Posted: 4/16/18 | April 16th, 2018
Travel gives us perspective, challenges our expectations, and opens the door to new possibilities. It forces us to see the world and ourselves in a a lot more profound way. I believe that it makes us better people. It gives us experience and understanding that you don’t get when you simply stay in your little corner of the world. It’s like that scene in good will hunting when Robin Williams say to Will:
So if I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? but I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling.
Reading about something is one thing. Experiencing it is in real life is completely different. I know travel is no panacea. It’s not going to end hunger or bring about world peace. but it does give us perspective and experience. It gives us understanding and makes us a lot more open. It teaches us possibility.
At a time when the world seems to be splitting apart, travel can at least give us a sense of understanding and community.
And that is why I created FLYTE, our community charity created to give the gift of travel and education to young kids who grow up in places where that seems like a pipedream. Its mission is to expand their minds, show them that the world is full of possibility, and get them to dream big.
Today, I am announcing our next partner school!!!!
Travel has profoundly impacted the lives of the young students we’ve served.
Take Kaleb. He traveled with FLYTE to Mexico in 2016, and now he’s a sophomore at DePauw university studying political science and African studies. This past January, he took a trip study abroad to South Africa and is planning another one to Europe. As he says,
Traveling internationally better informed me not only as a young adult but as a global citizen. The experiences I have had traveling internationally during high school made me a lot more competitive when applying for college and expanded my social consciousness. I can say that I now am a lot more ready to interact with people of diverse backgrounds.
This why FLYTE exists and why I’m so pleased of what we have accomplished together. Over 1,200 individuals have helped us grow FLYTE by spreading the word, volunteering, and donating to our fundraisers. We’ve sent close to 40 kids overseas and raised nearly $100,000 to make that happen.
So, I’m pleased to announce that after a long, rigorous application process, our next partner school is The Victor school from Victor, Montana!
Victor is a tight-knit community about 45 miles south of Missoula. The entire K-12 school system only has 300 students. Lindsey Egelston, the teacher who will be leading this trip, describes that in Victor, “poverty is high and higher education levels are low, and lots of of our students’ families struggle to make ends meet.”
In June, FLYTE will send Lindsey and her students to Guatemala for ten days, where they’ll navigate the cobblestone streets of Antigua, explore the villages along Lake Atitlán, ignite their taste buds at the Chichicastenango market as well as volunteer with local organizations.
Living so far outside a metropolitan area makes it hard for these students to interact with a diverse range of people. This trip is a chance for these students to see the world, experience new cultures, see the power of education, and see the possibility that exists beyond their small town. It’s a chance to spark an interest in the world and education.
Today, I’m asking for your help. As someone who understands the transformative power of travel, you know how much these experiences can change a student’s life.
I can’t send these kids on this trip without you. We’re trying to raise $30,000 USD for this trip. I’ll be matching donations up to $10,000 and any extra money we raise can be put towards future trips.
Please consider joining our FLYTE crew monthly giving program and help supply the sustainable support we need to serve a greater number of students. If 100 people give $25 a month, we could fund this trip and an additional trip this year!
Not ready to give monthly? A one-time donation still allows us to send the Victor school abroad. select the one-time option to donate today.
I know this is a budget travel web site and a lot of of us don’t have a lot of money but for the cost of a few drinks, you can pay it forward and help great a new generation of responsible travelers!
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NOTE: We are a 501(c)3 charity so your donations are tax exempt. (US residents only)
We at FLYTE want to create a a lot more peaceful, toLerant World, waar iedereen, ongeacht ras, etniciteit, geslacht of sociaaleconomische status, wordt gemachtigd om tot hun volledige potentieel te leven. Dit begint met onze jeugd en we willen veel meer van hen dienen.
In een tijd waarin mensen barrières opbouwen, dictators en nationalisme toenemen, brengt sociale media het ergste in ons naar voren, het is een stuk belangrijker dan ooit dat we doen wat we kunnen om onze ergste impulsen tegen te gaan.
Als u het type persoon bent dat gelooft dat liefde haat overtroeft, help ons dan deze kinderen te helpen.
Als u het soort persoon bent dat een manier probeert te vinden om de kracht van reizen te verspreiden, help ons dan deze kinderen te helpen.
Laten we al onze reis vriendelijkheid vooruit betalen en deze kinderen van het kleine stadje op Victor naar Guatemala sturen.
Dank u!
– Matt
Boek je reis: logistieke ideeën en trucs
Boek uw vlucht
Zoek een goedkope vlucht met behulp van Skyscanner. Het is mijn favoriete zoekmachine omdat het websites en luchtvaartmaatschappijen over de hele wereld doorzoekt, zodat je altijd weet dat geen steen ongemoeid blijft.
Boek uw accommodatie
U kunt uw hostel boeken met hostelworld. Als je ergens anders dan een hostel wilt blijven, gebruik dan Booking.com, omdat ze consequent de goedkoopste tarieven voor gastenhuizen en hotels retourneren.
Vergeet de reisverzekering niet
Reisverzekering zal u beveiligen tegen ziekte, letsel, diefstal en annuleringen. Het is gedetailleerde bescherming voor het geval er iets misgaat. Ik ga nooit op reis zonder dat ik het in het verleden vaak moest gebruiken. Mijn favoriete bedrijven die de beste service en waarde bieden, zijn:
Safetywing (het beste voor iedereen)
Verzeker mijn reis (voor die ouder dan 70)
MedJet (voor extra evacuatiedekking)
Klaar om uw reis te boeken?
Bekijk mijn resource -pagina voor de beste bedrijven om te gebruiken wanneer u reist. Ik vermeld alle mensen die ik gebruik als ik reis. Ze zijn de beste in de klas en je kunt niet fout gaan met ze tijdens je reis.