Soapbox Engage Blog

Traveling is a profoundly transformative experience. It’s so valuable to have the chance to take in other cultures and lands, learn to empathize, and broaden your skills and horizons, while making new friends and new memories.

Travel is also expensive. When considering transportation, lodging, food (and souvenirs!), travel costs add up quickly. If only there was some way you could pick up some sweet moolah on the side to pad your travel bank account and finally afford that long-awaited excursion!

We racked our brains to come up with 9 great ways to raise money for your next trip. Our goal is to help you spend less time worrying about finances and more time exploring. So, whether you’re planning your next personal vacation or raising money for a gap-year, these travel fundraising ideas are for you!

Table of Contents

1. Individual donation pages for travel fundraising
2. Raise money for travel with a yard sale or selling online
3. Offer pet sitting or pet care to raise money to travel
4. Offer lawn care to raise money for your travels
5. Bake-sales bring in travel money
6. Host a photo sale for your travel fundraiser
7. Ask family members to gift frequent flyer miles for your next adventure
8. Gig work for travel fundraising
9. Pick up a second job to fund your travel dreams

1) Individual donation pages for travel fundraising

An individual donation page is a great way to bring people into the “why” of your trip. Your supporters will want to know the story behind your wanderlust or what made you choose your particular destinations.

Maybe you’re planning a destination wedding. Perhaps you’re a student planning to study abroad to expand your experiences and knowledge in a particular field. Regardless of your reasons for traveling, it’s good to include a description of what makes this trip so important to you and why you selected this destination.

By creating a custom donation page, you can share your passion for your trip destination with others. Photos of the stunning beaches in Maui, quaint Parisian cafe districts, or beautiful Chinese temples bring donors into your excitement and help them feel a little restlessness with you.

Just don’t forget to power your donation page with a donation button! Whether you’re planning one epic trip or several excursions, the Soapbox Engage Donations app gives you all the tools and resources to design a custom donation page for all your travel expenses.

2) Raise money for travel with a yard sale or selling online

When was the last time you played that old clarinet from your high school band days? If you’re looking to raise money for your next trip, perhaps a great place to start is with the stuff you already own.

Before you start packing, take a look around your closets, garage, attic, and other nooks and crannies of your home. Ask yourself, “am I going to use this?” (Or, our other favorite question, “If I was stranded on a desert island, would I miss this item?”)

If the answer is “no,” why not purge excess clothing and other items to pad your travel budget? You can sell your items on an online platform like eBay, or you can have a yard sale. With the snap of a camera, you can start emptying your closet and filling your wallet!

Bonus, you’ll enjoy a clutter-free(er) place when you get back from your trip and have more space for all those souvenirs! If you want to get extra ambitious, you can help friends, neighbors, and family members declutter their homes, too. Either invite people to donate items to your sale or offer to share the profit with contributors.

3) Offer pet sitting or pet care to raise money to travel

This is a double win if you love pets! Reach out to friends and family on social media to find out who needs regular pet care. Consider advertising your services on platforms like Nextdoor or Facebook Marketplace to expand your potential client list.

Offer to take their favorite pet on regular walks in exchange for a donation to your trip. Or, offer to pet sit for people going out of town who don’t want to board their pets. For a small fee, you can give them the peace of mind that their beloved pets are well cared for and staying in the comfort of their own home.

Having a custom online donation page makes it easier for people to pay online for your pet care services. All you need to do is share the link, and people can pay with their favorite online payment service.

4) Offer lawn care to raise money for your travels

How many lawns can you mow, or how many piles of leaves can you clear in one day? Pick a weekend and put yourself to the test!

Or, for a more long-term money-making project, look for people in your area who need regular lawn and garden care and are willing to pay a small fee.

Contact neighbors and let the word spread through social media that you’re eager to take care of their lawn work for a donation toward your next excursion.

