There is always wind somewhere. The planet runs on a rotation of trade winds, named regional winds and summer thermals, and once you know the schedule you can plan a whole year of trips around systems that show up like clockwork (the European half of that map is in the winds of Europe). Here is the calendar we would plan by, month by month.
January
Cape Town. Peak Cape Doctor: the southeasterly blows hard and often, it is high summer, and the world's traveling kite crowd is camped at Big Bay. The Cape Town guide covers the whole bowl, Langebaan included.
February
Cape Town, with Cape Verde rising. The Doctor still delivers, and out in the Atlantic the trade winds at Santa Maria on Sal are at their most reliable, with bath-warm water a four-hour flight from Europe.
March
Cape Verde, Cape Town's tail. Sal stays windy while the Cape season winds down. Dakhla starts waking up for spring.
April
Dakhla opens, the Med stirs. The Sahara lagoon's wind machine spins up toward its long peak (see the Dakhla guide), Lo Stagnone starts its season, and spring Tramontane days hit Leucate.
May
Tarifa and the islands. The Levante season ramps up in the Strait (the Tarifa guide explains the two-wind system), the Mistral works Porto Pollo, and the Dutch coast gets rideable in a shorty on its better days.
June
The Meltemi begins. Greece switches on for the summer: Pounda and the Cyclades start their long windy stretch (Greece guide), the trades build at Sotavento, and the South of France is in full swing.
July
Fuerteventura's peak, Greece in stride. The Canary trades blow hardest in high summer (Fuerteventura guide), the Meltemi is established, and the Dutch beaches do their summer sea-breeze thing for anyone staying close to home.
August
Greece at full power, Brazil begins. The Meltemi peaks across the Aegean while on the other side of the Atlantic the Brazilian trade season opens at Cumbuco and friends (Brazil guide). Sardinia and Sicily run on thermals all month.
September
Brazil builds, Tarifa's second act. Ceará's wind settles into its metronome phase, and autumn brings some of Tarifa's best Levante runs with thinner crowds. The Meltemi takes its final bows.
October
Brazil, no contest. The strongest, steadiest month on the downwind coast, from Cumbuco to Preá. Dakhla's autumn season is the quieter alternative on European time zones.
November
Cape Town opens, Brazil still firing. The first Cape Doctor runs of the southern summer arrive just as Europe goes dark. Brazil remains excellent into December.
December
Cape Town at its best, Cape Verde back on. Summer in the Cape, trades on Sal, and a year of wind comes full circle.
Planning the year
The pattern: southern summer (November to March) belongs to Cape Town, Cape Verde and the long-haul trades; April and May bridge through Dakhla and the early Mediterranean; June to September is Europe's show; August to December is Brazil's. Before any booking, check the live forecast and the 16-day outlook on the spot page, and pack the right kites for the destination's range.