A field camp in Dilijan National Park, Armenia.

Support for explorers and field practitioners

Find out how we support practitioners of exploration in its many forms through knowledge resources, community events, advice, funding, and opportunities to connect.

Planning a geographical expedition, field project, or research trip? We offer funding, practical guidance, and professional expertise to help make your venture a success.

Whether you're a student on your first field trip or an experienced explorer, the Society and its resources are here to help you develop your skills and mindset, ensure your project has a positive impact, and make a valuable contribution to geographical knowledge.

Project planning and development resources

A kayaker approaches a glacier front in a Nepalese mountain landscape.

RGS Explore Resource Hub

Learn every aspect of expedition planning, funding, safety, fieldwork and communication with our curated library of knowledge and advice for impactful exploration.

RGS Expeditions Database

Explore over 10,000 expeditions and 6,500 reports in our open-access record of global geographical exploration and research.

Field guides and publications

From 1854 to the present day, we have a rich heritage of publications in support of geographical exploration and field research.

Person measuring the size of a mark on the side of a rock in a rocky landscape.

FAQs about exploration

Questions about planning, funding, or joining an expedition or field project? We're here to help.

Practical support and guidance

RGS Director Joe Smith welcomes attendees in the Ondaatje Theatre during the Explore 2024 opening address.

RGS Explore Weekend 2025

Find out all about the Society's annual exploration community gathering, taking place from Friday 31 October to Sunday 2 November.

A researcher collecting water temperature measurements at the edge of a river in a baron landscape, with mountains in the background.

Grants

Our grants programme develops new knowledge and advances geographical science, supporting geographical research in the UK and overseas.

Standards and good practice in field activities

We champion safe, responsible, ethical and effective expeditions and field activities, developing standards and good practices for schools, universities and independent ventures.

A man standing in the outdoors looking out over the Lake District, with mountains and valleys in the background

Fieldwork in schools

We offer support and fieldwork opportunities to school students, which can help to develop geographical interests from an early age

Information directories

Expedition and fieldwork opportunities

Map close-up of Indonesia and Malaysia with pins stuck in different places.

Other funding sources

World Field Centres Register

Connect with over 700 research and conservation field centres globally. From the Arctic to the Sahara, and tropical forests to open grasslands, find research sites and local collaborators.

Further support

Conference attendees networking in the Main Hall at the Royal Geographical Society.

Connect with the exploration community

Find out about the community of explorers who call the Society home, how we serve them, and how to get involved.

Backpacker sitting on a rock looking at the view of a mountain range.

Contact the Exploration team

Have an enquiry to make? Connect with the team behind our support for explorers and field practitioners.

Outside view of the RGS' building with people passing by the RGS pavilion on Exhibition Road.

Join us

Unlock the benefits that our network of people passionate about the planet's places and environments offers.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Want to stay up to date on what’s going on in the world of geographical exploration? Sign up for our newsletter: a monthly round-up of news, events, resources, publications, and other highlights from our community.

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Two speakers on a stage at the RGS expedition and fieldwork festival. A slideshow with tips on how to be mindful during expeditions is projected on the wall behind them.