How Do Y'all Pay for these Safaris?

[HuntingGold]

Great thread. I cannot contribute anything that hasn't been said.
My first out of state hunts were saved for by putting loose change in a jar. I was able to go to Idaho or Wyoming for several years just by doing that.

I am also one of those guys that drives an old truck, a 99 Dodge Dakota and didn't have a payment for years. I don't know how many of the young guys that worked out of my office that were just starting their careers and had bigger houses and bigger/newer pickups than I did. Essentially they got the new job and then went to the bank and signed away their life.

I recently retired (at 50) and immediately started up a business to earn extra income (for hunting) and to keep myself out of trouble! It is amazing to me how much work there is out there right now if a guy wants to go get it, full or part time.

My son-in-law was over last night and happened to see some of my Africa pics rolling through the screen saver on the computer. He left wanting to go to Africa. With 3 little ones, it is going to be hard but it surely can be done. I think I will send him this thread.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Here's one nobody mentioned. Marry a rich old widow whose husband worked himself in to an early grave trying to save enough to go to Africa.

Seriously, work 40 hours and live on 32 or 80% of your net income.
Also, make sure your spouse WORKS. The days of stay at home moms is history.

 

[ActionBob]

Now I supplement my income by being the outside caretaker at my local sportsmen's club, that includes mowing grass, plowing snow, general light maintenance and keeping the outdoor ranges in good shape. Now I have a good excuse to go to the club every day and my other half doesn't complain about it any more.

Sounds like a great retirement gig

 

[jduckhunter]

Sounds like a great retirement gig

It's an awesome gig and the best part is the caretaker answers to the president, guess who the president is.

 

[Chukar]

Tons of great advice given already.

Top advice I see, that you recognize, is to save. Ask yourself at every purchase, "Do I want this or do I need this?" "Will this Coke taste better to me than knowing that I am saving for my family/retirement or a dream trip to hunt Africa?'" I don't think that you have to go completely devoid of any pleasure in life such as a nice meal out with the bride every once in awhile, but the small things like soda and Starbucks really add up.

Think about investing in yourself. I know nothing about your financial situation or financial knowledge, but maybe find some classes at a community college on personal finance and investing if you are uncomfortable with the subject. Knowledge is power! Having some money that you saved allows you to put that money into products that make you money without working. You are making money while you sleep.

There was talk about using a financial advisor a bit back. It's not a bad idea if you aren't financially literate (hence the investing in yourself) but try to use only a fee based FA. You would pay only a set, one-time fee for their service. Other FA's charge for assets under management. From what I have seen that seems to be around a 1% charge or $100 for every $10,000 invested with them.

You are involved with HS athletics, a quick search showed that places are paying $50-100 per game to referee. That's not chump change. Pick up some games, make some side money, power wash in the summer break, pocket some more side money.

Lastly, to end this bout of written dysentery, save for yourself and family first. Build a safety net for the family first and then head off to Africa knowing that you have done well for them!

Best wishes!

 

[Badger Matt]

I waited until I retired after 28 years of enlisted and commissioned military service and my kids' college was paid for...and I wish I'd gone earlier. I did my first hunt in '13, a year after I retired from the military, and my next in '18. The 1st trip was DG and taxidermy bills...my next was PG and euro mounts. My next, hopefully soon, will be photos and memories. Africa is like nothing else on the planet and I fear it won't last forever. Go...now...and do it on the cheap if you must.

I'll echo what others have said. My vehicles were bought with cash and our home is more a cottage than a mansion. Our mortgage is deliberately about 1/2 what we can afford after I finally stop working. I took a job teaching high school JROTC and love the work and the paychecks...but, damn, doing PT with teenagers is killing my joints.

 

[Savage Hunter]

He could be a pharmacist?

yeah, I'm bivocational.
I sell drugs as a pharmacist. I'm also a preacher.
I often tell people that things were so desperate when I was in seminary that I had to sell drugs just to pay my tuition.

Oh, I forgot to seriously answer the question.
I have 2 jobs. We live on my rph check and my wife's small check as a teacher's assistant.
My 2nd job is as a pastor of a small country church. I just cash my pastor salary check and put it in the safe. I use it strictly for hunting trips, vacations, and some mission trips. All 3 of our safaris and my other out west hunts were financed strictly by my "2nd job".

