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.
Applications Now Open Through October 27, 2025
Getting my passport was such a big deal. I still remember when I arrived, I was holding it and thinking ‘Wow this is actually it!’ Being the first of my family to explore outside the country was an honor, because no one else in my family has ever had a passport. Leaving the country for the first time by myself, I was a little bit nervous, but that quickly turned to excitement.”
Jordy Bautista Traveled to Japan
Before this trip, I didn’t even think that traveling for this long was possible for me, being a low-income student who finances everything in life myself. But there I was being hosted in Amman, the most beautiful place, in the capital of Jordan, doing more than just existing, but living.
Amelie Malone Traveled to Jordan
Mary Ellen Brucker Scholarship Endowment
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.
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.
