In 2023 I went on the best adventure of my life. My husband and I traveled to South Africa and rode on a 7 day horseback safari and I'll never get over it... so much so that I'm going back again this year! As I'm preparing for my trip this December, I thought I'd share my pre-booking checklist in case you'd like to plan a horseback safari of your own! And if you do, let me know because I'd love to join you to document your experience! Email me to chat about it. *this post contains affiliate links, thank you for supporting!
Choose your destination. This may seem impossible with how many incredible options there are, but if you have a list of things you'd like to experience, get that list ready and bring it to a horseback safari booking agent to have them direct you to the right adventure. I also wrote a FAQ post that may be helpful with this decision.
Choose your booking agency. I absolutely love working with African Horse Safaris (this is not an affiliate link). The whole team is so kind, welcoming, and helpful. I truly can't say enough good things about them!
Book your ride! You'll pay a 30% deposit with African Horse Safaris (other tour companies may differ) to secure your spot.
Set a reminder to pay your remainder for the trip, with African Horse Safaris you'll pay the invoice remainder 60 days before your trip.
Purchase travel insurance. I've used and will continue to use Allianz (this is not an affiliate link) for my travel insurance. I've compared them with 10+ other travel insurance companies and Allianz wins for me! Their AllTrips Premier plan is perfect for my husband and I since it covers both of us for a full year. If the horseback safari will be your only trip of the year, they offer a OneTrip option with varying coverage amounts.
Get a passport! If you don't have one already, be sure to get your passport immediately upon booking. If you have one already, double check that your passport will be valid for at least 6 months until after your return home date and have at least 2 blank pages at the point of travel.
Check to see if you need a visa. Every country is different so check for your destination to see if and when you'll need to get your visa. Visas are usually pretty easy to obtain! If you do need a visa, set a reminder for when you'll need to purchase it.
Purchase your plane tickets. I'm absolutely obsessed with using credit card points to pay for my plane tickets. Check out my Travel Tips blog post for an introduction on travel credit cards... but when you're ready to choose a specific card, just email me and I can help you decide on the best card for your trip. Based on your preferred airline, I'd tell you which cards points can be transferred from the bank to a travel partner to secure a plane ticket with mostly points and minimal cash! For reference, we're using Capital One points to purchase our Turkish Airlines tickets.
Schedule a Dr. Appt. You'll be either required or recommended to get a few vaccines before your trip. Schedule the appointment for 6-8 weeks before you travel.
Make a packing list. Don't start from scratch!!! I made one for you, here you go!
Make copies of important documentation. I will always have 2 digital copies, 2 hard copies + my original passport with me at all times (all in separate bags) when I'm traveling. I make copies of:
my passport
drivers license
travel insurance information
personal health insurance
visa (if applicable)
vaccination info
global entry card
Check the baggage dimensions and weight limits for your chosen airline. Turkish Airlines, man... I do like flying with them but that 8kg weight limit for a carry-on bag and 4kg limit for a personal item really gets you. And yes, they do weigh and measure every item! Because of this weight limit, we check our carry-on bags when flying with Turkish. And always put airtags in all baggage!
Plan your finances. I'll always use my debit card at an ATM in the country when I land to withdraw money. The Charles Schwab debit card refunds 100% of the ATM fees you pay- it's easily the best option for dealing with currency differences; read more about the card here. There are usually ATMs in the airport or close by, but I will still always bring:
2 debit cards from 2 different banks (Chase and Charles Schwab)
3 credit cards from 3 different bank accounts with no foreign transaction fees (Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture, and Ink Preferred are my go-tos)
USD cash
Set up auto-responders for your social media and email if you're going to be off the grid and if you own a business.
Buy an e-sim. There are multiple ways to do this:
I use Visbile for my phone provider and it includes 12 free days of global service. After 12 days, it's $5 or $10 a day depending on the country. I have a code to join Visible that gives you $20 off (and me too!): 66DP37Q
AT&T also has a global pass, it's $15 a day for the first line and $10 for all lines after. I'm potentially AT&T's biggest hater, so I absolutely do not recommend them but it's an option if you're stuck with them for now. Tmobile and other providers I'm sure have this option, just contact them before your trip to get the global pass set up.
If your phone is unlocked, you can buy an eSIM from Holafly (this is not an affiliate link). They have very competitive rates!
You can choose to rely on wifi everywhere you go instead of buying service abroad. I typically will do this while I'm traveling with my husband who uses a global pass each day.
That's it! Now you're ready for a trip of a lifetime!
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