Securing sponsorship for your travel adventures can be a game-changer in making your dreams a reality. In this guide, we provide a comprehensive roadmap on how to attract sponsors for your trips and expeditions. From identifying your niche and building a compelling personal brand to crafting persuasive proposals and approaching potential
All the steps to get your trip sponsored
It takes, on average, 15,000 euros of budget if you plan to go around the world. Although it is possible to finance yourself, it is always better to have a little help. Sponsorship can therefore be a good option.
#1 Know your project well
Whether it is to go around the world or to go to a single country, it is essential to have a project. The latter must be solid, detailed and already have all the answers to potential questions from sponsors.
- What is the common thread of this trip? What is the theme?
- Who leaves? Or? When? How long? Why? How?
- What are the objectives of this trip?
- What are my skills and shortcomings for this trip?
- What are my technical and material needs?
- What values do I want to communicate?
- How can I communicate about the sponsor’s products/services?
- Why might a sponsor need me?
- Or rather why would he be interested?
So many questions that need to be answered. You must not only show that you are ready, but also that your roadmap is already mapped out.
The ideal is to have an original project to present. That said, it’s hard to be original with so many people going around the world and their projects. Rack your brains to at least present a different angle from the others, which can stick to the news.
#2 Prepare a sponsorship file
Once you have answers to all these questions, you need to be able to build a solid sponsorship case. This one aims to link your project to the sponsor and the outside world . It’s a bit like the showcase for your project, it’s there to make people want to follow it and sponsor it. Here are the items to add to your file:
Presentation of the project and your objectives,
Presentation page of the team or yourself,
All the steps and actions you want to put in place with the sponsor,
The objectives and interests to be fulfilled, for the benefit of the sponsor,
What the sponsor must do in return (financial, material, communication, etc.),
The communication strategy you want to put in place (social networks, travel blog, conferences, newsletters, films, etc.),
Your travel plan, destination, route, and all the steps to get to the end point,
Your details to contact you easily.
#3 Find sponsors
All that remains is to find sponsors! The best way to finance your trip is to make the network work. Needless to say, word of mouth and recommendations have always been quite effective. You still need to have a well-developed network.
If this is not your case, do not panic. There are different ways to get sponsors.
- Spontaneous approach: you contact the sponsors that interest you,
- The travel grant: you turn to a travel grant that suits you.
This can be in the form of a donation of equipment, for example, or in the form of visibility.
It is interesting in my opinion to contact travelers who have set up a project with sponsors in order to learn more about their experiences and to obtain advice and their feedback. Enriching!
Which partners to choose to sponsor your trip?
When you begin your search for sponsors, you will quickly be surprised at the number of possibilities available to you. The most important thing is to stay around your values and not stray from your initial project.
#4 Potential sponsor
Ideas can be found everywhere, here are some examples of sponsors to think about:
Associations: the various associations related to your trip. Generally, the help is not financial, but rather material or human.
Local authorities: town halls, municipalities, regional or departmental directorates, and regional councils.
Local players: local businesses, convenience stores.
Media: local, regional, international press, travel media, etc.
Brands: brands related to your trip and having the same values as you.
Apps: Travel or other apps may agree to sponsor your trip. This is especially the case if you already have a community following you.
Public establishments: museums, libraries, cultural centers, CROUS, etc.
Crowdfunding: the various crowdfunding sites.
#5 Travel scholarships
Several organizations also offer travel grants. This is an amount dedicated solely to financing various trips. They must meet certain conditions, but depending on your profile, the travel grant may be a good solution.
Like sponsorship, it is necessary to build a solid case. Be aware that most travel grants are looking for humanitarian, solidarity, or environmental projects.
CCI grant: it supports bicycle travel projects.
Millet Expedition Project grant: it supports sports, original and environmental projects.
DestinAction: the focus here is primarily on sustainable tourism.
Zellidja grant: it accompanies young people on their solidarity journey.
Déclics Jeunes: they support solidarity and innovative projects.
Bourse Expé: mainly focused on sports and mountain travel.
Adventure grant: they finance exploration projects with a sporting dimension.
Roberto Cimetta Foundation: it promotes artistic projects in the Mediterranean and the Euro-Arab region.
Talent Grant: exclusively dedicated to photographers.
Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet scholarship for vocation: it helps young people to achieve their vocation.