I'm gobsmacked that any private individual would give money to someone else so they can go off on holiday on a motorcycle. I also feel that if I were to ask strangers to finance my m/c holiday, they'd just laugh at me and if I ask friends, I very quickly wouldn't have many left.

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TBS.com

Not long to go now till the start of the charity season and then you'll see lots of people being "sponsored" to do stuff they'd self finance otherwise. There are times in the summer when you have to queue up at the start line to do a charity LEJOG event.

I'm sure Ted's a resourceful kind of bloke and if he could come up with a good angle, one where people would feel they were getting something for their (say) £5 investment the money would flood in. All he'd have to do is stay one step ahead of the police.

It's been proven that many forum readers (myself included) have given support to those on the road. ADV Rider is full of such stories. Some sell books, DVD's or T-Shirts, some put your name on their tank, some give you a hearty handshake! A few get into trouble and use the forums to solicit "emergency" funds. Some of these pleas have backfired when discovered to be less than truthful.

Successful rider/travelers have a few qualities that seem to endear them to readers and inspire others to SEND MONEY:
1. Most are good writers and Photogs, post great stories on Forums and stay active with followers. They all seem to have good salesmanship skills as well.
2. Some offer something in return, others are sponsored by charities and offer goods for money. Some give only a hearty hand-shake and show up at a rally that you have to PAY to enter and hear their presentation and buy their do dads. Like it or not, that's our reality at present. Support it, or not.

You could argue that reading forums about MC travel beats watching TV or going shopping. (reference Simon Gandolphi!) And why not support someone you feel connected to ... if you can afford a few bucks? Am I a sucker for doing so?

I've given money to several riders on the road. One is Jammin' Jay, who spent 3 years going RTW on his Suzuki DR650. I bought a T-Shirt. Jay has now parleyed his celebrity into running a tour company:
Jammin Global Adventure Travel (this was my idea, submitted 2 years ago!)

Many have done the same, long list including Charlie Boorman, Tiffany Coates, Nick Sanders and more! Others do the rally circuit peddling bits & bobs and doing slide shows and talks.

You can read Jay's Ride Report on ADV Rider:
Jammin thru the Global South - ADVrider