New Friends, Travel and Earning Opportunities over 50
The Freebird Club is opening doors to richer lives and new adventures in later life
The Freebird Club is a new travel-based social network for the over 50's. It is a membership club which enables peer-to-peer social travel and homestays between like-minded people from around the world. Modelled on the "sharing economy", Freebird Club members can make their spare rooms available to fellow members to come and stay for a nightly rate. Freebird visits always involve staying with a live-in host present, as the focus is as much on enjoying the company as the accommodation. The Freebird Club offers a whole new way of travelling for mature adults, a means to earn some extra money through their homes, and a fun accessible way to meet new people and enjoy social and cultural interaction in later life. Founder Peter Mangan came up with the idea when he saw how much enjoyment his father Owen (a widower and retired vet) was getting from interacting with older guests while managing his son’s holiday home in Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry. Owen is now a Freebird host in his own right, and welcoming people on a regular basis to his home in Killorglin. He enjoys the camaraderie immensely, and finds the additional income a nice bonus.
The Freebird Club has won some major international awards, most recently the 2017 European Social Innovation Tournament. The awards, which recognize innovative projects creating social value and inclusion, are organised annually by the European Investment Bank. This marks the ”European double" for Freebird, having previously won the European Commission’s Social Innovation Competition in 2015.
Freebird is providing older adults with an opportunity to be part of an international community that will benefit their social, cultural and economic lives. For those over 50 who are keen to engage with like-minded people from around the world, the Freebird Club invites you to join their growing ‘peer-to-peer’ community and be part of the next great social movement for over 50’s. Becoming a member allows people to travel and/or host, experience meaningful social interaction, and establish new friendships as part of a trusted community of socially-minded peers. With its fast growing membership internationally, the Freebird Club is keen to recruit more Irish members, particularly hosts, who may wish to welcome some Freebird guests to their homes.
The Freebird Club is actively promoting a model of positive, vibrant ageing and sees itself as being naturally aligned with the goals of Active Retirement Ireland. The Freebird team have been regular participants at recent ARI and Marigold events around the country, where they experienced great interest and support from ARI members. In recognition of this link, the Freebird Club is now offering FREE MEMBERSHIP to all Active Retirement Ireland members who join before 31st December 2017. This saves people the standard €25 joining fee. To avail of this offer, you simply need to go to the Freebird Club website www.freebirdclub.com and join using the following voucher code in lieu of payment: ACTIVERETIREMENT17.