Budgeting for a Horse Riding Holiday
Recently, a prospective globetrotter sent us the following question:
‘I’m dying to take an equestrian vacation!! But how do people afford it!? Any tips on budgeting for a trip of a lifetime like this?’
Now, we’re sure she was far from the first globetrotter to wonder how on earth to go about planning and saving for a horse riding holiday, and we’re so glad she asked! When we put her question to our Globetrotting alumni, we were bombarded with ingenious tips and tricks!
Read on to find out how our beautiful globetrotters budget for their horseback adventures.
Saving up
“I have a separate account within my savings called ‘Horses’ for any horse related item… I try and put half of my ‘play’ money in there every week. When it gets chunky I can book another Globetrotting holiday!!”
“I have a Horsey Trip account I put money into every fortnight. Once it’s a decent amount, I look into another trip and book.”
“My four friends and I put $20 a week for five years into a term deposit. We ended up with over $30k and went on an amazing trip. You obviously don’t need to save for this long or need this much, but having others involved was super motivating to never miss a week.”
“Use a credit card with travel points on it to pay for everything and collect as many points as you can for airfares. Also airline points once you’ve done some travelling. I use those things for my air fares, then when I’ve got half the ride cost saved, I book and pay that half, knowing I’ll have the second half ready for the next instalment.”
“While we’re on credit cards, I also chose one with free international travel insurance when you use it to pay for international flights/tours.”
Book the trip!
“If you’re like me and you’re going to do it ‘One Day’, take the plunge and book the trip! Once you’re booked you’ve got the motivation to save hard and get your flights, accommodation and all the rest.”
“Just book it! Kate and Laura are masters at helping select a ride you can afford and will enjoy. I’m learning each trip… the first one was spur of the moment and I had real trouble getting the money together. But none of that matters when you’re cantering beside a sparkling river with snow-capped mountains in the background.
This time I’ve learnt – I’ve booked well in advance, taken advantage of the 5 x 20% payment plan, researched flights, got great prices, booked accommodation in advance and it’s been totally doable.”
“Work out how much it will cost, how long it’ll take you to save that amount, and book that far in advance. That way you put the money aside so it’s there when your payments are due, and it’s booked, so you need to save the money and not spend it on other things!”
“I have booked both my rides about a year in advance and saved up for them before the final payment. I also really appreciate the 5 x 20% instalments option.”
Penny pinching
“Ask yourself, ‘Do I really need that new car? Or would I rather go to Iceland and ride Icelandic horses for a week?’ Guess which one I picked? The trip was THE BEST!”
“There are many things we waste/spend $$$ on every day – smokes, wine, coffee, lunches, etc. Cut that out and you have your holiday paid for.”
“Small amounts and often. Think, coffee or ride? Then put the coffee money in the ride account.”
“Once I got motivated I stopped having my daily coffee and just made my own. Whatever was left in my spending account the day before pay day would roll over into my savings again. You will be surprised how quickly it adds up.”
Resources
“There are apps that will help with budgets, like rounding up every purchase to the nearest dollar and putting the change into your vacation account, or just putting away $1, or $5, or however much each day automatically. Might be worth looking into!”
“I recommend Raiz for help saving for anything. It saves your ‘loose change’ and invests it in shares. It can add up surprisingly quickly.”
“Get yourself a copy of The Barefoot Investor. Everyone should read it. So much common sense, and it makes financial planning super easy.”
What a fantastic bunch of ideas! There were certainly some tips in there that I’d never thought of.
And don’t forget, we offer both 5 x 20% and 10 x 10% payment plans to make it even easier to afford the ride of your dreams.
Do you have any advice to add to this list? If so, please share it with us in the comments!