Perhaps the most remarkable side-effect of skateboarders’ wanderlust in recent decades has been the development of the altruistic side of the sport, as travelling skaters fall in love with local communities and want to give something back. In 2007, the non-profit Skateistan program began in Kabul, Afghanistan, started by Aussie skater Oliver Percovich. It educates young children, over 50 per cent of whom are girls, and teaches them skateboarding in a safe environment. Skateistan has since opened programs in Cambodia and South Africa with the same aim.

Like Percovich, Tom Caron-Delion has skated since he was small. Born and raised in South London, he was lucky enough to already be in one of the best skateboarding cities in the world.. However, Tom was bitten by the travel bug when he went to Japan on a promotional trip for skateboard brand Yardsale.

“Skateboarding and travelling go hand in hand. We’re always seeking new places we’ve never skated”

The trip proved all too brief, so Tom chose to return a year later, and found that, despite the language barrier, he was welcomed back into the Tokyo skate scene with warmth. Already a keen photographer, he started shooting the city at night, when he and his fellow skaters would cruise the streets, avoidingthe hustle and bustle seen in the daylight hours.

“The more I travelled, the more I began to realise that being a skateboarder meant having an extensive family in every corner of the world,” said Caron-Delion, recalling times when he was offered free lifts, places to stay, and even meals, just through being part of the skateboarding family.

Travel has also changed the life of London based artist and illustrator Gaurab Thakali. Born in Nepal, he moved to London in 2006 aged 15, a year after he’d first picked up a board. All of a sudden, Gaurab found he had access to good quality skateboards, and an abundance of skate spots dotted around the city – a far cry from what he’d left behind in Kathmandu.

“Since my last visit 2 years ago, the scene has grown rapidly” says Thakali. “The number of skateboarders had tripled and even the older generation seemed to be taking an interest, astounded by the tricks they were witnessing. Skateboarding and travelling go hand in hand. As skateboarders, we’re always seeking new places we’ve never skated. In this case we didn’t discover incredible new spots, but we came across a premature skateboarding scene.

“I’m glad that I could be part of the community that helped to push the scene towards a positive future and to provide opportunities for both young beginners and original members of the Nepal skate scene.”

SkatePAL is another organisation that is helping children through skateboarding. Australian born, filmmaker and skateboarder Sirus Gahan traveled to Tel Aviv at the tail end of summer 2014. SkatePAL had just set up a project in the troubled West Bank with an aim to teach children how to skateboard in a safe and secular environment. They needed volunteers and Sirus jumped at the chance. “I saw the early potential SkatePAL had and realised that there was the chance to tell an incredible story, from a lesser-seen region of the world.”

Through skateboarding, Sirus got to see a side of Tel Aviv rarely shown on TV. Mornings were spent chasing the smell of fresh falafel and sage tea around street corners. In the afternoons, Sirus and the other volunteers ran skate sessions for the local children at a youth club, where they’d built a wooden mini-ramp and other obstacles. “Teaching children who only spoke Arabic – of which I know about three words – meant a lot of instructions were misunderstood. Thankfully, skateboarding is a language in itself” laughs Gahan.

“In the West, skateboarding is often seen as a nuisance, but in the West Bank we’d draw crowds of 30 to 40 civilians, cheering and showing their support”

At night, when the air cooled, Sirus and the other volunteers, explored the city on their boards. “We’d scour the dusty streets, hunting for smooth surfaces and skateable, marble obstacles.

“In the West, skateboarding is often shunned and seen as a nuisance, but in the West Bank we would often draw crowds of 30 to 40 wide-eyed civilians, cheering and showing their support. Locals were happy to perform for the camera and would often show me a magic trick or a dance move, all of which feature in the films made during my travels.”