Journey into wonder - experiences unique to Friendship Force travel.

Travel is supposed to broaden the mind - but most people travel cocooned in their comfortable tour coach, or river cruise liner, or hire-car. Occasionally they venture out on their own - but remain insulated from their environment by western-style hotels, restaurants catering to American or British tastes, and following tourist trails designed to maximise the "experience" in a minimum of time. Some stay with family abroad - and guess what? - it all looks and tastes just like home!

No matter how many markets or bazaars or pubs you visit, or "genuine local" performances you attend, or how many quaint villages you stop at in your hire car, you are still outside looking in. Even if you travel with a group of like-minded people with strong common interests who throw themselves into every exotic experience - you are still part of the audience, not one of the players.

How can you actually get to experience the real culture of a country from the inside - as a player, like a local?

Welcome to Friendship Force.  Quite simply, it will change the way you see the world. 

Our style of travel - it's the genuine experience.

You know about those horrid ABC tours (another bl...y cathedral, castle, capital....).  They are designed to take you from one tourist trap to another - to extract as much of your money as possible in the shortest amount of time. When you get home you flick through your happy snaps and remember all the wonderful things you saw, and the places you visited, and some of the characters you met - mostly fellow coach or cruise passengers. Yet, you feel a bit cheated....

We aim to deliver more than just a "wow" experience - a short and passing jolt to the senses. We aim to give you what many have called a mind-changing experience. While you will embark on an action-packed adventure holiday for the more physically active traveller, and indulge in a wide range of interests, you will go beyond the superficial and walk in the shoes of the local people for a week. Imagine what sort of experiences that can deliver!

Will you go Greek-island-hopping by luxury yacht or explore the Costa Rican jungle while staying in up-market lodges or reside in a rented luxury villa in Tuscany? - NO, NO, and NO.  But you will stay in the house of someone who might be relatively rich, or not so well off; who might be a teacher or a judge, a tradesman or a retired engineer - people who represent their community and society, and who want to share their life experiences with you - and learn of yours from you. 

Our trips usually include two or three home-stays, and your accommodation can be as diverse as you can imagine. In Brazil you might stay in an apartment in a high-rise tower in the centre of Sao Paulo, and in Kiev, in Ukraine, be welcomed to a humble teacher's home in the outer suburbs.  Who decides? The club that you are visiting will try to match you with a member who shares your interests or career background.  Then you make it up as you go along. What a learning experience!

The single traveller - friendly support.

For single travellers, some of the world's most interesting places have, to a degree, been inaccessible due to safety and sheer cost.   Friendship Force exchanges are always conducted in groups - of from 15 to 25 fellow Friendship Force friends. And you stay with Friendship Force members when you arrive. Your hosts are not strangers - they are friends you haven't yet met.

And you don't pay a single-supplement for anything!

Indulge in culture - the heart & soul of travel.

Most travel companies promise opportunities for 'cultural' experiences - a few hours of interaction with locals at a pub concert, a visit to a local vineyard or cheese factory, tickets to a cabaret in Paris, etc.  On a Friendship Force exchange you might be hosted on a cattle ranch, or stay with a music teacher, or a retired policeman. You might be hosted in a small village, or in the centre of a major city, or just in the 'burbs. Your hosts will know what is of true value to show you, and they'll want to explain it to you from their point of view. You will often get to go "back stage" where no tourists would have the opportunity to go.

A world of adventure - choose your destination.

Friendship Force exchanges provide experiences from the truly adventurous destinations to the sublimely comfortable ones. Your choice. There are over 300 clubs around the world all conducting exchanges every year. There are clubs on every continent - it's a veritable smorgasbord of experiences to be had - and exclusively for members of Friendship Force.

You do need to be fit and healthy - at least to the extent that you can manage your own luggage at airports and train stations, climb stairs with your luggage, walk long distances on club organised tours, and keep up the pace of a week-long programme of activities.  Your Exchange Director will generally plan a break of a few days between exchanges so you can rest and relax before jumping into the next breathtaking round of experiences.

Special interests - let your hobby, sport or special interest take you places.

Special interest, or themed exchanges, are becoming a feature of Friendship Force travel. On these exchanges you share your special interest with other kindred souls.  These include glorious gardens, flower shows, bird watching, national parks, tramping in New Zealand, through to golf tours and wineries - and others.  These exchanges generally include home-stays with Friendship Force clubs, and may also require hotel or motel accommodation.