Jeff Hubbard wants to be the world champion of bodyboarding, and he's willing to travel around the world to prove it.

Hubbard returned to Hawai'i earlier this month after a five-week trip that took him to four contests in three different countries.

"I think I'm still recovering," he said. "It was a tough trip, but it's part of the job, I guess. And it ended up being worth it because I did OK."

Hubbard won one contest and placed second in two others. He is ranked No. 2 on the International Bodyboarding Association's world tour, trailing only Australia's Ryan Hardy.

Hubbard was raised on Kaua'i, but now resides in Honolulu with his wife, Heather.

"That's the hardest part about the traveling — leaving your family," said Hubbard, 30. "But we managed. We were calling or leaving e-mails for each other every day."

Hubbard's trip took him to Arica, Chile, then Lisbon, Portugal, then New Jersey, then New York.

By the end of it, he traveled more than 33,200 miles on 11 separate flights.

The toughest leg was the journey from Arica, Chile, to Lisbon, Portugal. The itinerary took him from Arica to Santiago, Chile, then Los Angeles, then Newark, N.J., then Frankfurt, Germany, and then Lisbon.

He departed Arica at 1:35 p.m. on a Sunday. By the time he reached Lisbon, it was 3:35 p.m. on a Tuesday, and that did not include any overnight stays in a hotel.

"It was pretty crazy, just running from plane to plane," Hubbard said. "And I was on a bunch of different airlines, so a lot of times I had to get off the plane, grab my bags, then check in again. I'm glad I didn't lose any of my equipment along the way."

Not surprisingly, his worst result came after that travel leg when he tied for 17th place in the Portugal contest (he won the contest in Chile, and placed second in the contests at New Jersey and New York).

"The waves were really good in Chile and in New Jersey, too," Hubbard said. "In Portugal, it was really small, so I had a tough time."

However, it was not purely a business trip for Hubbard. Even though he does not speak Spanish or Portuguese, he said he was able to play tourist for a few days in Chile and Portugal.

"The food is amazing," he said. "In Chile, you can get a nice meal for about two bucks. It was more expensive in Portugal, but I had a lot of good meals."

His younger brother, David, joined him at the contests in Portugal, New Jersey and New York. David beat Jeff in the final of the New York contest.

The Hubbard brothers are the only Hawai'i bodyboarders who compete full-time on the IBA world tour.

"We don't get paid like the surfers on their world tour, so it's hard to travel if you don't have good sponsors," Hubbard said.

Hubbard said his plane tickets cost around $3,200, but his sponsors are helping him pay for them. He also saved money by rooming and carpooling with fellow competitors whenever he could.

But Hubbard's travels are not done yet. He said he will compete at two California contests in November and then at an event at the Canary Islands in December.

"I'm traveling around the world and getting paid to do what I love," he said. "I can't complain about that."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.