Enabling People to Experience Life-Altering Travel Experiences By Empowering Charitable Projects to Build Their Fundraising Capabilities
Fiscal Sponsorship
Fiscal Sponsorship is an alternative to starting your own nonprofit and allows you to seek grants, and solicit tax-deductible donations under our Legal and Tax Exempt Status for charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purposes
Using Travel Wishes as your Fiscal Sponsor, your “Project” to raise money for Travel Wishes for those in need.
The IRS defines those in need to include those in poverty and those with temporary distress, which includes severe illnesses.
Click Here to Apply for Fiscal Sponsorship through TravelWishes.org.
Agents Give Back
Travel Agents offer their time and talents to help make your Travel Wishes come true.
Agents offer their services without planning fees to further stretch your Charitable Contributions.
Agents can offer additional amenities for each booking to further stretch your Charitable Contributions.
Agents can offer FUNdraising ideas to help you achieve your goals.
Since 2009 we have donated more than $50,000 to Non Profit Organizations through our FUNdraising trips.
Contact us for more information on how we can help you!
Voluntourism
Volunteering + Tourism = Voluntourism.
Those who travel give their time and talents to those in need.
Imagine volunteering in a cruise port of call
- Reading books to children
- Bathing animals in a shelter
- Building/repairing a building for an orphanage
Imagine visiting an amazing destination and making time to give back.
All this and more are available. Contact us for details!
About Travel Wishes
Many organizations want to provide a charitable service, encouraging others to contribute to the goals they set forth. But the complexities of setting up and operating a qualified charitable, not for profit organization, especially for a one-time venture, is, to say the least, daunting. We have formed Travel Wishes for just that purpose. Our primary goal is to facilitate enabling people in need or distress to experience life-altering travel experiences. We do so by providing the “back office” for groups to provide those experiences through our non-profit. We have the ability to raise funds and provide the administrative services you need so you can concentrate on ministering to others!
If you have a travel venture for your group that meets the IRS definition of a charitable, religious, educational, or scientific purpose, please provide the following information so our board can evaluate whether your venture meets our non-profit purpose!
Travel wishes is a non-profit company developed to help those in need have the funds to travel!
It all started at Dreams Resort.
Dreams Resort
Several years ago, Connie Saunders, CEO of Total Travel & Events, Inc. was sitting on a beach at Dreams Resort in Mexico enjoying all the beauty that God provided with the white sand, the beautiful Caribbean Blue Sea, and the warm ocean breezes. She took a break from the sun and went to the front desk of her resort and experienced something that changed her life forever.
When she got to the lobby, she noticed dozens and dozens of staff members lined up on both sides of a pathway ready to greet someone of royalty. Some had balloons, some had flowers, and others just stood there waiting for their VIP to arrive.
Curiosity forced Connie to ask someone in line to reveal “WHO” was coming! And just then a blacktown car pulled up, the driver got out and opened the door for his VIP.
The VIP was a “Wish Child” who wanted with all her heart to visit a beach for her “Wish.” As she slowly made her way down the pathway lined on both sides by screaming fans, the tears began to flow.
At that point, Connie realized how greatly she had been financially blessed by her Travel Business, felt God speak to her, and immediatly felt it was time to give back through Total Travel.
Back in her beach chair a few minutes later, she contacted her first charity, “Dreams Come True” in her town back home, Jacksonville, FL, and asked how she could help. Since then many more charities have been added, and Total Travel continues to provide Travel Agent Services and much more to these remarkable charities.
Cancer Support
At 14 years old, Connie’s life was forever changed when her Mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, but because of early detection, she is still alive and well! In 2001, Connie lost her Father-In-Law, Lew Saunders to Prostate Cancer. In 2007, Connie lost a close friend, Deneen Goetz just 31 years old, to Breast Cancer. In 2009, Connie lost her Mother-In-Law, Pat Saunders to Breast Cancer.
Connie used these tragedies as a motivation to start FUNdraising cruises through a Jacksonville charity, The Donna Foundation, which hosts the only Breast Cancer Marathon in the country.
Total Travel supported the Breast Cancer Thrivers Cruise for Breast Cancer Survivors, and The Great Escape Adventure for Stage IV Cancer Patients offering them fun group trips to great places.