Winners Wall | Packs Light | Gen Z Travel & Lifestyle Blog

The Packs Light Winners Wall showcases amazing young people who decided to shoot their shot and apply for Packs Light Travel Opportunities – and ended up winning free trips!

I randomly came across Gabby's twitter in the summer of 2019 (probably from a viral tweet about travel hacking or shooting your shot when it comes to entering competitions). I was instantly amazed by the resources and quality content that she creates. At first, I was skeptical - there's no way that I would ever win one of these! These opportunities sounded way too good to be true. Then, I decided to silence that voice in my head and take the plunge and I am SO glad that I did. I won a free trip to EGYPT! I attended the World Youth Forum and spent time in the beautiful city of Sharm El Sheikh. The trip was truly something that I'll always cherish. I'm forever grateful to Gabby for this experience and am so excited to watch her grow her platform and her reach. I've continued to apply to opportunities since I went to Egypt and was a finalist in both an AirBnB competition that took folks to Italy for FREE for 5 weeks, and a Russian Exchange program. I have gained so much confidence in applying to just about everything. She's also inspired me to start my own blog - which I am excited to be launching very soon!
I consider myself to be a frequent and experienced traveler. I've had a chance to work in Central Asia and Eastern Europe and have spent a year abroad in Germany and Austria. When I saw the chance to visit country #36 on my Instagram feed, through an essay competition called What do I know about Azerbaijan?, I thought why not? I was only 1000-2500 words away from a free trip! A few months after submitting my application, I received an email from the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the United States letting me know that I was selected as a winner of the contest and that I would be joining two other Americans on the free trip! In total, there were 40 students and young professionals from 12 countries. We visited Baku, Shekhi, and Ismailli. For most of us, this was our first time in Azerbaijan. We enjoyed comfortable accommodation, fun (and long) bus rides, delicious food, and a lot of new friendships. Some highlights from the trip included visiting Heydar Aliev Center, receiving an award from the Minister of Youth and Sport, watching the famous Fire Towers at night, and a wine festival. At the time, I worked for a competitive international scholarship program, but I never felt like I was the "correct" type of candidate who could win awards that would fund my travels. I am so happy that I took a chance and entered this competition. Thanks so much to Gabby for cultivating such a great online presence and for putting these opportunities out there. I especially loved telling others on the trip that I learned about the scholarship program on Instagram!
I only learned about travel opps through my internship with Gabby. She was super helpful and encouraging about applying to opps. Even if you felt like you wouldn’t get selected, she always told us to apply anyways as it helps you practice applying. She helped us get into the mind of the judges and gave us feedback on essays and even practiced “mock applications” with us. Through her help and all she has done to motivate me to apply, I got selected to be a delegate at the Global Peace Summit in Turkey! I have Gabby to thank for her encouragement and guidance through applying to these opps as I would not have gotten this amazing opportunity without her! Getting this acceptance letter has definitely motivated me to apply to more opps and step more out of my comfort zone with the types of opps I apply to.

Travel Opportunities FAQ

Where can I find opportunities?

Are you eager to win a travel opportunity, but don’t know where to start? To find opportunities, check out my free list of Funded World Travel Opportunities that I regularly update. If you want access to even more opportunities, become a Packs Light 365 Member!

How do I apply to opportunities?

When it comes to the actual application process, I have tons of resources available on my blog, including:

A complete guide to creating the perfect application
A sample video application that won me a free trip to Korea
How I won $40 000 in scholarships that allowed me to study abroad in Dubai for a year!

But I’m not a student/not from the USA/not in the right field . . .

There is no right age, location, or field for winning opportunities! There are tons of opportunities out there that cater to people from different backgrounds, so don’t write yourself off. I won a trip to South Korea after graduating from college, and one of my companions was a mother of two from Malaysia! I even have a whole blog post debunking common travel grant myths if you’re still convinced that you’re not eligible to win.

How can I connect with other young people passionate about travel?

If you are under 26 and want to connect with other young travelers, join the Young Travelers Network Facebook Group. This is a space for Gen Z travelers all around the world to interact and share travel advice and opportunities.

Should I even be applying to opportunities during the pandemic?

That’s a decision you have to make for yourself, but I strongly encourage you to keep applying. I have a video on my YouTube channel where I discuss whether you should be applying to opps in times of crises.

Want to be featured on the Packs Light Winners Wall?

Have you won a funded travel opportunity through Packs Light? Do you want to inspire others to do the same?