18 old money activities to know now

Old Money has an exclusive style of living. This comes with some exclusive hobbies, old money activities.

• Golf
• Tennis
• Polo
• Horse racing
• Sailing
• Yachting
• Scuba-Diving
• Hunting
• Skiing
• Billiard
• Exclusive traveling
• Watching sports games
• Community meetings
• Flying
• Collecting cars
• Car racing
• Opera & ballet
• Charity

Introduction

This article will cover all the activities old money does for fun in their free time. Even though these activities are fun, they are a great opportunity to establish contacts with other like-minded people. These activities should be exclusive and with a relatively high entry barrier so that not everyone can get into them.

Golf

Golfing is not only an activity that is really fun if you know how to play it but it also is the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people. 

The entry barrier for golfing is not that high but with memberships for some communities way over 10.000$ and the equipment costing nearly the same price, golfing isn’t for everybody. 

A game of silence and precision is the perfect place to free your busy, money-making mind and just enjoy the moment. If you seek some company, you can find it in the exclusive Clubs that come with a golfing membership. You can meet other people with the same ambitions and establish precious contacts there.

If you want to know more about old money and golfing and old money golf outfits, read my article about them here.

Tennis

Tennis is something a lot of people associate with old money. Being one of the more traditional sports with generally higher-earning people playing it, Tennis is the perfect activity for old money. Tennis doesn’t come with the highest entry barrier but can get expensive really fast with some private lessons and the right equipment as well as a club membership.

Tennis is the perfect sport to play if you want to do one of the old money activities and compete at the same time. You can also prepare yourself to do networking by using a good old money tennis outfit.

If you want to get to know more about old money tennis outfits, check out my article here where I will cover old money tennis outfits for men and women.

Polo#

If you like the vibe of being out on the green and doing something fun you should consider the sport of Polo. The memberships to participate in this team sport might be not as high as the ones for golfing with Polo Club memberships costing around 1000-3000$. The ‘equipment’ though is the sticking point. 

A Polo Pony costs between 20.000-30.000$. This royal sport is not only the perfect opportunity to give it all but to bond with a team of high-earning people that share similar interests.

Horse racing

Let’s stick to horses. There are two sides to horse racing: Those who participate in it and those who watch and bet on it. 

Horses are extremely expensive in this area and can cost up to millions of Dollars to accommodate the best of the best. For a cheaper one, you must pay at least 40.000$. This sport is one of the most traditional ones in the high society old money refers to. 

Betting on horse races is a thing you do to come together with like-minded people. If you are lucky enough to win with your bet you can take home a serious amount of money but with every bet, you shouldn’t break the bank.

Sailing

Sailing might not be very pricy on the membership side but it sure is when it comes to chartering or buying a boat for some private adventures with your well-off friends. To sail across a lake or the sea can be a freeing and amazing experience and gives you space and exclusivity to discuss ideas and deals without anyone hearing or disturbing you.

This old money activity was done for many generations and will be one for many more. Some of the old money brands specially make clothes for this reason.

If you want to go more competitive than a smooth sail in the evening, you can compete at it. Boats for this sport can cost from 10.000$ up to multiple 100.000$.

Yachting

Do you want to ride the waves but do it with a lot less effort and way smoother? Welcome to the yacht! The entry barrier to yachting is a lot higher than for sailing. Like in sailing, you will need a boat license or a captain.

Apart from that the yacht is the most expensive thing. You can buy one for around 100.000$ but the sky is the limit when it comes to these pieces of luxury. Yachting is, like sailing, the perfect opportunity to enjoy life with your family or friends and to get some privacy to sign a multi-million dollar deal.

To be dressed accordingly while sailing or yachting, check out my article about old money boat outfits here. 

Scuba diving

What comes with owning a yacht? The opportunity to go scuba diving at unique spots normal people can’t reach. This feels like you are James Bond scuba diving at a private place before executing the new mission.

A scuba diving license is not that expensive but the prices for beginner courses are about 500$ and for some advanced courses they surely are higher. You will want to have your individual diving instructor if you’re old money.

The scuba gear is not cheap either. It can be as cheap as 1000$ for all the essentials or way higher if you want some extra functions and some more quality. 

Also, you can wear your old money accessory, the diving watch for this activity.

Hunting

Hunting is a more calm and relaxed hobby compared to many others on this list. Though it isn’t that expensive to hunt, you can spend some serious money on it. Hunting rare animals on expeditions cost a lot of money but in my mind, you shouldn’t do this because of the protection of endangered species.

Hunting can be thrilling and interesting in many other ways. If you are old money with a big mansion and lots of land, you can hunt on private property and enjoy the freedom of not seeing anyone you don’t want to see. You can also buy your own hunting lodge to disconnect for a couple of days and let the trouble of the world behind you. Hunting is one of the best old money activities with a lot of tradition.

