Hi, I’m Julia Vogado, language teacher, passionate linguist, multidisciplinary creative, curious traveller and 'edupreneur'. I set up All Abroad! Bus because I believe that experiencing other cultures and languages in context is something that everyone should be able to do - not only those who can afford the journeys abroad, take time off, physically travel, and navigate unfamiliar spaces. This is all the more poignant for people who have little exposure to other cultures and languages in their community.
And that’s where All Abroad! Bus comes in.
Well, not a real bus (yet) - more like a travelling collection of immersive cultural travel journeys that visit people wherever they are*. Using our original 360° VR tours, food & drink tastings, multi-sensory set-ups, engaging activities and interactive language tasks, we ‘transport’ participants to different places, people, customs, festivities and everyday life abroad!
By going directly into schools, colleges, care homes, community groups, workplaces and other environments, and setting up food markets, fiestas, multi-destination tours and more in the comfort and convenience of each location, we can bring global languages and cultures to life for everyone - no barriers, no hassle and no passports required!
By offering these inclusive, accessible tasters of authentic overseas cultural travel experiences, we aim not only to bring joy and novelty, but also to pique curiosity, open minds, foster empathy, develop intercultural understanding, and boost motivation for language learning for all. For older people or those in care who no longer travel abroad, it can also bring stimulation, connection and bring back happy memories.
You can find out more on our website: www.allabroadbus.org.
Why am i crowdfunding?
The people who stand to benefit the most from our immersive visits - those who can't travel abroad due to disadvantage or other challenges - are often in the most under-resourced settings: state schools & colleges, and state-funded care settings. Even our very cost-effective visits are often out of reach.
While I’m actively applying for grants and seeking support from corporate and organisational sponsors/partners to widen participation, those wheels turn slowly, and right now, there are lots of children and young people who won’t be going on school/college trips abroad and who don't have overseas trips to look forward to with their families this summer. They’re missing out on the chance to experience other cultures for themselves, and to make sense of why they’re even learning languages in the first place.
That’s why I need your help.
Specifically...
This summer, I’d love for All Abroad! Bus to visit 10-12 state schools, colleges and other state-run settings that otherwise couldn't host us. Some are already on our waitlist, with others joining all the time. In doing so, we'd also be helping to tackle the deep inequity in access to enriching educational experiences and cultural capital.
Your donations can make these visits happen, and, if we can also expand our tech offer with some extra VR headsets, that would be amazing too!
Examples of what your donation can do:
- Just £5 helps us bring the world to one child/young person.
- £10 funds two, with every additional £5 funding one more!
- £250 covers a whole morning or afternoon visit, with 2–3 classes.
- £450 funds a whole-day visit to a school or college - that's up to 5 classes/around 150 participants ,or a deeper immersion with fewer.
There are plenty of other rewards too, alongside donations.
You may even consider getting together with other individuals or as a Parent Teacher Friends Association to fund one of the higher tier rewards.
For the purposes of this campaign, beneficiary schools/colleges/other settings on the waitlist are so far in East Sussex/West Sussex, but we are always willing to travel further - we just need to consider travel costs and time.
Thank you and please spread the word
If you've ever travelled abroad, you’ll know just how powerful even the smallest spark of cultural connection can be.
I'm so grateful to you for any donation you're able to make, big or small,
+ for sharing this Crowdfunder campaign to others who may be kind enough to help us fulfil our mission; or come on board another way,
+ for please telling others about what we do, in case we can bring our immersive experiences to them - we have our waiting list for those who can't pay; help and direct payment options for those who can. All is flexible and customisable.
Stay tuned! Meanwhile, thank you from me, from us, and from everyone we can 'transport' abroad!
*In case you're wondering where this whole idea came from, you can
- read About Us on our website: https://www.allabroadbus.org/about-us,
- or listen back to when I recently joined Kathy Harding as a guest on her Community People show on Seahaven FM: https://player.autopod.xyz/879140.