1 Year Cycle for Charity across the USA- Advice Needed!

[doherty.brittm]

Hi Everyone!

I am planning a year journey across the country. I will be riding for charity & teaching yoga for free in prisons, with trauma patients and with terminally ill children. While working endlessly to get locations to partake, I would love to have support and companions along the way! I will be starting in NYC and head to Oregon down through California to LA. Exact route is TBD.

Questions:
-Any recommended routes for NY->Oregon->Cali? If so, maybe I will contact locations (prisons and organizations) along the way to see if I can get something planned for the recommended route

-Cost of cycling across the country, time frame: 1 YEAR

-Would anyone like to join me along the way? I'm trying to raise money and will let people join me for a donation

-Has anyone made a documentary of a cycling trip? if so, what equipment did you use or what do you recommend?

-How do bring awareness to your journey for others to join or to become a part of (in anyway possible, even if they don't want to ride but would like to help and be a part of the journey/story)?


I'm starting a GoFundMe to raise money but I don't know how much money to request. I've read to many different articles on those who have cycled across the country and the budget is incredibly different for each. Since, I'm allotting a year of my life, the budget might change due to the fact that I will be documenting this journey to create a documentary and also a coffee table photo book.

Money raised will go to a prison project, childrens institute and a children's organization. I will be accepting no money along the way to teach and will be doing everything volunteer based.

Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[John Nelson]

Are you raising money for charity or to pay your expenses or both? It's hard to raise money unless you have a unique angle and a talent for attracting media attention. Some (not many) just seem to have a knack for that. You have to be a good salesman. Otherwise you're a dime a dozen. I sincerely doubt anyone will pay for the privilege of riding with you. You may get a few contributions, but I suggest you have a Plan B for funding (I.e., start saving your money). With mostly camping in fee campgrounds, I average about $33 a day on tour. You can do it much cheaper if you find free places to camp, but you'll have to be okay with missing showers.

[Westinghouse]

There are many details that must be explicated before anyone can tell you how much a trip of that length and duration might cost. In my considerable experiences crossing the USA by bicycle, costs can range between $8.00 a day and $60.00, and more if you choose to stay more often in motels, depending on which motels. In Van Horn, TX you might get a room for $23.00. Others in other towns might cost $65.00, $110.00, etc. It is impossible to say with any high degree of certainty until your plans are more explicit.

[indyfabz]

It's hard to raise money unless you have a unique angle and a talent for attracting media attention. Some (not many) just seem to have a knack for that.

Fat Guy Across America is a prime example of that talent. He's managed to get himself featured in, among other places, the "New York Times" and raise more than $15K (It could be much more than that by now. I stopped following the story a while back because it nauseates me. Since he has been soliciting funds outside of his GFM page, there is no way to determine how much he has raked in.) to cover his expenses even though he's only ridden maybe a couple hundred miles in something like 5 months.  (Many even question whether he's ridden the miles he claims to have ridden.)

Google him if you don't know the story. He's been the subject of several now-locked threads on Bikeforums.net.