Im going to Europe this summer for a GYL conference…
Its going to be a great experience except for the fact that it cost 6,000 dollars to go. Im not much of a fund-raiser type of person so if you have any other ideas on how to get 6,000 dollars it would be much appreciated! =)
$6000 sounds like a whole lot of money for a trip to Europe. A somewhat frugal single person should be able to pull off a two week trip for less than half that and not spare much.
I agree…but my mom really wants me to go, and its a “once in a lifetime experience, that not everyone gets a chance to do” kind of thing.
Opinions and ideas belong somewhere other than GQ. Moved to IMHO.
samclem
I’m not following. Is this $6000 that you have to pay someone? It sounds pretty excessive. My wife, daughter, and I go to Europe and spend way less than that for the three of us and we aren’t cheap people by any stretch.
Can you make some of the arrangments yourself? It wouldn’t cost nearly as much (or is this some kind of tour).
Maybe selling a kidney would be something to look into.
They eat kidneys in Europe so it may just be best to wait until you get there.
I hope I’m not out of line by suggesting that you get a job between now and the conference? Unless something is preventing you from doing so, like a disability or such.
That was uncalled for. Some people like my brother are very sensitive to the J-word and respond badly when people just throw it around.
What is a GYL conference? And why is it so expensive? That’s a lot of bucks for a conference.
As for finding the money, get a job; ask your parents; find stuff you can sell on Ebay. Probably still tough to get that much so quickly. What are the other attendees doing?
This is good advice.
If a lot of the money is for the cost of accommodation, perhaps you could investigate cheaper hotels and then commute each day to the conference venue.
And what’s a GYL conference anyway?
The GYL Conference is a annual trip that select high school softmores are offered to attend. Yes it is a tour…were going to visit Budapest, Vienna, and Prague and have mock congress sessions at various European government buildings… etc. etc. I dont know much about what were doing yet, but I do know my mom attended and I dont think she would want me to go unless it was worth the money.
As for getting a job…I just turned 16 and have applied at tons of places. Now to play the god old waiting game. I do know that most other attendes (at least in y town) can more than afford to go with out any help.
Wow! you really think I could get $6000??
Any grandparents with any cash whatsoever? My grandmother was my lifesaver for big ticket things when she saw I really needed or wanted them although I never asked her for it directly.
$6000 for a trip to Eastern Europe seems ridiculous. Are you sure this isn’t some kind of scam? This is, I have no doubt the trip is real, but seems like it could be some kind of white elephant “honor” some outfit is bestowing on rich kids.
How long is the trip and what does the 6K include? For comparison purposes, assuming double occupancy, one could live pretty darn high on the hog in Paris or London for a month for that much.
Here is a link to the costs of the GYL Conference and and it’s tuition and scholarship programs.
That is absolutely true. Many people believe far away needs to = very expensive and that does not need to be the case. Here in Boston, it is very expensive to live so most other places seem like a bargain to travel elsewhere. My family and I travel all the time and I consider a trip to Paris to be roughly the same as a trip to San Francisco and only a little more than expensive than some of the nicer accomodations in Dallas.
Western Europe IS NOT much more expensive than travelling to a nice U.S. city and Eastern Europe should be cheaper. You have to judge it by what you think you would spend in LA or Boston. The exchange rate right now gives you about a 20% disadvantage on countries that have the euro but that only applies to some western European countries. $6000 sounds massively more expensive than I would spend on such a trip and my wife and I have put personal versions of similar together ourselves about 6 times in 7 years sparing very little. I can almost guarantee you I could put together a nicer itinerary, better food, and equivalent or better lodging for half the cost or less.
To the OP: You haven’t told us where you live. An East Coast to Europe plane ticket can easily be cheaper than East to West Coast in the U.S. I have never paid more than $550 for any round-trip U.S. to Europe tickets and most have been under $450.
It sounds like a huge rip-off to me at that price and I believe they would not only scam you on the price but skimp on the food, transportation, and accomodations as well. At that price you would be going near first class on everything but the plane ticket with nice, single rooms and nothing but fancy restaurant food breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I am sure the memories will be great whatever you end up paying but the value seems extremely poor.
Ok, I just read the link for the prices. I went to some of the most expensive colleges in the country and travel a lot. Those prices sound ape-shit absurd. I would want Nobel Prize winners personally tutoring me for 8 hours a day including weekends to pay something like that.
I am sure it is great when money is absolutely no object but that doesn’t apply even to the everyday multi-millionaires that I know.
It looks like a legit organization - something like Model UN - but those prices . . . it comes out to well over $300 per day after the airfare is deducted. That seems rather expensive to me, especially since it only includes 2 meals and the housing is dorm rooms. Do you get any kind of credit for this? I would hope, since such a large part of the fee must be going to tuition.
Anyway, the GYL site says they have scholarships and financial aid. You might also ask at your school if they are aware of any sources for grant funding for the program, since the school apparently had to nominate you. Or perhaps they can put you on some kind of deferred system, whereby you were accepted this year but will attend next year; thus, you will have time to save up the money.
Six thousand dollars for a couple of weeks in eastern Europe?! I spent a month on a motorcycle in Europe, plus had two extra flights and a car rental and the trip over and back for half that. I have the wrong job, I’ll take you over there for that!
Visit http://www.cafepress.com and give us a reason to sponsor you. I’ve seen people offer T-shirts & hats which say “Send Elise to Brazil”.
Tell people what you want to accomplish with this trip and how it could better society, and perhaps your friends, family, teachers, locals, and maybe even straight dope strangers will choose to sponsor you. If you haven’t thought about these reasons yet, prior to opening a $6000 thread, I don’t think you’ll find the money.
Good Luck!