Feature photo by oppositeofsuper. Photo above by Nueva Perspectiva.

How do so many poor students find the money to travel? By getting their schools to pay for it!

Here’s How

Visit a study abroad and financial aid office.

Most campuses have a study abroad office with extensive information on all study abroad programs that the school offers.

Explore a world of possibility.

Most study abroad offices will refer you to a financial officer who can take you through your options for paying for study abroad, including scholarships available for foreign study.

Many schools offer options where you can pay your current tuition rate to an international institution, even if that institution generally charges a much higher price.

Photo by delayed gratification.

Keep your options open.

There might be more available funding to visit a country that you hadn’t considered.

Prestigious national scholarship programs, such as the Gilman program, will generally offer more funding for study projects in third world countries as opposed to study in European countries (although an interesting thesis topic or academic topic can get you funding anywhere).

Search around!

If your school does not offer a program in the country of your choice, some schools have an option to enroll in study abroad programs sponsored by other schools. Make sure you know all of your options before you decide.

Get money from academic divisions.

Your academic division may have money set aside for students to conduct research abroad. Meeting with your advisor will help you get informed on funding options that are available to you via your academic division.

If you expect to get funding for an academic project offered outside of your school, you need to have a good reason for it.

Most divisions, if they do offer funding, will require you to defend your academic project via a formal proposal or grant. A brilliant project idea will help you get your foot in the door.

Photo by mezone.

Write a standout grant proposal.

Good grant proposals are articulate, simple, and well-planned. Grant committees are looking for a very specific budget outline, abstract or general description, previous research done on the topic, sources, and viable reasons for not conducting the study on campus.

They are also looking to see what personal reasons you have for wanting to travel to your particular destination. Grants and proposals that advocate contributing to a social or cultural consideration in your chosen destination will win you extra points, especially if they have personal significance.

Don’t be afraid to outline all of your projected financial needs in your budget, but avoid asking for more than you need!

Be prepared to do a project for your school community when you return (or better yet, offer to do one).

Photo by peiqianlong.

Impress your higher ups.

Pick a destination that will be respected by any academic division. While Amsterdam might be your destination of choice, you probably won’t get funding for it unless you have a really good reason.

Pick a country where you can get volunteer experience contributing to the community.

Photo by chrisschuepp.

Arabic and the Environment

Today, environmental initiatives are very important toward the socioeconomic well being of practically all communities. Pick a country where you can give something back to the environment, and impress your committee with your sense of justice.

Choose a country where you can learn an important foreign language. Do a little research and figure out what sorts of translators are in high demand (hint: Arabic and Mandarin).

Photo by StarvingFox.

Most schools have funding!

The biggest key to tapping into funding is to stay informed about available opportunities.

Make contacts within your study abroad department. Keep your ears open to outside sources of funding as well, as many community groups offer scholarships to specific departments within your university that you might be eligible to receive!

By combining all of your resources, you can get your school to sponsor free travel!

Travel Grants for Multiple Disciplines:

http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/travel.html

Prestigious Travel Scholarships/Programs:

http://www.iie.org//programs/gilman/index.html

http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?section=Fulbright1

Grant Writing Tips:

http://www.seanet.com/~sylvie/grants.htm

http://lone-eagles.com/granthelp.htm

community connection

For more resources on grants and travel scholarship, check out 31 Travel Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships to fund Your Next Travels Abroad.

Matador members believe they can change the world, and they’re out there doing it every day.

Sure, we publish the same sorts of articles you find in print publications, but these articles are just window-dressing. The editor in me cringes, but it’s true.

But no matter what we write, the most important part of Matador is the community. Whenever I need a little stoke, I browse Matador member profiles. I’m always awed by the sheer human optimism in this remarkable community.

Thank you so much for inspiring us.

Here are 10 incredible members of the Matador community. To meet the other 40 featured travelers, please follow the links at the bottom of this page.

Punchy

I travel to ride the many different waves of the world. Not only surfing swells in the ocean but riding the different waves of energy given off by every place and everyone I encounter along the way. No two waves are the same, and discovering how the wave works is what makes me want to travel.
Punchy’s full profile

VickyElizabeth

I want to make a difference by creating something that wasn´t there before, or revealing something that always was there, but was hidden from sight. Figuring out how to do the same for myself.

