Honestly, asking family and friends to support you is really the best way. People always say scholarships and grant, but those can be very difficult to get. Set up an account on youcaring.com (it takes away less fees than gofundme or fundmytravel), and offer incentives for donors. For example, I sent my donors monthly newsletter for a contribution of $10 or less. For $25 or less, they would receive the newsletter and a postcard while I was abroad. For $50 or less, they would receive the newsletter, postcard, and a goodie bag of souvenirs. And so on and so on. This has worked extremely well for me over the years of traveling abroad!
Depending on your university's study abroad resources and the organization your studying through if it is not directly through your home university, there are endless funding opportunities. I spent the majority of last year in South Africa and got my entire trip (airfare, tuition, housing, food) covered by scholarships and grants. Some applications take 10 min. while others might be an ongoing project while your abroad, BUT if you ask me, putting a few hours into a couple applications is well worth the financial support you can get. This takes a little more planning ahead, but I definitely could not have pursued the opportunity I did without putting in that work. Let me know if you need help searching/applying for specific ones.
These previous answers are definitely good routes for helping you reach your funding goals for studying abroad. While scholarships and funding from donations can certainly help, another option is managing your own finances. When I found out that I was studying abroad, I started taking more hours at work and got another part-time job. Yeah, there were times that I missed hanging out with friends, but being able to afford the experience that I did far out weighed anything I missed. Also, on the other end of your budget, if you are unable to make more money, then learn to spend less money. I dollar saved is a dollar made. Start prioritizing your discretionary expenses. Is that coffee every morning at the local coffeeshop worth it? Limiting those unneeded purchases can really make a difference in the long run. I can guarantee that foregoing those purchases will really make a difference once you are in the city of your dreams!
Answer
Honestly, asking family and friends to support you is really the best way. People always say scholarships and grant, but those can be very difficult to get. Set up an account on youcaring.com (it takes away less fees than gofundme or fundmytravel), and offer incentives for donors. For example, I sent my donors monthly newsletter for a contribution of $10 or less. For $25 or less, they would receive the newsletter and a postcard while I was abroad. For $50 or less, they would receive the newsletter, postcard, and a goodie bag of souvenirs. And so on and so on. This has worked extremely well for me over the years of traveling abroad!
Depending on your university's study abroad resources and the organization your studying through if it is not directly through your home university, there are endless funding opportunities. I spent the majority of last year in South Africa and got my entire trip (airfare, tuition, housing, food) covered by scholarships and grants. Some applications take 10 min. while others might be an ongoing project while your abroad, BUT if you ask me, putting a few hours into a couple applications is well worth the financial support you can get. This takes a little more planning ahead, but I definitely could not have pursued the opportunity I did without putting in that work. Let me know if you need help searching/applying for specific ones.
These previous answers are definitely good routes for helping you reach your funding goals for studying abroad. While scholarships and funding from donations can certainly help, another option is managing your own finances. When I found out that I was studying abroad, I started taking more hours at work and got another part-time job. Yeah, there were times that I missed hanging out with friends, but being able to afford the experience that I did far out weighed anything I missed. Also, on the other end of your budget, if you are unable to make more money, then learn to spend less money. I dollar saved is a dollar made. Start prioritizing your discretionary expenses. Is that coffee every morning at the local coffeeshop worth it? Limiting those unneeded purchases can really make a difference in the long run. I can guarantee that foregoing those purchases will really make a difference once you are in the city of your dreams!
I've been looking into this cool platform called FundMyTravel.com I'm setting up a campaign. You should try that!