subject to a surcharge -, one piece of sports baggage is free on all flights and early check-in is also free of charge.

Incalculable costs

In addition to the transport costs, there is a double transport risk: 1. the equipment does not come with you. 2. the equipment comes with you, but looks pretty worn out and needs to be repaired before surfing. Loss of value and surfing pain are not even taken into account. Luggage insurance is definitely advisable, as the airlines' liability sums are usually very limited. Or, with TAP for example, you may even have to waive all claims in advance for bulky baggage. However, if you follow the packing tips from page 60 onwards, you can minimise the risk. Travel professional Oliver Hilf from the Surf & Action Company travels "not a single metre without a tracking tag" so that he can always keep track of where his bag is. And he also has a tip for short journeys on foot with surf luggage: "I don't like board bags with wheels, they weigh too much. At the airport, you can pull a bag without too much damage. For short distances on rougher terrain outside, I reinforce the underside of the bag at the rear with real aluminium tape."

The transfer costs from the airport to the spot vary greatly. If you book through a tour operator, they may deduct the normal tour bus transfer from the price of the trip and offer an individual transfer including surf luggage. With the added convenience of not having to stop at every all-in hotel on the way to spots such as Soma Bay, but instead being able to speed straight through in 50 minutes. On Rhodes, the short transfer (there and back) to the Pro Centre in the north costs around 25 euros, in Portugal from Porto Airport to Viana do Castelo 100 euros, from Hurghada to Soma Bay also 100 euros. In Brazil, the long journey to Jeri "only" costs 60 euros extra for the board bag - because the passenger transfer is already included in the package at a high price.

However, the biggest chunk remains air transport. Airlines such as Turkish Airlines, which used to be very surfer-friendly, have significantly increased their prices over the last five years. A flight to the Canary Islands costs 170 euros each way. If you surf the airline websites in advance, the conditions can cause confusion. Surfboards are generally only allowed to be 60 centimetres wide and the length restrictions are also absurd for companies that transport windsurfing equipment. Bags up to 2.40 metres have established themselves as a good size, "you can't even get a bag registered with Turkish Airline beyond that", the travel insider tells us.

Pros & cons of taking part

Known and suitable material
Own material is always available
Possibly higher total costs than expected (flight, storage, transfers, etc.)
Only limited capacity (usually one board, two sails)
Risk of damage during transport
Sometimes tedious travelling

Pros & cons of renting

Large selection of boards and sails
Sail sizes available for every wind
Relaxed travelling with your hands in your pocket
Often more modern equipment at good centres than at home
Boards may be equipped with a heavy nose protector
Possible bottlenecks in the main sail sizes
Surprises such as sun cream on deck and fork can occur
Insurance on site makes sense, costs extra

Insurance for windsurfers

As insurance, the VDWS SafetyTool worth a look. For 39 euros a year, damage to rented equipment is insured up to 1500 euros with a 50 euro excess. Liability and accident insurance is also included. SafetyTool Plus for 99 euros also covers comprehensive damage to your own equipment up to 2500 euros.

Travel pro Oliver summarises it clearly: "If you really have top equipment at home, then it's worth taking it with you. But if it's just an older board without carbon and heavy masts, and you can get more up-to-date equipment at the centre, then I wouldn't go to the trouble of saving 20 euros."

Costs for taking windsurfing equipment on the aircraft

All prices are subject to change and are for guidance only and may vary slightly on site and via the organiser. If booked in advance, some of the official dimensions, as with Air Cairo, may be deviated from.

*Price with advance booking/price at check-in without booking ** Sports baggage up to 23 kilos/sports baggage up to 32 kilos

Costs for material hire on site, storage and transfer

In Dahab and Rhodes the prices for standard material and high-end material are shown.