I'm just confused..

discovering buildings - as if people don't know they're already there?
discovering REAL buildings - as if you could discover IMAGINARY buildings?

I think that to successfully convince someone that you deserve a travelling scholarship, you first need to prove that what you want to do can only be done in the place where you want to go. For example, if you want to empirically observe regional Bavarian architecture, you must physically be in Bavaria. You can't do it from, say, Taiwan. Then you can go about making a case for why it will translate into benefitting others/the profession/whatever grandiose BS you must concoct to get the money.

yeah, i'm confused too. if you're just thinking "what the hell, i'll throw an application together and see if i win" then you're probably just wasting your time.

although you don't need all the details worked out, it does help to have a focus and a specific interest. probably the two most basic questions that you need to answer are 1. why you need to do what you are proposing at that location or locations and 2. why it should be you who gets to do this. in other words, they'll be trying to determine if your idea/proposal is worthwhile and whether or not you are competent to do it.

I've managed to score a couple of large grants (large for a grad student, puny for the real world). An application committee wants to hear, as Susan suggests, why you must pursue this inquiry, and why you can only accomplish this in Moscow, or Prague, or Iowa City. "I've always thought it would be interesting to study churches in France" probably won't cut it.

Second, the committee wants to hear what you will be doing from the day you land/arrive. "Week 1, I will locate and briefly visit the six structures I will document. Week 2, I will return and survey the first two in detail, preparing as-built plans and elevations..." will work better than the vague statement above .

Grant applications committees want to hear that the money will be well-spent by someone who knows 1) the purpose of their inquiry, and 2) the exact steps necessary to undertake it. Otherwise, let someone else who REALLY deserves the grant for legitimate research/ experience go for the grant. Don't muddy the pool.

i guess that came out slightly muddled. what i meant by REAL was the kind of spark that u get when travelling, and u find an amazing building by accident, that has a real impact on your design philosophy. rather than seeing a cool building by liebeskind in a mag, then finding it and walking around. these sorts of chance encounters often have a bigger impact.
but thanks for the other advice about finding something that you can only do in one place, and that only you can do it, thats very good.
however, i am still unsure as to how it helps others, but i guess that depends on your 'focus'.