Skiing

Now we come to a winter activity old money likes to do: Skiing. The opportunity to just get on top of a mountain by gondola and slide down smoothly is something old money loves to do. Also, it has a lot of tradition to go skiing in exclusive places. 

This hobby may not be that expensive but there are some hidden costs besides the equipment. The skiing pass you will need to enter a gondola is typically rather expensive. They may range from 250$ for a week in small and unknown areas to 500$ in some exclusive regions.

You can also spend some serious money on premium equipment but typically, you will look at 500-1000$. There are often opportunities to rent skis but this is not in old money’s sense. 

Billiard

From a winter-exclusive sport, we now look at one you can participate in all year. Billiard may seem like one of the weirder old money activities to include in this list but it is not. Actually, billiard is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people in a casual environment. 

The equipment you need can range from 300$ up to 10,000$ for some premium tables and queues. Then, you can also use the table as home décor as it gives off an elegant vibe. You may match this vibe by playing in a smoking or suit. Avoid playing it in bars if you want to look like old money. 

Exclusive traveling

Exclusive traveling is something only the rich can afford. Not sitting on the same plane with all the ‘normal’ people but rather flying private is something we’ve all dreamed of. It not only saves time but makes traveling much more delightful and relaxing. No crying babies, apart from your own, and no lack of space are only some of the benefits you can experience when traveling via private jet.

But it doesn’t stop there! If you want to break the bank you can travel to certain destinations only you and your loved ones can access, like private houses or just a complete island for you. 

If you want to know where old money travels to, check out my article about 17 old money travel destinations around the world.

Watching sports games

Whilst almost everyone can afford to watch a sports game at some time, old money and other rich people like it more exclusive. Eating in the business lounge or a private lounge just for you and some friends and family with a private parking lot and private access are only some of the things you can buy with money. 

If you want it more exclusive you can meet your favorite player with a certain donation of money to the club. Also, you get to enjoy great food brought to you by a chef. This exclusivity sets you apart from all the other people watching the sports games.

Community meetings

Some things you can’t really buy but still need a lot of money to take part in, are community meetings. Not the normal meeting at your former high school but rather a meeting of well-off, like-minded people that are willing to invest their money in common projects.

These exclusive communities, in which old money takes part are the perfect opportunity to establish precious contacts and discuss the latest or upcoming investments to gain an advantage over other people.

If you want to know more about old money clubs and communities, check out my article here. 

Flying

Not only traveling in a private jet is something old money enjoys doing. The hobby of flying for yourself is something rich people enjoy. 

Flying comes with a pretty high entry barrier. The costs for a pilot license start at 10.000$ for a private pilot for small planes. Other licenses for bigger planes can cost a lot more. The maintenance and the plane itself are on a whole other level when it comes to the costs. The cheapest new planes cost around 200.000$ and there is no parking space and maintenance included. Used planes you can get cheaper.

Collecting cars

Cars are something lots of people love. So, it is no wonder that the ones who can afford to will collect some of them. This hobby is rather costly, especially if the cars you are collecting are limited or rare in general. Some classical ones, especially cars that are considered old money, can last a lifetime. 

Building a car collection is definitely one of the most expensive hobbies but certainly something old money likes to do.

If you want to know which cars are considered old money, check out my article here where I will give you some inspiration. 

Car racing

If you’ve already collected them, why should you take your precious cars for a ride? Or a race? Racing cars or betting on them can get pretty expensive. If you want to watch a Formula 1 race from a VIP lounge you can expect to pay several thousands of Dollars for that experience. 

Racing cars can get way more expensive than just watching. The prices for these cars can reach from only a thousand Dollars to many millions if you want to compete in some higher classes and the maintenance can get very expensive too.

Racing cars is a traditional sport and is often liked by old money.

Opera & ballet

Old money likes traditions. One of these traditional things is the opera and ballet performances. People that attend and watch these shows are generally eloquent and elevated. 

Watching the performances of the actors well-dressed and surrounded by people with similar interests is something old money loves to do. If you even can afford to watch the show from a balcony in one of the finest operas in the world, it gets even more elevated and noble. Therefore, attending the opera or ballet is one of the best old money activities.

For a guide on how to dress formally in old money outfits and even dress casual ones up, check out my article here. 

Charity

Old money people are generous. They like to give something back to the less privileged. This can be a donation to the local animal shelter or even building up some schools or hospitals in Africa. This not only helps other people and animals but also makes you proud and makes you respected. 

In general charity and charity work is something everyone with little more money should do.

Summary

All activities on this list are suited for wealthy people in general. Some of them can also be attended by people with less money but generally speaking, the entry barrier keeps the circle of people doing these activities smaller and wealthier. 

There are no old money activities nobody else does, but the ones on this list are generally associated with old money people.