Spending time in other countries can be an invaluable experience for teens and young adults. Travel abroad takes them out of their daily routines and mental comfort zones. It can also open them up to different points of view and increase their self-reliance. Many young people and their families do not have the financial resources for extensive travel, so several different organizations offer travel grants to teens. Each of these programs emphasizes the educational experience of spending time overseas, and some have specific requirements for grant recipients.
The HI-USA Grant
The Los Angeles Council of Hosteling International USA awards $1,000 grants to creative young people who demonstrate goals of traveling and documenting their experiences. Applicants need to submit a project proposal detailing their destination and their mediums of expression, such as photography, writing, film, drawing or any combination of these. Eligible candidates are between the ages of 17 and 26. Each grant recipient creates a HI-USA website profile and is required to post material for his or her project during the trip.
The Student and Youth Travel Association
High school students interested in a specific travel destination can apply for this $750 scholarship program. This organization also helps recipients with planning the details of their trips. Student travelers are required to submit an essay about a past travel experience as part of the application process. Many grant recipients report that the SYTA is an excellent option for young people who want the flexibility to choose their own travel destinations.
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth
This organization is geared towards high school students who want to study foreign languages and cultures much different from their own. Applicants need to be between 15 and 18 years old. They also need to have a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Although most grant recipients are enrolled full-time in high school, students enrolled in gap-year programs are welcome to apply as well. The NSLI affords participants the opportunities to study languages that their high schools may not offer. Examples are Persian, Arabic, Russian and Hindi.
The Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship
Teen bloggers who chronicle a recent travel experience are eligible to apply for this award of up to $1,000 for first place. Blogs with the best video or photography can also receive honorable mention prizes. Judges evaluate each entry for original writing style, practical information about a locale and detailed reflections about how the trip broadened the applicant's horizons. Entries need to be about a travel experience within the past five years, and applicants can be junior high or high school students between the ages of 13 and 18.
Travel grant and scholarship programs facilitate teens' education outside the classroom. Young people with the opportunities to travel are better able to understand the world and how they fit into it. Many of them come away with more empathy and understanding of cultures that differ from their own. Teens who spend time abroad also report that the experience increases their confidence and their abilities to rely on themselves in challenging situations.
About The Author:
Not everyone can secure a scholarship for travel, but almost anyone can find an affordable travel program through AdventuresCrossCountry.com.
