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megster · 10-25-2015, 01:18 PM

I have seen cars with vinyl wraps or ads on them. How would I go about finding companies to advertise for, so I can cover the cost of traveling about? Has anyone been sponsored to do such a thing?

AWCHIEF · 10-25-2015, 01:41 PM

Every Airstream I have seen with advertising plastered all over the sides was corporate owned and heavily modified as traveling show rooms not suitable for habitation.

HiHoAgRV · 10-25-2015, 02:18 PM

Figure out where you want to camp and call them to see if they allow vehicles with commercial advertising on them. I know of one case where the sing had to be covered up before the individual was permitted to stay there.

McDave · 10-25-2015, 04:40 PM

I think one of the problems you're going to have is that, as a traveler to far-away places, advertising on the side of your trailer would not be of much interest to "Joe's Bail Bonds" of Hoboken, NJ, when your trailer is in between Delta, UT, and Ely, NV. So you have to look to national advertisers, like Pepsi Cola, that are probably more interested in a 30 second, million dollar slot during the Super Bowl. Of course, you are also competing with millions of people who plaster their cars with stickers from every business known to man for free, which has always been difficult for me to understand too. If my Airstream dealer wants me to put their stupid sticker on my bumper, they can buy the space, the same as you have in mind. Take a number, folks, first come, first served....

BoldAdventure · 10-25-2015, 05:30 PM

When you figure this out, let me know. Otherwise, I would suggest something in the web. Gone With the Wynns has some sponsors, but they are hustlers, and work hard, but partner with RV sellers and outdoor companies that cater to our industry. They crafted their own brand and audience. (That takes work + time) That's appealing to advertisers who want to get a message out. I would suggest exploring that route.

It has been my past experience when people ask about sponsor they assume they'll be getting something for free. No one is going to pay you to drive around with their logo on your Airstream. They might if you have something to offer, but doesn't sound like you are bringing anything to the table.

wvstreamer · 10-26-2015, 10:45 AM

Think of your own skills. Market your own products or services that way as your own business.

tjdonahoe · 10-26-2015, 11:49 AM

I for one wouldn't want a bunch of junk on my airstream while traveling, especially advertising, besides you would have to pay taxes on this big income you would be bring in.......

Urbanologist · 10-26-2015, 11:49 AM

A national advertiser is your best option; contact advertising agencies that represent such clients.

CJ Winch · 10-26-2015, 12:54 PM

How to get paid to travel.......write a book, journal, blog, etc...about traveling and publish it..no ugly advertising on your trailer needed. You could simply keep a journal and publish it on amazon, then write off your travel expenses!

I am not a tax person - so PLEASE, before taking my advice, ask your tax preparer IF this is legal...........I know people will buy a condo in Hawaii, rent it out as a vacation rental, then go to Hawaii once or twice a year to "check out" their rental, all expenses written off.

Oxen · 10-26-2015, 01:24 PM

I wonder whether ASers are supplementing their income by ads on their blogs.

kfrere · 10-26-2015, 02:14 PM

Although I was very pleased with the purchasing experience of my new Interstate I was very put off by the three large sticker sets affixed all over it by the dealer. As soon as I got it home I removed them all. If someone asks me where I purchased it I'll gladly tell them but I don't like those stickers all over it.

BoldAdventure · 10-26-2015, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfrere

Although I was very pleased with the purchasing experience of my new Interstate I was very put off by the three large sticker sets affixed all over it by the dealer. As soon as I got it home I removed them all. If someone asks me where I purchased it I'll gladly tell them but I don't like those stickers all over it.

I always make the dealers remove that crap. I bought the vehicle, I didn't agree to advertise for you too.

dkottum · 10-26-2015, 03:08 PM

Well, you don't indicate which Airstream you have, but stickers and decals exposed to the sun for long periods can damage the finish on late model Airstream, about 1999 and up. Perhaps earlier ones too.

We're like the others here, first thing was to remove all nonessential factory and dealer stickers. On the other hand we put on the WBCCI numbers, but that's essential.

Protagonist · 10-26-2015, 05:13 PM

People who advertise using the rolling billboard concept tend to do it large-scale, on public buses and/or taxicabs, where they can get their billboard onto lots of vehicles in their own home city that are always in the public eye. A single RV traveling cross-country doesn't really qualify.

If you want to be paid to Airstream, there only one easy answer— RETIRE! Then your (former) employer— or Uncle Sam— is paying you to use your Airstream. Sort of. But for most people that means you need to be old first, and you might not be willing to wait that long.

Other than that, I suppose you could look into workamping, but that's not really someone paying you to use your Airstream. That's using your Airstream to go where the work is so you can earn a paycheck.

Sad fact, no one is going to pay you to do something they'd rather be doing themselves such as Airstreaming. Closest you'll ever come is to get your Commercial Driver's License and go to work at an Airstream dealer as a delivery driver. But then you'll be hauling someone else's Airstream, not your own.

Xicaque · 10-26-2015, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfrere

Although I was very pleased with the purchasing experience of my new Interstate I was very put off by the three large sticker sets affixed all over it by the dealer. As soon as I got it home I removed them all. If someone asks me where I purchased it I'll gladly tell them but I don't like those stickers all over it.

You could have told them to remove them. I tell the dealer to take them off or I am not buying the vehicle

ghaynes755 · 10-26-2015, 08:24 PM

Become a famous person, rock star, actor/actress, etc. Be like Mathew McConaughey and someone might give you an AS to be used on set and yours to keep when they do all of the magazine spreads.

Protagonist · 10-26-2015, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghaynes755

Become a famous person, rock star, actor/actress, etc. Be like Mathew McConaughey and someone might give you an AS to be used on set and yours to keep when they do all of the magazine spreads.

Or maybe become a roadie or groupie for some famous person…

Drathaar · 10-26-2015, 08:32 PM

I can't imagine doing that to my airstream. To my way of thinking, it would totally destroy the trailer.

kscherzi · 10-26-2015, 09:34 PM

Cruise America wrap?

InterBlog · 10-27-2015, 07:14 AM

It's worth noting that anything you do with your Airstream that does not strictly involve "recreating" or "vacationing" will likely drive up your insurance costs. Therefore, the added premiums you will be paying better be worth it in terms of the money you are bringing in through those activities.

By all means, contact your insurance agent for clarification, because interpretations may vary. They may even vary substantially.

In my case, because I will use my Airstream in a non-vacationing capacity some of the time, what falls out of that is that I pay full-timer insurance premiums despite only using it perhaps 30 days a year total.

And what I do isn't radical and doesn't involve direct use of the Airstream for business purposes - in fact, that is a complete no-no for liability reasons. But I will use it to get from place to place during times when I am not "on vacation", and that's an important distinction.

Here's an example. I'm a self-employed (sole-owner LLC) industrial consultant. A lot of industrial work takes place according to a timetable that must defer to manufacturing schedules. So someone may call me and ask me to deliver a personnel training course at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning in a location a hundred miles from where I live, because that's the only time their plant personnel are off-shift and available. So I will drive to that city the night before, overnight in a nice park, and then go to work the next day in their office (not in my rig). As my agent explains, "You are behaving in a manner consistent with a full-timer even though you are not physically in your Airstream full time." Hence the insurance designation. In my case, the professional services rates that I charge more than justify the added premiums, so the math works.