So I’ve been looking for ways to “legitimize” my latest wanderings and came across a couple of really cool opportunities that I wanted to share. Writing, blogging, and photography are fairly mainstream ways to document travels and generate a few bucks while on the road. With a solid blog and a few pieces written on other sites you can build a portfolio to take to larger new organizations. Plenty of travelers have made some kind of living that way - not really something you want to count on, but every little bit helps.
I wish I could remember which website I found the BBC/Royal Geographic Society Journey of a Lifetime Grant so I could thank them, but I’ve long since forgotten. It’s a (approx) $8000 grant for an expedition to some exotic place on which you’re supposed to provide a unique and interesting perspective. Winners will be required to keep an audio diary and take some photographs. This will be later turned into a radio program on BBC 4. What a great way for the BBC to get some fresh content (cheap) and for a traveler to turn an adventure into journalism. Past winners have cowboyed in Mongolia, run away to the Mexican circus, and played with monkeys in Madagascar.
Applications are closed now, but will open back up for Fall 2009. Will definitely keep an eye on this. I noticed that South America and far Northern America are conspicously absent among previous programs. Cuba maybe? Brazilian jungle? Ice villages in northern Alaska?
I was cruising the Matador boards and I found another interesting travel gig. Foreign correspondent to National Geographic’s Glimpse blog. Applicants are supposed to be Americans under 30 who will be spending at least 3 months in one place. They’ll get paid $600 to submit feature writing, photography, or video pieces about their experiences abroad. Seems targetd towards the younger set, but would be a good piece to have in a portfolio. Interesting…
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