5) Bake-sales bring in travel money

Bake sales are the old standby: cheap, classic, and irresistible. I mean, how many people actually turn down a Girl Scout cookie stand? Iron wills bend before Thin Mints. The best part about bake sales is they’re easy to plan and easy to operate (no extra special skills required… well, besides baking).

Scope out some high traffic areas in your town and talk to local businesses in the area about setting up a tent to sell your delicious treats. Ask a few friends to help you bake a few different recipes (don’t forget diet-alternative recipes). Just remember to slip your volunteers a couple cookies for free since they’re helping you out… and maybe bring back a special souvenir, too.

If you’re traveling to a place with some unique traditional baked goods or treats, consider trying your hand at making some for your bake sale. Many people will enjoy the opportunity to taste some of the traditional cuisines from your travel destinations!

6) Host a photo sale for your travel fundraiser

Adventure and photography usually go hand in hand. If you enjoy taking photos, a great way to fundraise for your next trip is by selling prints of photos from previous adventures and travels.

If you’ve got the eye for photography but don’t want to part with your pics yet, commissions are always a reliable option. Consider offering family photoshoots or portrait sessions to friends, family members, and people in your area. Some businesses or organizations might even be willing to pay a small fee for you to document an upcoming event.

If you really want to go all-in for some longer-term cash potential, consider setting up an online store and selling your wares. Soapbox’s Shop app is an excellent option for this. You won’t need to spend loads of valuable time “running” the back-end of your e-commerce store, and it’s easy to customize and update as you go. You can even sell photoshoot sessions!

7) Ask family members to gift frequent flyer miles for your next adventure

In lieu of your regular holiday gifting tradition, try talking your family members into gifting travel miles. Most people have credit cards that offer airline or travel rewards. Due to scheduling demands, many people actually let their travel rewards expire.

If you’ve shared your travel ambitions with family members, consider asking them to help make your dream adventures come true by gifting unused travel miles or other credits.

8) Gig work for travel fundraising

Do you have a talent or skill that you can monetize as a side gig? Perhaps graphic design, editing, singing, writing, or even try out a human statue routine to raise money for your travel expenses.

You can get very creative with this fundraising option. Consider creating a profile on sites like Fivrr or 99Designs are potential options for anyone looking to use their graphic design, editing, or similar skills for a little extra cash. Just be wary of possible membership fees or “costs of doing business” that some platforms charge their freelancers.

9) Pick up a second job to fund your travel dreams

If you’re thinking you’ll want something a bit more reliable than gig work, you could always pick up a second job working for tips or part-time wage. This could be anything from waiting tables or bagging groceries to driving for UberEats, Uber, or Lyft. There are many part-time jobs where a motivated traveler can pick up some extra cash on nights or weekends.

Don’t let your dreams be dreams! These 9 ideas are just the tip of the iceberg of fundraising ideas to get the cash for your dream adventure, gap year travels, or other destination goals. Your next trip doesn’t necessarily depend on money as much as it depends on your creativity to raise it!

Here are three more resources to fuel your fundraising ventures.

• 6 Fundraising Ideas for Cancer Research and Treatment: While these fundraisers are designed with cancer treatment and research in mind, many of these ideas are easily adaptable to become travel and adventure fundraisers for any globetrotter. There are some great virtual, in-person, and hybrid-event options here, too.
• 9 Must-Have Features for your Nonprofit’s Online Donation Page: Whether you’re fundraising for your next travel goal or to fund a major nonprofit, a donation page is likely the foundation of all your online fundraising efforts. However, not all donation pages are created equal. This blog will help ensure you’ve got all the essential features for a successful donation page for your travel fundraising or nonprofit work.
• Quick-Start Guide to Planning Your First Charity Event: Maybe you’re feeling motivated to get people moving for a great cause. From fun and irreverent to highly competitive, charity walks, runs, shuffles, cycling, and other events are gaining popularity and attract people of every age and fitness level. No matter what you’ve got in mind, this blog will walk you through the basic steps of planning your first charity walk, run, or another athletic event.