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PTO πŸ’ΈπŸŒ

No, not your work vacation timeβ€”I'm talking about paid travel opportunities! The term I invented to encompass all of the funded programs, scholarships, remote PTO, student grants, contests, and more that pay you to travel.

We bring awareness to paid travel opportunities that help you travel for school, for work, for funβ€”for free.

GO TO THE DASHBOARD!

POPULAR PTO RESOURCES

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What is a PTO?

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How I Won $40K in Study Abroad Scholarships

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Study Abroad Scholarships for High School Students

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PTO for African Nationals

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See Past PTO Winners!

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See Past Packs Light PTO Winners!

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How to WIN with your Video Submission

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How to WIN with your Video Submission

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How I Studied Abroad for Free in Korea... AFTER Graduation!

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Get PAID to Teach English Abroad in Europe!

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WHAT IS A PTO INTRO + STORY_Graphic

watch the "What are PTO?" EXPLAINER VIDEO!

Feeling totally lost? πŸ˜…

Start with these PTO FAQ! πŸ‘‡πŸ½

Getting started...

PTO 101

Paid travel opportunities (PTO) make travel accessible by taking away financial, logistical, and mental barriers that restrict many people! Start learning more about them:

What is a PTO?

PTO (noun): any program or opportunity that has an element of travel and is partially or completely funded, paid, or free to do. (Read more and see examples here)

What is the PTO Dashboard?

The PTO Dashboard is Packs Light's database of PTO. Through the dashboard (and our Weekly PTO Newsletter)Β we curate information, application tips, and links for all of these incredible travel opportunities.

Can I apply to PTO if I'm not American?

Do you have to be a certain citizenship to apply to job? In some cases. Packs Light's audience is 90% U.S. citizens, so the opportunities we share cater to them.

But remember: everyone may not be eligible for every opportunity, but there are opportunities for everyone.

Do you have to be a student to apply to PTO?

No! There are many PTO that don't even mention age or student status as a requirement. You can be a 14-year-old high school student or 40-year-old mom and find a PTO that works for you.

...What's the catch?

Very few of these opportunities are scams, actually. You're usually trading your time and your story, or the company is getting aa tax break from offering the opportunity.

Learn more in our Finding Opportunities online course!

Can I put these PTO on my resume?
Accordion Content
Can I travel full-time using these PTO?

No. These are usually short-term, one-off opportunities that have an element of travel.

If you want to travel full-time, check out our resources on becoming a paid travel influencer, or finding a remote job and living as a digital nomad! (coming soon)

Where can I learn more?

Take our free PTO Crash Courseβ€”it takes 6 minutes and will be exactly what you need to get startred!

Seeking PTO

How to find PTO that fit your dreams, wants, and needs.

Not every PTO fits every person. And even our PTO Dashboard doesn't have every single one out there! So we're teaching you how to fish for your own opportunities!

Which PTO would fit me best?

Check out our PTO Phase of Life graphic to see which PTO you should keep an out for most.

Take our Which PTO Am I? Quiz and see! (coming soon)

How do you avoid scams?

Rest easy: 99% of these PTO are not scams. But watch this short video with tips and things to look out for, just in case.

Learn more in our Finding PTO online course! (coming soon)

I'm ______ and I need help finding PTO for me! Can I talk to you?

Because of the immense requests we get daily, I can only do 1-on-1 consultations via booking ($180 for 30 mins). We have so many free and paid resources to get you started right on this page! Take advantage.

I only want to apply to PTO I have a good chance of winning! How can I tell?

Our Should I Apply? Calculator will tell you your exact chances of success. Stop wasting your time and energy, and only apply to the things you'll win!

Found in our Application Tool-Kit.

I found a PTO that I'm interested in but it's past the deadline... now what?

Probably. Read this caption for more reasons why you should #ApplyAnyway.

Get more information in the Finding Opportunities course (coming soon).

What's the best way to keep track of all the things I want to apply to?

What gets measured, get's managed. Use an interactive spreadsheet to keep tabs on all the opportunities you're keeping aan eye on.

Grab our pre-done Opportunity Tracking Spreadsheet today!

I found a PTO and I want to submit it to be in the PTO Dashboard!

Thank you! We love you. πŸ’—

Submit PTO to be shown on the Dashboard, here.

Winning PTO

Finding them is the easy part. Actually winning? That takes strategy.

Learning, finding and making big lists of PTO means nothing if you don't actually 1) Press submit and apply, and 2) Win! We can help you with that.

Do people actually win these things?

Yes! Check out the Packs Light PTO Winners Wall to see past PTO Winners.

I need to submit a video application! Help!

Lesson 4 of our Winning PTO online course dives head-first into how to submit a “YES!”-worthy video application, with a bonus module hosted by viral video creator Dear Alyne, who has 15M+ followers!

Letters of Recommendation... Who do I ask? What maakes a good ones?

Our Application Tool-Kit has in-depth Letter of Recommendation (LOR) examples and tips on who to ask and how to get them to write you the PERFECT reference letter!

Do you have example application essays/videos?

I walk you through an example application on this post, teach you 5 common question to practice answering here, and my YouTube channel has a playlist with every video application I've ever submitted.

Need more tips on making your own? You need the Winning PTO course (coming soon), or a 1-on-1 session with me!

I need tips on focusing and productivity to actually apply for the things I want!

Here are some productivity tips to help you get to “submit”!

I have a specific PTO I want to win and I really want 1-on-1 help. Please!

Book a 1-on-1 appointment with me!

(Unfortunately because of the many emails I get daily, we will likely miss it if you send a message through the contact form πŸ™ )

PTO PRODUCTS

Helping you apply and win, ASAP. (scroll right ➝)

Finding PTO Online Course

Coming soon!

