Japan...NEED HELP ASAP!!!!!?

Question

Okay so today I got a letter in the mail from People to People saying that I am invited to travel to Japan next summer for two weeks to learn about culture, explore, and have fun. I got SO EXCITED when i saw this. Alot of my friends have gone on a People to People trip and have said it was the best experience in their life and They wouldn't trade it for the world. But the only issue I have here is....$$ moolah $$. I heard its SUPER expensive.

I have just about a whole year to get about $5000 dollars. I am 14 and need HELP! Can someone give me a way to make or raise money? I need to start ASAP. I only have a year, and this is ALOT of money!

Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you!

Answer 1

You might consider going for a grant.  Here are some reference sites:

http://studenttravel.about.com/od/travel...

Answer 2

Depending upon where you live, it will obviously affect how much you can do, but these are some things that people usually do:

-Go to local businesses and ask for donations. You will be more likely to get money if you go in person rather than simply sending out letters. They may ask you to do something for them (like a presentation about your trip), but if you need the money, it can be a good option. Some people/businesses are quite generous.

-Tell your family and relatives that all you want for Christmas and your birthday is money. You may be able to get quite a bit of money, and you don't even have to do anything to earn this money!

-Host a bake sale or an event. If you have an event, you may want to simply accept donations, rather than charging a specific amount. Find family or community members to help (like your church, if you go to one). They can help you to put on the event AND to advertise.

-For some this is harder than others, but don't go out as much. Save as much as you can without spending any!

Another option is to look for cheaper programs. Your program is a tour Japan program, but I know that 4-H has a summer outbound program where you go to Japan and stay with a host family for 4 weeks. This program costs about $3,000. It's cheaper AND longer than your program. You will learn more about daily life in Japan and make Japanese friends in this program however, you probably won't do as much traveling. (Typically the host family will take you to some cities/attractions nearby, but it is doubtful that you would see all of the places that the People to People trip offers, because the People to People experience is for touring, while the 4-H experience is more about experiencing how the Japanese live and getting to know a host family.)

Each state has its own website for the 4-H program, and since I don't know your state, I can't give you a link, but if you search for it or call your local 4-H office, you could find it, if you are interested.