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when the women of the Ecuadorian village sang sad Arrullos to bid me farewell, after a month-long stay in the jungle. We walked slowly round the whole village and it was pouring with tropical rain, they said it was their tears.
VickiElizabeth’s full profile

Salcar

My full name is Salvador Carlucci. I just moved (last week) to Switzerland where I’ll be working as Senior Manager for Global Marketing and Sales for a big pharmaceutical company. I joined Matador during it’s infancy and it has been a great pleasure to see it grow and find like minded individual that feed my appetite of adventure.

Now, with a new job, new home town and new responsibilities it will be hard to find vacation time in the near future so Matador provides the perfect medium to travel vicariously among other “crazy” members of this amazing community!
Salcar’s full profile

MST

I’m usually on the road solo and travel very light; a solar backpack with a few changes of clothes is ’round about all I need. And one whisper of a fantastic off-grid meal will change my entire travel plan (as if there ever was one).
MST’s full profile

Asian Insights

I’m fired up on funding projects to help underprivileged communities. Help to preserve unique cultures. Enjoy languages, writing travel stories, learning about other cultures, photography and the arts. I love the mountains and the endless, peaceful stretches of Tibet and Mongolia.

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when I stay with local people, who invite me to sleep in their kitchens.
Asian Insights’ full profile

AliCat

I like to travel in small, intimate groups. I’m learning to travel lightly and am finding my possessions more and more unnecessary. I love learning and always have an open mind.

I want to make a difference by always showing compassion and empathy, keeping an open mind, seeing beauty in everything, staying positive.
AliCat’s full profile

Reed Lindsay

I want to make a difference by telling the truth, exposing corruption, abuse of power, exploitation, and always staying on the side of the poor and oppressed against the rich and powerful.
Reed Lindsay’s full profile

Oona Fay

I have always been a dreamer and fashion embodies the dreams of those who refuse to conform and instead, celebrates their uniqueness. I am a sucker for Aussie accents or any accent for that matter, Jameson Whiskey, and anything to do with fashion.

I was planning on hightailing it out of the states this summer to start grad school in Australia, but my bank account didn’t seem to agree. So for now am at home going stir crazy and trying to save up the funds to make that possible.

I’m killing time as a freelance fashion stylist and write for a local magazine and newspaper and I am always down for a challenge and will pretty much try anything once.
Oona Fay’s full profile

Our Man In Shanghai

I am a person that knows life is too short and have taken to travelling and working around the world. I have recently left Toronto for a first stop in Shanghai. I am a social networker who enjoys meeting people and I am always interested in learning more about local cultures and economies.

My real name is Peter Davison and I am working on finding interesting writing related projects in China.

Matador Travel has allowed me to find a cool blog space and expand on my portfolio of paid travel writing articles via the traveler’s notebook.
Our Man in Shanghai’s full profile

Sarah Menkedick

I think Matador is a great site, and I like the emphasis on community and on making connections between people, places and organizations.

I would like to see a bit more criticism of travel on the site–perhaps on travel myths that exist, or on ways in which travel sometimes acts as more of a self-congratulatory experience for Westerners than as a way to really force oneself to confront other ways of thinking.

I believe travel has amazing potential to change the world; but I also think that travel in and of itself is not enough, and that travelers also need to be very critical and self-aware of the ways in which they approach and analyze other cultures.

I think Matador would make a great forum for these kinds of discussions, since it brings together so many people that really believe in travel as a way of seeing, a way of life, and a way of connecting.
– Sarah Menkedick

To meet more Matador members, please follow the links below:

Travelers 1-10 at MatadorTrips.com
Travelers 11 – 20 at BraveNewTraveler.com
Travelers 21 – 30 at TheTravelersNotebook.com
Travelers 41 – 50 at Matador.org

Community Connection

These are only 50 out of thousands of travelers in our community. Who else should get a mention? Big them up in the comments, and if you haven’t yet, link up with us.

Photo by Asian Insights

A global perspective is essential to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.

Addressing big problems like global warming and nuclear proliferation will require unprecedented levels of international cooperation.

Likewise, big opportunities like the chance to end poverty depend on our ability to extend compassion, knowledge and resources to the far reaches of the globe.

Many of the global citizens who will spearhead new levels of international cooperation in the next century are still young, students in high schools from Pittsburgh to Phnom Penh. We need to give the leaders of tomorrow the chance to get to know each other today.

