The quest for sponsorship for your trip is not a bad test of the qualities that will stand you in good stead as a happy and successful traveller: grit, tenacity, enthusiasm and unflagging energy. It is also the aspect of travel most reminiscent of the job you thought you were getting away from: raising money is hard work. It generates bureaucracy and administration, photocopying and phone calls - all of which absorb your carefully saved funds. But it can also be rewarding in more ways than the purely financial; indeed, the contact you will have with people during the preparations for your trip can be every bit as heart-warming as that which you will experience once you are launched in far-flung places. But if you are to persuade people to give you funds, you are embarking on a campaign as well as an expedition. Securing sponsorship is not the end of the matter either, as you will have to carry through the follow-up, contacting donors and sponsors once again in order to keep your side of the bargain, deliver the goods and say thank you. Be realistic and bear this in mind before you start. It is not easy; what is easy is getting caught up in the next stage of your own life once you're back home, having enjoyed all the backing. Don't promise more than you can deliver. You burn your boats for next time, and make it doubly difficult for everybody else who is seeking the same thing.

You can seek sponsorship from business and industry, the media, grant-giving organisations, clubs and local groups, friends and the public. The vast majority of it will come from business and industry (in kind rather than cash) and in return for publicity. Some firms will offer their services, e.g. free printing, and many will offer you goods at reduced or cost price.

Remember how many appeals land on the desk of the people you are targeting (Kodak receive 300 a week): they will be quick to dismiss a shoddy, ill-considered, greedy or otherwise unseductive approach. Capture their attention and command their interest from the word go. Make the package professional. Invent your own logo, and don't use those of other organisations without their permission - for all your good intentions, you could end up with a court case. Each letter should be typed, addressed personally, and tailored to the individual or his or her company (phone to get the right name if necessary). Don't send duplicated round-robins: canvassing indiscriminately is rarely worth the paper it is Xeroxed on.

Where appropriate, an eminent patron can give an expedition authority and gravitas. A copy of a patron's supportive letter will lend credibility to the venture, and tempt people to put their faith where others have already shown confidence.

Provide a clear outline of what you plan to do and why, and enclose a route map and a breakdown of costs. Indicate how much of the budget you are covering out of your own pocket, and stipulate what you would like, rather than issuing a general plea for anything and everything.

You should also provide a concise profile of the team members, with any relevant experience or achievements to date. Show in your letter that you have already done considerable planning, research and preparation (which you have, of course), and that your departure is not wholly dependent on backing; sponsors are much more willing to help those with evidently serious intent who are already helping themselves. Once you have done all this, feel pleased with yourself if you get a ten per cent response rate.

Think local when appealing to businesses, companies, equipment stockists and so on. Smaller businesses receive fewer requests and they may like to be involved. Often you will simply find greater goodwill and a more personal approach than in a rule-bound conglomerate or multinational. Can you find a connection between the business and its interests, your trip and the destination? The greater the logic you can give to any potential generosity, the better the response is likely to be.

The main - if not the only - thing that most people can offer sponsors in return is publicity, and securing this is not always easy. Be realistic about what you are offering, clear that you know just what the company is asking for, and certain you are able to provide the goods. Are you offering to sport a shirt with the sponsor's logo on it, and if so, is anyone going to see it except the lost ape men of Sumatra? If it is photographs you are providing, give evidence of your ability with a camera: very few people take really good shots that can be used in a national campaign. They do not happen by themselves, either - you will have to set them up, and the best ones always present themselves when you are at your most exhausted. Can you get media coverage? Only pre-paid commissions will impress firms who know how unlikely you are to make headline news otherwise. So try to sell articles to papers and magazines before you leave, finding out which angles in particular interest the editor. Any contract with film or television companies will assure you immediate and abundant offers of sponsorship, as there is no more powerful publicity for any product. Is there a promising audio angle? If so you could sell to radio.

If publicity en route is to be part of the deal, start setting up contacts in the country concerned: ask the embassy for advice, arm yourself with the names of the appropriate people in the media, and find ways of overcoming people's innate reluctance to give some sponsor a plug at their expense. Obviously, if you can give evidence of successful marketing in the past, and ways in which other companies have benefited from your efforts, you are at an advantage.

Having said all this, many companies and suppliers have a margin for those who will not in their opinion achieve much publicity, but whom they like, quite simply, as individuals. Some also invest in what they call 'good citizenship', a concept applied almost without exception to field projects or research-based expeditions through which a commercial company can be seen to be putting something back into the host country - while at the same time raising its profile in the minds of potential new recruits. The "we're going to Tibet and we want to do some science so as to help raise funds" approach tends not to wash, and a sponsor such as Shell or the Royal Geographical Society will look for a demonstrable degree of competence in, and commitment to, the field in question.

Most grant-giving organisations provide money only for specific 'scientific' or investigative projects, but it is worth sifting discriminatingly through libraries and specialist directories and targeting the few that you think likely. It may seem unpromising, but the money has to go to someone.

Finally, you can raise money by arranging your own special events - anything from a sponsored parachute jump to selling cakes at the local jumble sale. If your project has a charitable goal, give talks to schools, colleges, clubs, etc. This can be time-consuming, however, with lots of unsuspected hidden costs for results that will probably be disproportionately small.

It is naturally easier to persuade people to give money away if you are helping someone or something else in your turn. Consequently many travellers decide to raise money for charity: you personally are never going to make much out of this, and - let's face it - nor should you. A proportion of the money raised, say ten per cent, may go to defray your costs, but any more than this is likely to lose you sympathy. You must contact the charity concerned for their authority before you start; a letter from them will show that you are bona fide. And open a special bank account in the name of the cause, so as to keep careful track of the money.

Contacts are not essential in this game, but anybody can unearth them and even create them. Do not be timid about approaching people, however elevated they may seem, for their potential interest and support. More often than not you will be pleasantly surprised at the response and the extent to which people will put themselves out on behalf of a project they take to. Liaise with organisations that are happy to advise, such as the extremely helpful enthusiasts at the Royal Geographical Society.

Beware, however, of the danger of having the 'freebie' tag attached to your efforts. Although pleasure is as valid a reason for travel as any other, people can understandably be quick to resent the idea that they should help finance what they see as 'jolly' on your behalf. Bring your tact and conviction to bear if you come up against this attitude, but don't bang your head against a brick wall: if the reaction is resentful, try elsewhere.

Perhaps the best advice is quite simply to start early. Plan ahead. It may seem improbable, but some firms like as much as a year's notice, so that the project can be incorporated into their plans for the following financial year's budget. Everything takes much longer than you think, and many appeals fall on deaf ears because the departure date is just too imminent.

Sponsorship is one of the few surviving gentlemen's contracts. When you get back, stick to your word. Do not be disappointed if, after all this, they don't make full use of the material - but give them every opportunity to do so. Most companies say that they never hear from travellers again. A thank you, a copy of a published article - all will be appreciated, and will stand you in good stead next time.

Throughout the whole thing, be organised and efficient, and keep a record of all correspondence. Don't take rejections personally; cling to those who show interest like a limpet. Be lively and polite. They don't have to give you anything. But don't bury your individuality in business-like formalities: ultimately, it is you rather than a journey that you are selling. Apply your own flair, and enjoy it.