 

[IAhawks84]

I am an electrician. I had never dreamed of being able to hunt in Africa, but one night at a Whitetails Unlimited banquet, me and a friend bid on a safari and won. I am fortunate that my wife and I had already been living below our means.
About two years prior to the banquet, we really buckled down and made it our mission to become debt free. We had a 3 year plan. We paid off the vehicles, then we started on the house. We set our minds to it, and did it in a little less than a year and a half.
I have never thought id be able to do something like this, but in less than 4 months I will be headed to jo’burg. We have had the means to go when we won the auction, but I too have that justification factor. I decided to open another savings account, and I’ve deposited all of my overtime, side job, scrapping, birthday, Christmas, etc money into this account. We made our Christmas deposit a couple days ago and are roughly at 5k. It really adds up fast if you put your mind to it and buckle down. I’m thinking that we will spend roughly 8-10k, and we have already paid 2k, so we’re sitting pretty well.
It is really going to sound stupid, but Africa is not even a top bucket list thing for me. I kind of fell into it, and as I have said, never thought I’d do it. With that being said, after all of the research and planning, I am very grateful and excited to be going, and cannot believe I hadn’t looked into it before. Everyone says once you go, you will go back and I’m excited to experience it. I personally have two big bucket list items. One is to hunt grizzly bear or moose in Alaska. The other is to cage dive with a Great White Shark. There are 4 places in the world you can do this, Cape Town is one. Once again, I am storing extra money away to be able to live life to the fullest haha.
To be honest while saving for this trip it has really got the gears spinning on all of the cool hunts I could probably do every 12-24 months by just putting my extra cash into a separate account. Hopefully that Moose, grizzly bear, or perhaps even some more African critters are not terribly far off in the future.
The method everyone is generally preaching works for me, hope it can work for you too. Good luck!

 

[PatrickMa Ward]

Save your money a little bit at a time, I read a book where a guy said “Action turns daydreams into memories.” Here’s to your future memories.

 

[steve white]

You are almost certainly spending all it would take to save for a trip--just look at your credit cards and how much you spend with them PER YEAR. It shocked me, because I thought I was tight...but I had to confess to myself that I was spending a LOT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED. Have about $3500 and climbing under the carpet in the safe. BTW, those savings double as a legitimate emergency fund until I go. (I have been 3 times)

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

The other is to cage dive with a Great White Shark. There are 4 places in the world you can do this, Cape Town is one.

It‘s not really Cape Town but a place three hours east of Cape Town. The very best place for Shark cage diving. Even Bill Gates was there. I‘m a forester turned tourist guide, constantly involved in Shark cage diving tours. I‘m doing tours all over South Africa, specialized in national parks and wine tours ( for years I owned a wine estate in the Cape). I often accompany the families of hunters. Whilst he hunts I take the family to Kruger National Park or wherever they want to go.

 

[mark-hunter]

I am diver, scuba dive instructor, myself, and it never occurred to me to join two activities together untill now.
White shark cage diving, plus hunting safari.

This is very very interesting combination. I wonder would it be feasible to arrange with some of the good outfitters on this forum?

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

I am diver, scuba dive instructor, myself, and it never occurred to me to join two activities together untill now.
White shark cage diving, plus hunting safari.

This is very very interesting combination. I wonder would it be feasible to arrange with some of the good outfitters on this forum?

In 1986 already I became a PH, then living in Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo province. Obviously I‘m involved in hunting safaris. I can book you with any good hunting outfitter, in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Early this year I took people to Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. It was quite hot but we saw plenty of game, many lions And a couple of days ago I returned from Kruger, my clients from Germany were absolutely excited. My previous hometown in Limpopo was an hour from Kruger NP - I know that paradise-on-earth game reserve as good as my pocket. By the way, the Shark cage diving location is not even an hour from my place.

 

[FallowJaeger]

Here's one nobody mentioned. Marry a rich old widow whose husband worked himself in to an early grave trying to save enough to go to Africa.

Seriously, work 40 hours and live on 32 or 80% of your net income.
Also, make sure your spouse WORKS. The days of stay at home moms is history.

If only I had had that plan, instead I met a lovely gal 5 years younger and I was the one who had saved, traveled and done my adventures in my single days, but I wasn't a hunter till after I got married. Now I want to have all these hunting adventures, which the Mrs. supports, she is all about life experiences. We do save and both work. It will get done, just have to have a plan.