Youth travel and grassroots exchange programs are one of the most important and cost-effective investments we can make.

Photo by Asian Insights

Travel is the Best Education

With travel comes both empathy and knowledge.

Travel – real, rugged, authentic travel – is the best sort of education. In this day and age, knowing Africa is more important than knowing algebra.

For our brightest students, taking a year to vagabond through China and study Mandarin looks more and more like a wise and practical alternative to a prestigious internship with Lehman Brothers or Bear Sterns.

Dragons in Cambodia

I recently had the opportunity to lead a group of 12 remarkable high school students on a 6 week Where There Be Dragons program in Cambodia.

The experience electrified me. I could not be more inspired.

The real world connections the students made in Cambodia are the seeds of future peace.

The courage they found in themselves to embark on an epic and challenging journey created a confidence that will carry them through life.

I don’t take any credit for the personal growth and profound education the students in my group experienced in Cambodia. The act of travel was what did it – the magical experience of confronting the world with clear and open eyes.

Photo by Asian Insights

Peace Depends on Knowledge

Where There Be Dragons is a funny name for a travel company. The thing about dragons, of course, is that they don’t exist. Our fears of the unknown are rarely justified.

Fear and ignorance are always dangerous, but especially so when institutionalized in the most powerful country in the world.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was dead on when he told Americans “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

In the era of perpetual War on Terror, we must nurture individuals who can distinguish between genuine threats to our security and paranoid fantasies born of ignorance and fear.

Photo by Shannanigans

Asking The BIG Questions

Travel forces the big questions.

The older we get, the less willing we become to question everything and make our choices as if we really can be the change we want to see in the world.

America needs smart, conscientious young people who are willing to dream big.

By empowering youth through authentic travel experiences in places where they are confronted with unvarnished truths, we create future leaders with the skill and motivation to work for peace and justice.

It’s not enough to drink away a study abroad semester in Florence, or traipse through Southeast Asian backpacker zones for a few months after college graduation.

Reaping the real humanitarian benefits of travel requires traveling close to the ground in places that provoke hard questions.

Overcoming a Foreign Policy of Fear

Photo by Shannanigans

We need young people who are not just clever, but also courageous.

We need high school students eager to break out of their sheltered suburbs and cozy Facebook networks to confront the world first-hand.

It costs billions of dollars to send cruise missiles and Predator drones to distant lands, but only thousands of dollars to help future leaders discover the world.

If you’re a parent, encourage your son or daughter to travel. If you’re a student, I’m envious – you can choose from a world of possibilities. If you’re a citizen who wants peace, please support youth travel programs.

The global challenges that lie ahead are too big to solve without profound, intimate knowledge of the outside world.

Community Connection!

For more inspiring essays about the value of travel and global citizenship in the 21st century, check out 10 Ways Travelers Can Change The World and A Manifesto From A Young American.

Where There Be Dragons offers youth travel programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

If you’re passionate about travel, dive into the Matador community and connect with like-minded innovators from around the world.

To help send inner-city youth on a Where There Be Dragons program to Asia, please support The Matador Fund.

Feature photo by Canadian Veggie. Photo above by ndh.

I’m a planner. I like to know what I’m going to be doing today, tomorrow, and four months from now. I like to stay organized in my day planner. I don’t like to leave things to chance.

So when I found out that I would be spending my final semester of graduate school in Paris, I promptly set about dotting my I’s and crossing my T’s. When the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, I thought I had everything under control.

Boy was I wrong. As it turns out, moving abroad is filled with variables you don’t even consider before leaving. If you’ve ever lived overseas, you know what I’m talking about. And if you’re thinking about living overseas, here’s are 10 things you should know before you leave.

Photo by alfredlee.

1. Buying upon arrival is easier than packing.

Unless you’re truly moving to the middle of nowhere, you’ll be able to find the items you need for daily life in your new city. When I moved to Paris, I brought one enormous suitcase, one duffel bag and two carry-ons filled with things I could have bought at any number of stores in my new neighborhood.

Buying when you arrive might require some extra funds, but it will save you the headache of trying to pack everything you own and then dragging it halfway across the world.

Photo by Jeff Keen.

2. You will always need more money than you think.

Some travelers will argue that it’s possible to live on a bare-bones budget overseas, and they’re probably right. But if you’re anything like me, you like to maintain a minimum level of comfort and financial flexibility no matter where you are.

