Finding The Adventure Holiday Where the Price is the Cost, No More and No Less
You see the headline price – Fiji for $899. Wahoo! Sea, sand, warm water – the tropics for 4 days for only $899 including airfares. Getting your plastic fantastic out you quickly book. What a deal!
After booking, everything seamlessly flows along. Arriving in Fiji you are met at the airport and whisked away to your seaside resort. What follows is 4 days of fun in the sun, only tempered a little by how often you seem to have to drag out that plastic credit card.
A Spending Mystery
A month later, back home and the credit card bill comes in. That Fiji holiday may not have been so cheap after all as you view the extra $1000+ that seems to have “mysteriously” been spent on top of the headline package price.
Most of us have experienced this mystery, and while we probably do not begrudge the extra spend on what was a great break, the size of the unbudgeted credit card payments can be quite a shock. The cause of these shocks are of course the exclusions. All the exclusions in the fine print. You know things like food, extra activities, stuff like that.
A Multi Day Rafting or Horse Trekking Trip is HOW MUCH?!
“Four days on a river on a multi day rafting trip is How Much?” Janelle one of our reservations team is asked by a caller with a pitch of voice bordering on incredulity.
“A multi day horse trek is really That Much?” the person on the phone exclaims to Morgan, another member of the River Valley reservation team.
But you can book four days in Fiji for that!
Can you really?
A “mature” group of rafters on a multi day trip on the Ngaruroro River.
How Is A Multi Day Rafting or Horse Trekking Trip Different?
The gear raft is finally loaded, piled high with bags, boxes and all sorts of paraphernalia, the “essentials” you are assured for your three day river trip. The gear raft guide cinches the last strap tight and signals to your guide that all is ready to go. Other than the muted splash of paddles, your raft soundlessly breaks into the downstream current. The river murmurs a soft song of greeting as an accompaniment to the creak of oars as your boat heads down the river canyon.
On this trip you will be spending each night camped beside the river. Days will be spent floating through spectacular gorges, past patches of native forest, and running the occasional fun rapid. Food will be plentiful and tasty and the fireside company will be convivial. Sleeping mattresses are thick and comfy. Most likely you will see few if any people.
There will be no shops.
Let’s repeat that. There will be no shops.
But What About The Swipe Itch?
Even though your hand will be itching to drag that wallet or purse out of your dry bag, even though you may experience credit card swipe withdrawal, there will be no available Eftpos machines to alleviate the swipe itch.
In fact there will be nothing to spend any extra money on at all.
A month later, the credit card account comes in the mail. No surprises there. No “mystery” there at all. The price you paid for the trip was the whole price. Nothing less and nothing more.
When you next look at one of our multi day trips, whether rafting or horse trekking, you now know that the price is the price, nothing less, but more importantly, nothing more.
A group of riders on a Lodge to Lodge horse trek with River Valley Stables
Thinking About The Headline Price Not Being The Cost
Next time you are considering what short break you will book, have a think about the headline price. Consider how much will it really cost, and how much you will really spend. You may be surprised to find that an all inclusive multi day rafting or horse trekking trip is actually the most value by far.
Our company, River Valley, offers a number of great value, fun multi day trips.
You can find multi day rafting and horse based trip options with River Valley here;
