Apply for scholarships. Scholarships abound on the web and in scholarship resource books; the difficulty is choosing the correct one to spend time pursuing. Select a comprehensive scholarship that funds most of your international travel plan and includes program incentives. CCI, the Center for Cultural Interchange, for example, offers scholarships for its High School Abroad Program. As of May 2010, students must fill out an application, have a 2.75 or higher GPA, and a reason for wanting to travel abroad. Check out scholarships that offer a specific amount of money. As of May 2010, Edu-Culture International (ECI), for instance, offers three scholarships of $3,000 each toward a summer abroad program. Write a stellar essay explaining your desire to travel. Also, acquire a teacher recommendation.
Apply for grants. Research grants online or in a high school grant publication. Choose a travel grant contest or application that will give you enough money to fund your travels. Some grants dole out meager amounts of money that only fund part of a ticket or for a week of spending money. Go for the most competitive grants that give if not the most money at least a generous amount ($1,000 and up). The Travel Grant in France:Youth International Meetings, for instance, hosted by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York and the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, chooses a few young Americans to take part in a fully funded grant to France (frenchculture.org). Winners of the Youth International Meetings Program receive funding for summer travel to France for 9 to 15 days. They focus on art, regional culture, photography, sports, science, dance, music, art, and so on. Scour for grants that cover full airfare, housing, meals,transportation, activities, and insurance while abroad.
Fund-raise and request donations. Contact local businesses and organizations and ask for their support. Explain your goals as a high school student aspiring to travel abroad to learn, study and explore. Be specific as possible about what you want out of your travel experience. According to the AYUSA.com website, students find that international businesses and service organizations, and special interest groups, and family friends support international travel initiatives principally and financially.
Work a country-specific part-time job.Find a part-time job that has to do with the country to which you wish to travel. If it's Italy, work at an authentic Italian restaurant as a waiter, hostess, or busser to brush up on your Italian language skills and learn about the land and culture from restaurant owners and workers who immigrated to your country.
If you don't know where you want to go yet, consider working part-time (school comes first) at a travel agency like STA Travel (statravel.com) or at an international store or gourmet shop that will introduce you to diverse cultures, flavors, practices, and people. Start early--save money (at least 10%) from each paycheck. If you start your freshman year of high school, by junior year at the latest you should be able to fund to whatever country you choose.
Host an exchange student. Some programs, like AYUSA Global Youth Exchange, extend a travel abroad discount to students within families who host an international exchange student. Learn from which countries you can choose to host a student. Pick a student, if possible, from a country or region in the world to which you would like to travel. If you choose an Indian student, learn about their culture, religions, daily life and language before traveling there.