Trying to establish a life in a foreign country is even more costly than just passing through. Expenses that you didn’t imagine will pop-up, and even if you have a job waiting for you, that first paycheck won’t appear overnight.

Saving a few extra bucks in advance will go a long way towards preserving your financial health during the expensive first few months.

Photo by minwoo.

3. You might still have to pay taxes back home.

Americans working overseas are sometimes surprised to learn that Uncle Sam doesn’t take it easy on expats. Some of us who work abroad will still owe money to the I.R.S.

Before you go, check with a tax expert and get the facts straight. Paying taxes in two countries is never easy, but it will hurt less if you know about it in advance.

4. Your mail can follow you.

Mail can be hard to keep track of when you move overseas. You forward it to some permanent address and hope none of the important letters slip through the cracks.

International movers should look into setting up a service with a company such as Earth Class Mail. For a few dollars a month the company will receive all your mail, scan it, and send you the important stuff you request.

Photo by Robert France.

5. Opening a local bank account can save you money.

I should have done this within the first week of my arrival. But with everything else there was to take care of, I put off opening a French bank account. This was a very costly mistake.

After six months of paying foreign transaction fees on my credit card and bank fees for withdrawing money from foreign ATMs I had racked up a little more than $200 in unnecessary expenses. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but that money could have gone towards a weekend trip or a Parisian shopping spree, both of which are a lot more fun than giving money to the bank.

Photo by Belopa.

6. Language can be learned on-site

You’ve taken the classes, done your grammar exercises, and even found a partner to help you practice speaking, but you still worry that you won’t be able to communicate with the locals?

Maybe you will and maybe you won’t. But after a few short weeks of moving to a foreign country, you’ll have learned more than you did in all those months or years of sitting in the classroom.

Excessive worrying about your lack of fluency is not something you have time for before leaving. It will come on its own, and if it doesn’t you can always take more formal classes when you arrive.

7. There will be good days and bad days.

Moving overseas often gets glamorized. Everyone, including yourself, thinks you will only have an amazing time filled with amazing experiences, amazing new friends, and an amazing lifestyle.

Yes, it will be amazing on more levels than you can imagine, but there will also be some very unglamorous days tucked between the good ones. You’ll be able to manage the tough times more effectively if you don’t expect everything to be fun and easy all the time.

Living abroad involves a lot of work, sacrifice, administrative headaches and the occasional bout of homesickness. Don’t lose hope; the next amazing day is just around the corner.

Photo by stevenvanwel.

8. You can still vote back home.

Americans looking to participate in the upcoming presidential election, or any future elections, should know that being abroad doesn’t disqualify them from their right to vote.

The same voting rights apply to all American citizens, whether they live within the 50 states or not. Some foreign cities even have active American political groups, such as Democrats Abroad or Republicans Abroad.

No matter where in the world you find yourself, these groups can help you navigate the voting process.

9. Staying in touch will be easy.

If you’re moving to a place that has good Internet connection and/or phone service, home will never be more than a few clicks away. Sign yourself and your contacts back home up for Skype and you can even talk to each other for free online.

Even old-school telephone to telephone communication has become easier and cheaper than ever before. Moving to some remote un-connected location? See it as an excuse to dust off your letter writing skills.

Photo by alexi1982.

10. Coming home is more difficult than leaving.

As much as I loved living overseas, I wasn’t entirely disappointed at the prospect of moving back home. Home represented family, friends, and all of the things I love and missed while away.

In reality, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Moving abroad is difficult because of the things you have to prepare, the good-byes you have to say, and the uncertainty of what you’ll find “over there”. The sheer excitement of starting a new adventure can make all the worries seem minor. What’s more, there’s a certain reassurance that comes with knowing that home will always be there waiting for you.

But when your overseas stint comes to an end, you’ll have to deal with the knowledge that what you’ve just lived can probably never be recreated. No one but yourself (and those who lived it with you) can possibly understand what it means to you.

Hang in there; you’ll eventually get through the difficulties of returning home. After all, you just lived, loved, triumphed and flourished in a foreign country. You’ve literally taken on the world. Reverse culture shock? Relationship changes? Restarting a career? Bring it on!

