Freebird Club
Freebird Club is developing a peer-to-peer social travel and homestay club for older adults, which enables and empowers members to travel, connect, meet, and stay with each other, as part of a trusted over 50s community.
About the project
Through our age-friendly platform, members planning a trip can connect with like-minded locals for: (i) travel tips & recommendations; (ii) meet-ups to do things together; (iii) accommodation via homestays. Freebird offers an accessible new way of travelling for older adults (especially if alone/without companion), a way to meet and enjoy social & cultural interaction at home and away, and a means to unlock value in their homes and generate income in later life.
Positioned at the intersection of traveltech and agetech, where the silver economy meets the sharing economy, Freebird Club seeks to address social issues such as loneliness, disconnection and lack of later life opportunities for older adults through a tech enabled community model. Freebird’s mission is to connect, empower and enrich the lives of older adults through meaningful travel and shared social experiences.
An earlier version of Freebird Club was launched in 2017 based solely on homestays. The pandemic crisis led to a pivot; expanding the homestay guest/host marketplace into a more open community platform with new ways for members to interact beyond just homestays. With the support of UKRI funding we are now designing and rebuilding Freebird Club 2.0 which we plan to relaunch as a dynamic post-pandemic solution to mobilise and connect older adults via a unique social travel community model.