The 2027 Travel Conservation Auction dates will be announced soon. We recommend subscribing to the Auction Insider for updates.

Yes! The auction is open to bidders worldwide. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to bid. However, please note that some gear donations may have shipping restrictions. Be sure to review the item details carefully before bidding.

ATCF will facilitate introductions between you and the donor after the auction closes. From there, you'll work directly with the donor to coordinate travel dates, availability, and booking details. ATCF does not manage trip planning or availability on your behalf—all coordination happens directly between you and the donor.

If you have questions about a specific trip's availability or details before placing a bid, please email rachel@atconservationfund.org and we can connect you with the donor. However, please note that availability inquiries are handled directly between you and the donor—ATCF facilitates the introduction but does not manage scheduling on your behalf and cannot guarantee any arrangements.

Auction proceeds enable ATCF to support grassroots, community-led conservation projects like the ones you can read about here.

Take Kapawi Ecolodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a 2026 ATCF grantee and this year's auction donor of an incredible lodge stay. Their ATCF grant is funding a solar energy system that will eliminate the lodge's need for diesel fuel and expand clean energy access to 10 Achuar communities, protecting over 50,000 hectares of rainforest along the way.

That's the kind of on-the-ground impact your bid helps make possible, and with Kapawi, you can go see it for yourself. Win their trip, and you're not just supporting conservation, you're visiting it.

Absolutely! There are several ways to support ATCF beyond the auction:

Make a direct donation: Your contribution goes directly to funding grassroots conservation projects led by indigenous and local communities worldwide. Donate here

Become an ATCF member: Join our community of adventure travel leaders committed to conservation.

Business Membership starts at $500/year and includes voting rights on grant decisions, networking opportunities, and more. Learn about membership.

Not a business? Consider a monthly reoccurring donation to the ATCF.

Spread the word: Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, and share our work with your networks, and help raise awareness about the connection between adventure travel and conservation.

The auction is our biggest fundraiser, but every form of support helps protect the wild places we love to explore!

Links to the live auction will be made available closer to the auction dates.

The auction platform, BetterWorld sends outbid emails automatically, but they sometimes land in spam or promotions folders. Text alerts only come through if you added your phone number and opted in when you placed your first bid. To be safe, check your My Bids page regularly, especially in the final hours of the auction.

When accessing the auction platform BetterWorld, if you are getting a "403 Forbidden or Access Denied Error," this error typically occurs when you're using a VPN.

The auction platform, BetterWorld, has a security firewall that selectively blocks certain VPNs to protect donor and bidder information.

Quick fixes:

1. Temporarily disable your VPN to access the auction immediately.

2. Get your IP whitelisted (permanent solution): Find your IP address at https://whatismyipaddress.com/ and contact BetterWorld's support team (support@betterworld.org or use the instant chat button) to have it manually whitelisted.

3. Keep your VPN on, but let BetterWorld bypass it: Most VPN apps have a setting called "split tunneling" (some apps call it "Bypasser" or "Bypass VPN") that lets you choose websites that skip the VPN. Add betterworld.org to that list, and you can keep your VPN running for everything else.

4. Switch VPN servers: BetterWorld only blocks certain VPN servers, so connecting to a different server or location within your VPN app may restore access.

5. Try your phone on cellular data: Turn off Wi-Fi and your VPN on your phone, then open the auction using your mobile data.

6. Using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Even without a VPN, Apple's "Limit IP Address Tracking" feature (formerly iCloud Private Relay) can hide your IP address in a similar way. To turn it off for your current network:
   iPhone or iPad: Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, tap the info (i) button next to your network, and turn off Limit IP Address Tracking. On cellular, go to Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data Options, and turn it off there.
   Mac: Open System Settings, click Network, select your network, click Details, and turn off Limit IP Address Tracking.

BetterWorld is actively working on improvements to allow all legitimate VPN users access while maintaining security standards. Please reach out to rachel@atconservationfund.org if you need additional assistance.