Fundraising & budgeting
Trip fundraising and budgeting
Fundraising- So you've decided to go travelling- wahay! Best, decision, ever. Before you start getting to the nitty gritty of your trip you should start to think about your budget and how much you want to spend. Whatever you decide to do, you'll need to save for those all important flights, visas and travel insurance- then you can start planning your trips, adventures and independent travel, aka- the fun bits!
To all of those school leavers, gap year-ers and students- we know it can be hard. Heck, fund raising is always a bit of a toughie- but we promise it'll be worth it! To help you along your merry way we've put together some hints and tips for you to save your way to the best gap year ever!
Planning -The amount of money you'll need will completely depend on where you want to go and how long you want to stay for. On our Real Gap adventures accommodation and internal travel during the trip is included (as are some meals) so you won't have to budget for as much whilst you're there- but if you want to travel independently afterwards, you can research the cost of living in your chosen destination on this website: www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
Set yourself a target – Once you've done some hardcore research, set yourself a target and try to stick to it! Once you've got a figure in mind it'll be much easier to work out how much fundraising/working you'll have to do to reach your goal.
Ideas- Now you've got the magical numbers in mind, now's the time to get to the drawing board and think of ways to start fundraising. Pester family members and friends to get on board, I'm sure they'll be happy to help!
Check out below out top tips and money spinning ideas:
• Get your entrepreneur on! You could do some babysitting, dog walking, take note from the 'Great British Bake Off'... you name it! It's surprising how much the little bits will help; you'll be at your target before you know it!
• Hold auctions and raffles at school/work. Everybody loves a good old raffle!
• See if your school/local hall will accommodate you for a massive party! You could do a fancy dress bonanza and charge for tickets and drinks. You could donate half to charity and half to your travel fund!
• Set up a pub quiz! Charge teams a fee to enter, buy a decent prize for the winner, and keep the rest for your travel fund!
• It's eBay time! Make space in your wardrobe for your new travel gear and make money at the same time.
Sponsorship – Getting sponsored to do something crazy/adventurous is always a good plan! Think of the possibilities... you could bungee jump, run a marathon, sky dive, parachute jump or even swim the English Channel (we said they'd be crazy)! Don't forget to drop a line to some local businesses and the paper, raising awareness will mean you raise more for your target!
Factor in some work abroad – Want to leave right away, but need the funds? You could work abroad! With Real Gap you could work in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or China, and whilst you're working you could save for the rest of your adventures.
Real Gap Support – Regardless of the amount you’re looking to fundraise, we'll support you every step of the way! We can provide company headed letters as proof of your plans, so if you do want to send some all important letters out get in touch with us.
Websites:
• www.gapyear.com/fundraising/a_z_of_fundraising_ideas.html
• www.fundraising.co.uk
• www.fundraising.com
• www.rgs.org/eac
• www.lionsclubs.org
• www.ribi.org/
All of our Real Gappers have been on big trips themselves, so if you do want some more advice please feel free to give them a call!
Extras- As well as the usual travel stuff- flights, your Real Gap trips etc- you'll need to factor in prices for extra bits and bobs. You'll need vaccinations for some countries, and if you want to do any of those really cool bucket list activities (sky diving in New Zealand, climbing Sydney Harbour bridge...) it's worth budgeting it in!
