Explore the World Travel Scholarship
At HI USA, we believe that travel changes you so you can change the world. That's why we created the Explore the World Travel Scholarship: we want to help young Americans with limited travel experience and resources to connect with other countries and cultures.
2026 Applications Open Soon!
Applications will open soon for travel beginning in Summer 2027. Sign up for our “Programs and Events” emails to be notified when applications open.
If I hadn’t won this scholarship, I genuinely don’t think I would have traveled internationally. It all felt very intimidating and, now that I’ve done it, I can see myself doing it again.
Julia Santiago Traveled to Spain
This experience has shaped not only who I am as a person, but also my outlook on life. It reminded me that there are real and reachable opportunities in the world for people like me, even when we may have felt shut out at times. My trip was truly beautiful, and I will always carry a piece of my first international travel experience with me.
Tsunami Lott Traveled to Costa Rica
Visiting NTU gave me insight into how students from around the world learn, interact, and collaborate in a global setting. This experience was meaningful because it pushed me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to experience a completely different educational environment firsthand. It also made me more open-minded, independent, and motivated to continue pursuing international opportunities in the future.
Emilson Syliant Traveled to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
Thank You to Our Generous Donors
Each year, the support of our donors makes impactful international travel possible for more young people across the country. The following named scholarship funds have been established to ensure the accessibility of travel continues:
Established by the children of the late Mrs. Brucker, Katherine and Edward, this fund was created to bring back and further the Explore the World Travel Scholarship after the pandemic. The fund was established to honor Mary Ellen Brucker, who had a passion for travel and exploring the world at a young age. This $500,000 fund will have a lasting impact on HI USA’s capacity to create impactful international travel experiences for new travelers with barriers to travel.
John Donnellan, a longtime HI Boston Volunteer Tour Guide and member of the Hostelling Legacy Society, established The John Donnellan First Passport Edition Travel Scholarship Fund to help first-time passport holders experience international travel. John has been volunteering with HI USA since May 2018, when his involvement began through leading tours at the Institute for Contemporary Art. Since then, he has helped connect HI Boston guests with the city by leading activities such as the Beacon Hill neighborhood tour and the Bike Tour.
Two Explore the World scholarships are awarded annually in the name of Nancy Ann Herbert.
Nancy was born in a small coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, but she made her life in NYC. She spent her career at NBC, where her work took her throughout U.S. and the world for major sporting events and political conventions. She had a large step-family in Germany, and she and they exchanged visits throughout her life. Travel was so much the foundation of Nancy’s 96 years that her family felt the most fitting tribute would be to empower others who may not otherwise have the opportunity to deeply and authentically engage with the world.
You can learn more about Nancy in her obituary.
In honor of the Marsden family, two Explore the World Scholarships are awarded annually for travel to Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, or Slovenia, with a preference for travel that incorporates hiking.
A dedicated HI USA Board member from 1998-2008 and once again from 2018, Bruce Marsden is inspired by early hostel stays while traveling in Norway and then a subsequent trip to New Zealand. Today, his entire family – including his wife Leslie and his children – are lifetime members of HI USA and have many happy memories of staying in hostels both in the United States and in Europe. Drawing upon their own transformative hostelling experiences, they are committed to providing opportunities to aspiring travelers.
2024 Finalist, Global Youth Travel Awards
HI USA’s Explore the World Travel Scholarship was selected as a finalist in the category, “Extraordinary Experiences” for the 2024 Global Youth Travel Awards sponsored by the WYSE Travel Confederation.
