How Ryan Trahan’s Daily Vlog Raised Over $5 Million for Charity
50 States in 50 Days: what happens when a creator couple sets off to find the coolest Airbnb in America—while rallying a global audience to donate millions to a good cause.
15 July 2025 | Written by Parker Floris
Ryan Trahan and Haley Pham’s 50 States in 50 Days isn’t just a daily travel vlog. It’s an experiment in purpose-driven content that entertains, inspires, and drives real-world impact.
In 2022, Ryan crossed the United States with just one cent in his viral Penny Series, trading his way to food, transport, and even shelter. Along the way, he raised $1.4 million for Feeding America—equivalent to 14 million meals.
Last month, he and his wife Haley—author and Book-tuber—launched their new series. Every day, they drive to “the coolest Airbnb in each state, in search of America’s coolest Airbnb”. Thirty-five days in, they’ve already raised $5 million for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital—quintupling their original goal of $1 million, with two weeks still to go.
For years, YouTube’s mainstream has looked to MrBeast for the formula to create the “perfect” video. But audiences inevitably tire of spectacle when it feels hollow. Ryan’s approach borrows from similar concepts, but he weaves in so much of his personality and awkward humour that the content becomes impossible to replicate—and that’s a huge part of its success.
The series also pays homage to YouTube’s daily vlogging era. Like the evening news, daily uploads create appointment viewing and a deeper bond between creator and audience. Watching Ryan and Haley’s morning routines becomes part of yours.
“[What I am trying to do is] create a moment for people to experience here on YouTube … YouTube videos for the big creators have gotten so infrequent. All the big creators upload like once a month or once every two weeks at best, and I think that it makes it really hard for people to feel like YouTube can be a place [where] they come home from school every day [to] log in and just feel at home.” – Ryan Trahan
But this journey isn’t simply about ticking off all 50 states. To inject tension and unpredictability, they introduced the Wheel of Doom—a spinning device triggered by any $50,000+ donation. When spun, it forces them to complete a challenge, like navigating to the next Airbnb without internet, or Ryan being forced to hitchhike. For a $100,000 donation, the donor can pick the challenge directly.
The largest donations so far include more than $450,000 from Lectric eBikes (who pledge $10,000 every day Ryan rides their bike on camera); $250,000 from Airbnb; and $150,000 from Dollar Shave Club after Ryan dared a grooming company to fund a beard shave.
Fellow creators like Doctor Mike and Nick DiGiovanni have also contributed with inside-joke challenges, like making Ryan and Haley eat a vegetable before they donated—as a reference to his refusal to eat them back during the Penny Series. One of the $100,000 donation benefits from that series allowed Doctor Mike to tattoo “eat your veggies” onto Ryan, as a constant reminder.
Strategically, Ryan adopted the same playbook MrBeast and Mark Rober used for Team Trees and Team Seas: a public donation leaderboard that appeals to ego and competition among wealthy donors. But the Wheel of Doom adds a twist—creating a gamified, live-action element more common to streaming than VODs (video-on-demand).
At the end of every episode, every $5,000+ donation is read aloud, and has recently occupied about a third of each video. Smaller doners aren’t left out either. Hitting cumulative milestones—$2 million, $3 million, and beyond has led to challenge changes voted on by the audience.
While this daily series has been incredible to witness, I offer one suggestion. The desire to remain totally positive and upbeat throughout the edit undermines the perceived severity of the challenges. If you are reading this Zach and Cohen (editors)—you don’t have to embrace full Pixar storytelling, but you can show more of the struggle. When Ryan is desperately trying to hitchhike to the next destination—I want to feel that.
Interestingly, most of the series is filmed on Ryan’s phone, with occasional shots on a Sony FX3 or DJI drone. Despite the budget for a professional crew, they’ve opted for a lo-fi approach—likely for three reasons:
Convenience: A phone is always ready to capture spontaneous moments.
Stealth: Big cameras intimidate the public and attract unwanted attention.
Authenticity: High production value often creates distance. A phone feels intimate—like something you’d film yourself.
Ryan also chose to keep his team small and nimble, avoiding the pitfalls of over-expansion. As the song goes, mo social media content team, mo problems.
Financially, the series is sustainable. Beyond AdSense, Ryan integrates his “better-for-you” candy brand Joyride as a subplot—searching for the product in every state. Since joining the company, Joyride has become a “top 5 candy in Target”.
If his Penny Series inspired a generation to view the world more openly, 50 States in 50 Days could do the same—encouraging millions to act generously and maybe eat an extra vegetable or two.
Here are five lessons you can take away from Ryan Trahan’s 50 States in 50 Days:
Anchor your content in purpose: A clear mission—like fighting childhood cancer—unites a crowd. Ryan’s success also proves that the internet is not just for anger, but also love—of life and of each other.
Make participation frictionless: From $1 to $100,000 donations, Ryan built an ecosystem where everyone feels part of the mission.
Embrace simplicity: Perfection is the enemy of momentum. It’s not about polished visuals—it’s about showing up consistently and capturing genuine moments.
Leverage narrative gamification: Challenges and unlockable milestones keep viewers engaged and eager to contribute.
Build the ritual: Consider launching a serialised format that audiences can integrate into their daily or weekly routines.
You can donate or explore the leaderboard here.
“I think having a generous lens on your life can really change your experience as a human—allow[ing] you to serve others … Thinking about generosity in more ways than just money is really empowering too. I feel like that’s what I am learning on this adventure.” – Ryan Trahan
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