–Feature photo by beija-flor

1. Copan Ruinas, Honduras

Wake up for class to the sound of horses trotting on cobblestone roads and the aroma of freshly made tortillas. Copan Ruinas is home to mystical Mayan ruins, boasts vibrant local culture and is at the center of a growing eco-tourism movement in Honduras.

There are numerous opportunities in Copan Ruinas for both teachers and volunteers . Find paid vacancies in local villages or in the local bilingual school. Take field trips to the Bird Park in Copan Ruinas and explore the shade-grown coffee fincas.

Photo by cadampol

2. Antigua, Guatemala

Just 45 minutes from Guatemala City is the town of Antigua, Guatemala, with epic volcano views on the horizon. Enjoy classes outside, exploring the colorful 16th century architecture. Donate your time to teach for two months through a local education program and experience a meaningful cultural and linguistic exchange.

Photo by dsnet

3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio is a city with brown sugar beaches, bohemian neighborhoods and a pulsating nightlife that will leave you teaching phrasal verbs with sore feet from dancing samba. Rio is also an international hub for teaching English with multiple opportunities in language schools, along with volunteer opportunities in the favelas. When you’re not in the classroom, paraglide from Sugarloaf, play capoeira, and fall in love with Rio’s riotous rhythms.

Photo by armandolobos

4. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Work will always take a backseat to pure enjoyment in the modern city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Take advantage of the theatre, develop a taste for red wine and Argentine steaks and get caught up in the swirling nightlife of the most cosmopolitan city in South America. Why not learn the tango while you’re there?

Photo by formfaktor

Intag, Ecuador

Escape to the cloud forests of Intag, Ecuador, where you can teach as a volunteer in one of the greenest corners of the Andes mountain range.

Photo by sara_y_tzunki

Valparaiso, Chile

Teaching in the UNESCO World Heritage seaport city of Valparaiso, Chile is a dream job for many travelers. Find an apartment on the hillsides of Cerros Concepcion and Alegre, where you’ll have a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean.

Photo by anarchitect

Athens, Greece

Island hop on the weekends, eat roast chicken drenched in olive oil in the shadows of the Parthenon and develop a taste for ouzo while teaching in the frontisteria of Athens, Greece.

Photo by ranopamas

Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany has a pleasingly laid-back rhythm of life. The rolling hills of the countryside will appeal to your artistic side and motivate you to write your Toscana novel while teaching English on the side.

Photo by juanillooo

Prague, Czech Republic

Meander through historic architecture dating back to the Middles Ages in Prague, Czech Republic. Living in the centre of Old Town in Praha is a close commute to many TEFL vacancies.

Photo by cuellar

Andalucia, Spain

Flamenco cuevas, free tapas and winter skiing in the Sierra Nevada makes Andalucia, Spain a tempting place to teach, especially for its laid-back siesta lifestyle.

Photo by josjos

Istanbul, Turkey

Hadi gel! There is never a shortage of jobs in Istanbul, Turkey. The culinary excellence and alluring districts of the city have already enchanted a number of expat teachers. Intrigued? Read “An English Teacher In Istanbul“.

Photo by will-ellis

Hainan-Dao, China

Freelance on the remote island of Hainan-Dao, China and have your next preposition lesson on a tropical beach, or high up in the Limuling mountain range.

Photo by will-ellis

Majuro, Marshall Islands

Majuro, Marshall Islands is a Micronesian getaway five hours from Hawaii, with plenty of local teaching opportunities and world-class scuba diving.

Photo by cmichel67

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Volunteer with young students on Tanzania’s paradise island of Zanzibar and teach vocabulary in the first National Jozani Forest and Bay Conservation.

Photo by paulwatson

Cape Town, South Africa

Teaching in Cape Town, South Africa’s cosmopolitan outdoor adventure playground, appeals to adrenaline junkies, tree huggers, and city slickers alike.

Photo by marionaubert

LINKS:

Teach in Guatemala

Volcanoes in Antigua

Language School in Brazil

Paraglide in Rio

Theatre in Buenos Aires

Work in Buenos Aires

Intag Cloud Forest

Volunteer in Ecuador

Teach in Chile

Valparaiso, Chile

Teach in Greece

Teach in Italy

TEFl in Prague

Ski in Spain

Teach in Turkey

Istanbul districts

Beaches in China

World Teach on the Marshall Islands

Support Schools in Zanibar

Table Mountain, Cape Town

Surf and Shark-dive in Cape Town

Teach in Cape Town, South Africa