Winning PTO Online Course

Coming soon!

Opportunity Tracking Spreadsheet

Sponsored PTO Dashboard Listing

Application Tool-Kit

Delusional Confidence Workbook

"Should I Apply to This" Calculator

FOR MORE PTO TIPS, FOLLOW ME ON

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get PTO in your inbox EVERY SUNDAY πŸ“­

RECENT PTO BLOG POSTS

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Find out 3 simple ways you can study abroad in Spain as an American student (maybe even for free, with study abroad scholarships!)

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Tips on how to do your first TEDx Talk: pitching, applying, and speaking your first TEDx talk and up-level your public speaking!

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Reading Time: 7 minutes Welcome, I’m Gabby Beckford. While in college I was awarded more than $70,000 in financial aid, including travel grants and scholarships that helped me study abroad in Dubai, one of …

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5 Common Questions To Practice Answering for Paid Travel Opportunity Applications

Reading Time: 4 minutes So you want to start applying to paid travel opportunities (PTO), and want some tips on what you should expect or keep in mind. I've completed well over 500 (I'm …

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Am I Too Old/Young For Scholarships and Travel Opportunities?

Reading Time: 2 minutes Are scholarships ONLY for young people? What opportunities should I keep my eye out for? This infographic has your answers.

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$AVE MONEY STUDYING ABROAD PT 1 🌎 [SAVE + FOLL $AVE MONEY STUDYING ABROAD PT 1 🌎

[SAVE + FOLLOW FOR MORE!]

I couldn’t believe I actually SAVED money studying abroad in Dubai, UAEβ€”one of the most expensive cities in the worldβ€”than I did studying in my home state of Virginia πŸ˜΅β€πŸ’«

but study abroad doesn’t have to be expensive! There’s a lot of ways it can be cheaper!

Finding a university that charges less than your home one but has credits that transfer for the classes you need, is a great first step. I found mine by Googling… and because I saw they were offering additional scholarships for international students!

answering questions in the comments! πŸ‘‡πŸ½

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#studyabroad #studyabroadlife #studyabroadbecause #scholarshipopportunities #internationaleducation #educationmatters #travelmore #collegestudent #collegelife
I’m just sayinnn 😁 SHARE if you agree or COM I’m just sayinnn 😁

SHARE if you agree or COMMENT your thoughts!
nope πŸ™‚ here’s why: our insignificance in the u nope πŸ™‚ here’s why:

our insignificance in the universe is totally crushing and overwhelming but also SO FREEING.

no one cares πŸ˜” buttt no one cares! 😍πŸ€ͺπŸ€ΈπŸ½β€β™€οΈπŸ’ƒπŸ½

The art of blending in as a solo travel, not with what you’re wearing but with your ENERGY is so key. You can be a lot more invisible as a solo traveler than you might think!

So do I get embarrassed? No. because well… 🌎🌌 why would I?

Solo female travel doesn’t have to be as intimidating as you think - it just takes a little practice πŸ™‚

[SHARE + TAG if you agree!]
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#solotravelingisfun #solotravels #solofemaletraveller #femalesolotraveler #travellover
PRO TIP!!! πŸš¨πŸ‘‡πŸ½ have the next trip booked PRO TIP!!! πŸš¨πŸ‘‡πŸ½

have the next trip booked before the current trip is over 🀭 you’re welcome follow me for more PTO travel tips and existential crises 😌✌🏽

#solofemaletraveler #travelgram #goseetheworld #shetravels #blacktravelfeed #travelling
I get around πŸ€ͺπŸ—Ί [SAVE + SHARE!] HOW HAVE I I get around πŸ€ͺπŸ—Ί

[SAVE + SHARE!]

HOW HAVE I TRAVELED SO MUCH AT JUST 26? πŸ‘‡πŸ½

1. Dad was in the military
2. applied + awarded $70,000 worth of study abroad scholarships in college
3. other scholarships letting me graduate debt free
4. Engineering job + financial literacy gave me more spending money
5. Paid Travel Opportunities (PTO) - fellowships, contests, and conferences that as an adult NON-student paid for me to go toπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡«πŸ‡―πŸ‡°πŸ‡·
6. a remote job β†’ digital nomad lifestyle so I could work from my laptop AND travel
7. becoming an entrepreneur + travel creative so I literally made it my job to travel
8. passport + financial privilege. The US passport is strong and I get to spend my money how I want to (don’t have to support my family financially, etc)
9. flexibility - traveling based on the best price + cheap flight NOT based on a bucket list!

and I teach alllllllll about these things here at @packslight πŸ₯° so FOLLOW for more + drop questions in the comments~

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#travelgram #femalesolotraveler #solofemaletravel #travelgram #mrsworldwide #passportlife #passportpassion
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  • HOME
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FREE PTO TRAINING

Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Packs Light

Packs Light
  • Start Here
    • About
    • My Travel Bucket List
    • “Where I’ve Been” Map
  • Destinations
    • Bucket Lists
    • North America
      • Barbados
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Puerto Rico
      • United States
      • U.S. Virgin Islands
    • Middle East
      • Oman
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Europe
      • England
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • The Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Canary Islands
      • Sweden
    • Asia
      • Japan
      • Republic of Georgia
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
    • South America
      • Colombia
    • Africa
    • Antarctica
  • PTO
    • PTO – Start here!
    • PTO Dashboard
    • What is a “PTO”?
    • PTO Winners Wall 👑
    • Send in to the dashboard!
  • Gen Z
    • Join the YTN Facebook Group!
    • Young Travelers Network Interview Series
    • Young Travel Tips
    • Study Abroad
    • Budget Travel
  • Solo Female Travel
    • Solo Female Travel – Start here!
    • Black Travel
  • Remote Work
  • FREE PTO 101 COURSE