 

[FallowJaeger]

I got a divorce and BOOM, I’ve hunted internationally every year since! Then again I’m not a very rational or practical thinker either. I do things because I want to, I find no need to justify my actions to anybody, if my boss doesn’t like it, he can fire me, girl doesn’t like it, the door is over yonder, gun safe full, they will sell you another one and not blink an eye! I don’t sweat retirement, probably die working or doing something stupid in the mountains. My kids have a large insurance policy in their name so no worries there.
One day I realized that I have done everything in my life to set myself up for when I’m old and all of it went away almost overnight. I decided I’m going to enjoy what the good lord has provided on this earth while I still can, I will make a plan later on the rest.
Or I guess you could put a few grand away each year and hope you don’t get hit by a train before you have enough rat holed to enjoy it!
Carpe diem,
Cody

Disclaimer: taking either marital or financial advice from Bullthrower338 is not recommended. Not particularly good at either!

That is a great reply. While I'm not able to follow your advice I will remember it for if I ever need it. It made me smile and it make my spouse smile. Our thinking is we are not old (I'm 41, and she is in her 30's-can't ever tell a ladies age). I want to experience adventure while I'm in good shape and able to get around. As a teacher I have summer months off, spring break, and other times I can use for travel and Safari and it won't cost me time off. We crunched the numbers, if we made 20 grand more a year we would be sitting pretty for travel, hunts, vacations, and paying off our house. Goals and plans will make this happen. Like you I'll work till I die, cause I want the funds and I like what I do.

 

[IAhawks84]

I am diver, scuba dive instructor, myself, and it never occurred to me to join two activities together untill now.
White shark cage diving, plus hunting safari.

This is very very interesting combination. I wonder would it be feasible to arrange with some of the good outfitters on this forum?

I’m not sure if a outfitter could help you out, but to me honest you can probably do it yourself and cut out the middle man. We are just doing a multi city trip with our flight, booking our hotel, and the tour. It seems most of the GWS tours provide optional pickup and transportation from Cape Town. I’ll post in April when we get back and let you know if I have any recommendations.

 

[LivingTheDream]

@FallowJaeger just a thought where you are a teacher and have summer months off, would being an uber driver be feasible? You could pick your hours and pick up some extra money. Not sure if you are in an area where uber is popular.

I dont think there is anything wrong with working till you die. I pretty much plan to work till I die, not so much for financial reasons just the way I am. On my days off I am usually scheduling meeting around when I am going to be in the stand. I see retirement as working on my terms not anyone else's.

 

[IAhawks84]

It‘s not really Cape Town but a place three hours east of Cape Town. The very best place for Shark cage diving. Even Bill Gates was there. I‘m a forester turned tourist guide, constantly involved in Shark cage diving tours. I‘m doing tours all over South Africa, specialized in national parks and wine tours ( for years I owned a wine estate in the Cape). I often accompany the families of hunters. Whilst he hunts I take the family to Kruger National Park or wherever they want to go.

I am assuming the place you are talking about is Gansbaai? Everywhere I’ve been looking into operates out of there, but all of them I’ve looked at also provide pickup and drop off options from Cape Town.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I've only got one piece of advice for those that think they'll work until they die. Your body may and probably will, have other ideas.

 

[PARA45]

I had dreamed of hunting Africa since I can remember. I used to think that to hunt Africa you had to be rich. Boy, I was totally mistaken about that.

When I was 48 years old, I told my wife that I wanted to go to Africa for my 50th birthday (7 years ago), and she agreed. We do not make a lot of money, but we set our minds to do it. I opened a separate savings account (without fees), and set up an allotment to send XXX amount every paycheck. I called it my Africa Safari account. I figure that if I didn't see the money, I wouldn't use it. By the time my 50th b-day rolled around, we had saved enough to go on a 2 weeks safari, and do one side trip riding on the backs of elephants, and one to play with a white albino baby lion. Priceless experience. I killed 7 PG animals, and did shoulder mounts of all of them. I told the taxidermist to take his time (big mistake), so I could collect the funds to pay for it.

If you hang around here long enough, you'll see some real good deals pop up. Some deals are so good they seem almost unreal. Someone went on a leopard hunt a couple of months ago, and I want to say he got the hunt for almost 1/2 the price of a regular leopard hunt. Luck, timing, and patience paid off for this hunter.

We are planning on going again in two years, and I've started the process once again. Set your goals, stick to the plan, and make your dreams a reality. It can be done. Good luck to you, and hope to read your hunting report soon.

p.s. Take a look at this very affordable package.

https://www.africahunting.com/threa...-deal-from-only-us-3-800-save-us-2-450.45980/