Money can’t buy you love, but it CAN buy you international plane tickets. So…Love shmove!
Let’s get real for a sec. Travel ain’t free and it certainly ain’t (always) cheap. If you want to see the world—I mean really see it—you’re gonna have to spend some $$$. In a perfect world, international airfare wouldn’t drive us to Google “how much will my kidney sell for?” And that’s WITH all the amazing flight deal hacks!
Us, once we see the cost of our dream program abroad.
So, how are we, the not-Beyonce’s of the world, supposed to afford to study, intern, volunteer, or teach abroad? How do we go from being trifling good-for-nothing type of brothers to a baller?
Travel. Scholarships. Grants. Fellowships.
That’s right, now you can pay your bills and now we DEFINITELY can chill. None of this maxing out cards and acting dumb when the bill comes. Nah-uh. We’re not playing Bey like that. You can apply for scholarships to travel abroad—no joke.
Don’t believe me? Watch the video and read the transcript below. Our travel experts lay out exactly how you can use travel grants, fellowships, and scholarships to make ALLLLLL your adventures come to life.
Video transcript
The only thing more stressful than packing four months of junk into a suitcase is applying for travel scholarships. Deadlines, eligibility factors, essays—trying to impress someone enough in 500 words or less so that they will literally help fund your dreams is a daunting experience.
DON’T WORRY. WE GOT YOU.
Let’s chat SCHOLARSHIPS, y’all! That’s right, you can get FREE MONEY to study, volunteer, intern, get your TEFL certificate, etc.
One more time: Free. Money.
We’re here to tell you about how GoAbroad can help you find travel scholarships to make all your travel dreams come true. So if you have one, wait, I promise it’ll come true! That’s why we put this how-to video together to help you find the right student travel scholarships, get your application game up to snuff, and watch that free money come rollin’ on in.
What kinds of travel fellowships, scholarships, & grants are there?
There’s academic scholarships to travel abroad, which is great if you love report cards—for you smarties out there!
Athletic scholarships for travel are a slam dunk! Now you don’t have to be a pro, but if you’re really good and play a sport in college this might be the right scholarship for you.
Is your ethnicity or gender under-represented in travel? Demographic scholarships to travel abroad are for you.
Destination based student travel scholarships—different countries have different scholarships for international students. [So be sure to check those out]
Find a scholarship based on your field of study. [AKA—major-specific travel scholarships for college students.]
Do you receive the Pell Grant or other financial aid? Then, apply for need-based travel scholarships.
OR, your alma mater could hook you up with university-specific scholarships to travel abroad. And to help undergraduate students afford to take on unpaid or underpaid summer internships, study abroad programs, or service trips abroad, or even summer research. There’s just heaps of options! I could go on and on and on all day.
Stop doodling and dreaming, and start doing! Seriously, those applications won’t finish themselves.
Where can I find travel scholarships for college students?
We’re glad you asked! We’ve got a handy dandy little thing over at GoAbroad called a “Scholarships Directory.” This is your go-to for all things travel scholarships! Again: Go. Abroad. Scholarships directory. Filter your search by experience to find great opportunities across the web, all in one place.
PRO TIP: For those of you still in school, if you haven’t popped by your international programs or financial aid offices, you better make an appointment! It’s right there, it’s easy to use, they’ll be there with you throughout the whole process and you’ll be on your way to your next adventure in no time.
How do I apply for travel grants, fellowships, & scholarships without wasting my time?
Another great question, class! Very nice! My mother’s always told me that if you’re not nervous about a job interview, then you probably don’t really care about the job. I think the same thing stands true for a lot of other things as well. [**Like applying for scholarships to travel abroad.]
Here are a few insider tips so that you don’t waste your time, and, you’re ultimately getting the most bang for your buck! (Buck for your bang???—Whatever, here’s how to kick ASS at scholarship apps.)
Get organized! Put everything in one place—Google drive, a spreadsheet, or an *actual* folder with printed materials. [Whatever your style is, just make sure you have everything together and easy to find.]
DUE. DATES. DO MATTER. They do, do, do, okay? So mark all your due dates and create reminders for them one or two weeks out. You don’t want to be scrambling to get everything together last minute. Trust me, it’s not enjoyable.
Ask for letters of recommendation. Now this could be something from your past boss or your teacher. Some scholarships will require letters of recommendation. Start this process early to give recommenders plenty of time to craft a meaningful letter for you. [Plus, if one falls through, you’ll want time to queue up a backup!]
Next stop: Adventure abroad!
Craft a KILLER application essay. Yes, you have to write. This is like, 90% of the application, right? You’ll need to check the specifics of each prompt. Some might be looking for a personal narrative, some might want you to answer a very specific question or speak to a current event or major world issue. In order to get the dough you gotta put in the time.
- Understand your goals — ask yourself why this experience is important, what will you bring to the table, and what do you expect to take away from the experience.
- Outline your essay—but like, seriously. Even if it starts only as “Intro, body, and conclusion,” at least you need to know where you’re headed so you don’t end up submitting a two-page ramble about nothing.
- Then you want to edit, edit, edit.
- Edit again, edit again, and edit AGAIN. There’s going to be no typos for you. You want to look professional and you want to look smart.
- Send your draft to someone you trust to give you feedback and edit it, again. Like your mom, or your English teacher.
- ONE LAST TIME. Review submissions requirements so you know you’re following all the directions and submitting your essay in the correct format.
Submit all of your materials. (Early, you pro!) and await your fate! Good luck! Now, waiting for your acceptance letters can be anxiety inducing. So, check with your scholarship offices about when you can expect to hear a decision by, and keep yourself as busy as you can while you’re waiting.
Are travel fellowships worth all the fuss?
PFFFT. Is it worth it? Are overpriced avocados low-key the worst? Is Beyonce an angel we don’t deserve? Could your brow game be even stronger? YAS. Of course travel scholarships are worth it.
They make meaningful travel that much more affordable by helping you cover the pesky costs of things like: round trip flights, housing, FOOOOOD, your new backpack. That stuff adds up quick. It’s a really great resource for students to take advantage of because it really opens up a whole world of opportunities.
You know, that way you can save your hard-earned cash for fun stuff! Like weekend trips with new friends! Or that visit to the Van Gogh museum! You might even fall in love with a country and decide to move there permanently. Hey! That’s how I ended up here in Namibia. Apply to travel scholarships for college students so you can get out there and make all this fun, and life-changing stuff happen.
Next...next steps to scoring free money for travel
Ri-ri knows you if you want that $$$, you better werk.
Listen, we were all pretty clear about what you’ve got to do in order to get that sweet, sweet cash money, but we’ve got some more resources for you either way.
Now you’re ready to ROCK those applications.
Go out and get your travels funded!
Stop dilly dallying. Those due dates are coming up! So reach out to your recommenders and start tip-tapping away on your keyboard. Those travel scholarships application essays won’t write themselves! Your next great adventure awaits.
Explore ALL Travel Abroad Scholarships
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