Before I Die: What we want to do this summer. HELP and ADVICE appreciated!

**BeforeIDie212** · 02-09-2010, 10:09 AM

Whats up

I'm new to the site, although I came across RTA in September, as I entered the planning stages of a summer roadtrip. It started off as a simple graduation celebration trip from here to California. Then one day, as I was running through some files I had on my computer, I came across a list of things I want to do before I die I had written as a sophomore (I am now a senior). Then the idea dawned on me: Roadtrip across the US and take care of the list. And then a week later I saw the first trailer for MTV's The Buried Life, a documentary/reality show centered around a group of 20-something year old men traveling the US with a list of things to do before they die. Bastards.

Anyway, I relayed the idea to a few of my closest friends, and we agreed it would be epic. We immediately began researching and came up with a group list. Eventually, we ealized we couldn't rent an RV, as we'd only be 18. Then we realized we couldn't purchase a dependable RV, because we don't have that kind of money; we're only high school seniors mind you. So the logical solution was a skoolie, a schoolbus to RV conversion. Brilliant! We realized a skoolie would offer us the most usability, versus a van or truck, which would offer much less at a similar price. We'd purchase a school bus for 3k max, and convert it ourselves. Once again though, we hit the money boundary.

My friends have lost faith in the road trip, believing we'd all have to work through the spring to come up with enough money to pay for supplies, much less the skoolie. This isn't possible for the majority of the group, as they are part of a spring sport. I will be working as will another member of our group, but the other three cannot. The two of us can't make the kind of money we need. Now they think the best idea, would be to jump on a budget cruise and get wasted for a week this summer. That kills me.

Over the cours of the last few months, I have immersed myself in roadtrip culture and realize how rewarding it would be, as opposed to puking overboard on a dinky cruise ship. I am dedicated to this trip. My friends have agreed that if we can find the proper funds, we will take the trip. And that's why I write today.

I've heard of road-warriors receiving sponsorships, grants, and donations through corporate america, small businesses, and individuals. What goes into it? How can one attain such a lucrative deal? If a sponsorship is unrealistic, what's a dependable form of fundraising? Any advice, words of wisdom, comments, questions, help, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I want this trip and I am willing to do whatever it takes. Please get back to me, and thank you for reading.

P.S. I will post our "Bucket List" Asap

**Midwest Michael** · 02-09-2010, 12:12 PM

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Work is the only realistic way you're going to pay for your trip. Sponsorships just aren't going to work for a simple reason: why would someone pay a group of teens to take a vacation? Its not realistic in the best of conditions, and certainly not in this economic climate. Now there are promotional jobs where you can get paid while you travel around the country, but these aren't siteseeing tours. You're working long hours every day and have basically no time to yourself or time to take cross things off your fun list.

Really, what it comes down to is that you'll have to work to fulfill your dream. Certainly, life can get in the way of building up the funds you want, but that means you have to build your trip to fit your abilities - quite likely scaling back from your "once in a lifetime epic trip" while remembering, at 18 you've got a whole lot of time to keep living those dreams one piece at a time.

In the scope of things, not being able to do a huge trip off the bat can be a good thing. Your plan to buy a bus for $3000 sounds pretty short sited, as there's really no such thing as a dependable used school bus. Schools are hurting for cash, and they don't replace those until they've gotten every bit of use out of them that they can. If you bought one for $3000, you'd need at least another $3000 just for a repair fund - and even that quite likely wouldn't be enough. Doing a smaller trip also lets you get a feel for what you like and don't like, without commit thousands of dollars and months of time to that learning experience.

If you want to do a roadtrip, then keep it simple. Take a car that you've already got available to you, and work within whatever is realistic for your budget, if that's a month, a week, or even just a weekend. A roadtrip isn't about the amount of time you spend on the road, your destination, or even what things you can cross off a list, is about the chance to be out there and have the experiences you wouldn't otherwise have and often wouldn't otherwise predict!

**AZBuck** · 02-09-2010, 12:42 PM

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Yes, indeed. You are bumping up against the real world and not for the last time. As you are finding out, dreams take money to become reality and money takes work to produce. The fact is that there are no really cheap ways to live your dreams and no easy ways to get someone else to pay for them. Sponsorships are very few and far between and take at least as much effort as simply working a 9-5 job. For your own sanity and well being, I would urge you back to the real world and to forego this particular dream of an 'epic' RoadTrip in a 'dream' vehicle.

However, all is not lost. As a high school graduate, you have a VERY long way to go 'before you die'. What it will take to make your dream come true is to keep your eye on the prize for a few years while you gain the financial resources and experience to make it possible. Work summers and salt what money you can away. Take shorter weekend and week-long trips in your local area with your current vehicle to determine what you need to make your trips enjoyable and what style of travel works for you. Work on the reality and the dream will take care of itself. Are you willing to do that, or is that beyond 'anything'?

AZBuck