Please note the following dates:

• Application Close Date: March 9, 2025
• Awardee Notification Date: April 14, 2025
• Awardee Orientation:  April 16, 2025, 8pm EST
• Required Document Deadline: April 20, 2025, 2024
• Final Deadline for Alternate Notification:  May 7, 2025
• Travel Preparation Period: May 9, 2025 – June 15, 2025
• Travel Period: June 15, 2025 – August 15, 2026
• Program Close Date/Deadline for Post-Travel Funds:  August 31, 2026 

In 2025, HI USA will award:

• 30 General Awards to applicants selected from across the United States, 
• 1 Peggy Stevens Girl Scout Award to a current or former member of the Girl Scouts from anywhere in the United States 

Eligible applicants for general Explore America awards must: 

• be 18-30 years old 
• be United States citizens, residents, or green card holders 
• be able to demonstrate financial need 
• have limited travel experience and limited travel resources 

To be eligible for the Peggy Stevens Girl Scout Award, you must meet all of the required criteria above and: 

• be a current or former Girl Scout; you’ll need to provide your troop number and years served  

The following groups are not eligible for this award:  

• Former Explore the World, IOU Respect, and/or Explore America Awardees  
• Volunteers and Relatives of HI USA Employees and its licensed facilities 
• HI USA Staff (may apply internally)

No purchase necessary to apply for this award.

Recipients of the Explore America (General award and Peggy Stevens Girl Scout Award) will receive: 

•  a $1500 Travel Stipend (disbursed as $1200 pre-travel and $300 post-travel),  
• 4 -7 dormitory overnights at a HI USA hostel
• virtual programs to prepare for travel, and  
• a lifetime HI USA membership. 

To fulfill the goals and requirements, recipients must: 

• Travel during the travel dates 
• Stay in dormitory accommodations (private rooms are not permitted for this award) 
• Stay at least four (4) and no more than seven (7) overnights 

We are not able to consider anyone who is under the age of 18 years at the time they submit their application. Please consider applying next year instead!

Sign up for our Programs and Events mailing list to be notified when next year’s scholarship applications open.

As long as you are between the ages of 18 and 30 years when you submit your application, and meet all other requirements, you are eligible.

For the purposes of this award, to show “demonstrated financial need” you must either:

• be a current or former Pell Grant recipient, or
• have a household income of no more than 300% of the federal poverty guidelines.

While eligible students are encouraged to apply, you do not have to be a student to qualify for this award, nor do you need to undertake any formal studies on your trip. Regardless of your student status, we believe you’ll get an invaluable education from the experience of hostelling and traveling solo, meeting fellow hostellers from different cultures, and getting to know your own country better.

Awardees will receive an email by the notification deadline. 

Upon notification, awardees have 10 days to complete the acceptance requirements for their award. 

Failure to complete acceptance requirements by the deadline will result in forfeiture of award. 

We do not notify alternates.  However, we do select alternates if an award is forfeited.  Alternates are selected based on original scores. 

Alternates will have 10 days to submit acceptance documents upon notification. 

Scholarship funds are considered Taxable Income as they are not used for specific educational purposes as defined by the IRS.

Recipients may stay 4-7 free nights at a participating HI USA hostel of their choice:

• HI Boston
• HI Chicago, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel
• HI Hyannis* (MA)
• HI Los Angeles Santa Monica
• HI Martha’s Vineyard* (MA)
• HI New Orleans
• HI New York City
• HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse (CA)
• HI Point Montara Lighthouse (CA)
• HI Sacramento
• HI San Diego Downtown
• HI San Francisco Downtown
• HI San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf
• HI Truro* (MA)

The destination hostel location must be at least 250 miles from your location, or over state lines. 

*indicates a seasonal hostel. These hostels are only open during the summer season. 

Block-out dates apply.

A scholarship committee of HI USA Volunteers will score and select awardees from completed, eligible applications based on the candidate’s ability to: 

• Present a compelling case on why/how they are a novice traveler 
• Demonstrate financial need 
• Convey a genuine interest in exploring the culture of the destination selected 
• Convey a genuine interest in hostelling

You can find additional information about this program on our Program Requirements page.

We will also hold two virtual workshops to answer questions and provide guidance on applications. You can get more information and sign up for those on our Eventbrite page.

No purchase is necessary to apply. 

HI USA reserves the right to modify this agreement and any policies of the HI USA Explore America Travel Scholarship (General and Peggy Stevens Girl Scout Award), including program cancellation. Modification is effective upon posting to our website or distribution via email or conventional mail. 

HI USA reserves the right to require additional verification of any information submitted at any time by the recipient.