The World’s Largest Adventure Travel & Gear Auction Benefiting Conservation Kicks Off September 27, 2025, World Tourism Day
📅 Mark Your Calendars! The world’s largest and most respected adventure travel and gear auction benefiting conservation is back !
On Saturday, September 27, 2024, World Tourism Day, the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund Auction returns following last year’s outstanding success, raising $114,000 for important conservation efforts globally.
Every year, the nonprofit Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) gathers remarkable trips along with high quality gear, all donated by sustainably minded members of the global adventure travel industry. It has become the world’s largest and most respected adventure travel and gear auction benefiting conservation.
Last year, enthusiastic adventure travelers bid online for some of the world’s most respected and exclusive travel experiences, raising significant funds for global conservation initiatives. This year, bidders have another chance to secure their dream trips, knowing their investments continue to make a real impact on conservation efforts worldwide.
Travelers can get a preview of the items that will be up for bidding from September 27 to October 22 by going to the Travel Conservation Auction page. Best practices recommend keeping an eye on a favorite item in order to not be “scooped” at the last minute. And as every dollar goes to the conservation work of the ATCF, people are reminded to bid early, bid often, and bid high.
The ATCF’s mission is to harness the global travel community’s commitment to protecting the environment and cultural heritage. In a time when overall investments in conservation have declined, grassroots projects in biodiverse destinations face greater challenges than ever. The ATCF supports conservation groups, Indigenous communities, and other organizations—both nonprofit and for-profit—whose work advances our three central pillars: Biodiversity Protection, Climate Resilience, and Community Resilience. As traditional funding sources have diminished, proceeds from the auction have become even more critical to sustaining these programs. Alongside private donations and membership fees, auction support now plays a vital role in continuing this essential work.
“In just over seven years, we are proud to have awarded over $800,000 USD of support to 52 conservation projects in 29 countries,” says ATCF chair and founder of Eagle Creek, Steve Barker. “For this year’s fundraising auction, the quality of trips and gear that have been donated is unprecedented and speaks to the commitment the adventure travel industry has for the work that we do to protect our wild and natural places around the world.”
In all, some 75 adventure trips, lodging, and gear are being auctioned. Donors include such respected travel companies as World Expeditions, Hurtigruten, VBT Bicycling Vacations, Wilderness Safaris, Mountain Lodges of Peru, Angama, OARS, Volcanoes Safaris, Polar Latitudes, Quasar, and Enchanted Expeditions. Items for bid this year include:
a once-in-a-lifetime adventure cruise to Antarctica
a 10-day hike in France, Switzerland, and Italy
a 7-day trek in Peru
a 3-day hike in Greenland
a 6-day bike tour of Maryland’s Eastern Shore
a 4-day eco camp in Chile’s Patagonia
an 8-day Galapagos cruise
a 6-day kayaking and whale watching trip in Baja, Mexico
a 7-day expedition cruise along Norway’s coast
a 12-day biking tour across Italy
a 6-day rafting trip on the Colorado River in Utah
a 12-day adventure in Borneo, Malaysia
a 16-day trek in Nepal’s iconic Annapurna region
a 4-day lodge-based gorilla viewing experience in Uganda
Flight vouchers on Icelandair
Gear from brands such as Eagle Creek, Patagonia, Peak Design, Toad&Co, Miir, Unbound Merino, etc.
And much, much more
“The beauty of the ATCF auction is that you can obtain an incredible trip offered by some of the world’s most responsible and trusted operators and at the same time contribute to the conservation of the places we love” says Barker. “Because of the generosity of our donors, your trip dollars directly fund the work of the nonprofit ATCF. Our donors tell us that the relationships they build with auction guests live on, long past the trip.”
Thank you to our sponsors Flickr, the world’s most vibrant photography community, and AFAR, the award-winning travel media brand, for sponsoring this year’s Travel Conservation Auction and helping us reach more travelers who care about protecting the wild places we love.
And thanks to exposure to the 57,000 subscribers of Adventure.Travel, and an email and social media campaign spread throughout the more than 1,200 members of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, with a request to share with their own communities, the ATCF has set an ambitious $150,000 goal for this year. The addition of AFAR and Flickr’s involvement strengthens ATCF’s fundraising efforts and will help build lasting connections between travelers, donors and conservation initiatives.
