An Interview with Freebird Club’s Peter Mangan

The latest installment in the Amevida interview series features Peter Mangan, founder and chief executive officer of Freebird Club, a social travel and homestay club catering to travelers over 50. We spoke with Peter about the company’s origins, the principles that guide their work, and some of his favorite destinations around the world.

1) Introduce us to the Freebird Club. Where did the idea come from?

Peter Mangan: Freebird Club is a social travel and homestay club for over 50s. It exists to enable and empower older adults to travel, connect, meet, and stay with each other as part of a trusted membership community. Our mission is to create connections and avert loneliness in later life through meaningful travel and shared social experiences. The vision for Freebird Club is a global community of connected older adults who see the world as their oyster, and empower each other to savour it, together.

It all started in the charming county of Kerry in Ireland, where I was renting out my cottage to folks from around the world. Busy with my work and life in Dublin, my father Owen, retired and finding more time on his hands than he would like, agreed to greet and check-in my guests. What started as a simple holiday rental took a joyful turn when more and more travelers of a similar age came to stay.

With my dad at the helm, these more mature guests enjoyed lively pub nights, local sightseeing trips, convivial dinners, and rounds of golf with newfound local friends. It wasn’t just a typical host-guest setup; genuine connections and friendships blossomed, and good times were had by all. Witnessing my dad’s renewed sense of fun, purpose and connection, I was inspired to try and spread the magic, founding Freebird Club to enable enriching social travel experiences for older adults everywhere.

2) How would you describe the typical Club member? What kind of person are they?

PM: Older adults, mostly aged between 55 and 80, who enjoy travel and cultural exchange and want to connect with other like-minded individuals for things like planning meetups, finding others to travel with, exchanging travel tips, offering or booking a homestay experience. However Freebird is not just for people who want to travel, it’s also for people who enjoy meeting and helping others on their journeys - by inspiring, advising and supporting one another. Freebird Club is a network for connecting travelers with locals - so we attract many people who like the idea of meeting travelers in their own local area, with the possibility of showing them around, doing some local things together, or maybe just grab a coffee and chat.

But as we like to say, every traveler is a local on their own home turf - so really the ideal Freebird is both a curious traveler and a friendly local, all rolled into one.

3) Has travel for older adults changed in its purpose and meaning over the years? If so, in which way(s)?

PM: I think as people are living longer, and are healthier for longer, there is a stronger desire to travel, particularly in retirement. In line with this there are some definite trends emerging. Many older adults travel for health and wellness purposes, including spa and yoga retreats, even medical tourism, centred around improving physical and mental well-being. There’s a growing tendency among older travelers to seek out cultural and educational experiences.

Rather than just sightseeing or relaxation, they are interested in learning about different cultures, history, and art. Older adults these days are also taking longer trips, some even relocating for extended periods, with a view to immersing themselves in different cultures and lifestyles.

That said, many older people would love to travel more, but feel restricted due to lack of companions, or lack of confidence to travel alone. Many seek social connections, and travel can be a great way to meet new people, whether locals or fellow travelers. That’s where Freebird Club comes in!

4) The Freebird Club has a “pay as you wish” model where your members pay what they feel is fair for an annual membership. Why did you choose that model and why is it important?

PM: This was a start-up experiment really, as we wanted to get a sense of what an appropriate rate might be. Also as we were in the early stages of development, we didn’t want price to be a barrier to people joining and giving it a go, especially as we were still building out the platform.

Freebird Club is moving to a Fixed Fee model at the end of this month (October) with a 6-month and annual subscription option and attached fees.

5) The Freebird Club has established five company values and principles. Can you talk a little about these and how they inform the work of the company?

PM: These values are purposely articulated to describe the essence of what Freebird Club is about, and also to guide us as we build and grow our global community. If I was to elaborate on each one…

Dignity & Empowerment
Freebird Club is all about empowering older adults, encouraging and enabling them to embrace their later years with gusto. There is too much narrative around decline and withdrawal as people get older, ageism is also a pervasive factor. We want to be an antidote to that. Freebird aims to be a beacon for older adults, a community where they are seen, heard, embraced and let loose to enjoy themselves to the full.

Imagination & Innovation
We are a start-up; we’re doing something that hasn’t been done before. Building a business from scratch based on a vision is a creative process, albeit with a lot of hard graft to make it work. We need to make sure that we remain creative and innovative as we develop; re-imagining what Freebird Club can become and what it can achieve as it grows.

Bravery & Boldness
What we are trying to do is very ambitious – there is a big, bold, global vision for Freebird Club, and it involves a lot of moving parts. Building something like this is full of challenges, risks, trade-offs. We are only as good as our ability to rise to the challenges, overcome difficulties and find solutions. That will be the key to success.

Inclusivity & Diversity
We are a global community. Our mission is centred on creating connections between people and making them feel part of a real community. We welcome everyone, from everywhere, as equals. It’s in the DNA of Freebird Club.

Heart & Soul
Freebird Club is a mission-driven venture. It’s all about creating social impact, improving older people’s lives, and making the world a better place in which to grow old. It is an idea born out of love and empathy, and it’s something that we as a team and a community buy into, and we’re really passionate about bringing it to fruition.

6) Is there a favourite trip that you personally have taken?

PM: For me it would be a solo trip to Colombia in 2010. For years previous, Colombia had been largely off limits for travelers, mainly due to dangers presented by crime, terrorism, the drug cartels and so on. But around this time the Government had successfully tackled many of these issues, and Colombia had just started attracting intrepid tourists again. When I visited it was clear that people were truly delighted to see foreigners visiting and enjoying their beautiful country. The warmth of the welcome was like nothing I have experienced before or since. Local people were just so keen to meet you, help you out, give you a lift or whatever – they really went out of their way to make sure you had a positive experience - it was wonderful. Also, the country is really beautiful, vibrant, and colourful in every sense.

7) What should every person see (or where should they go) at least once in their life?

PM: It’s difficult to pick a destination, but I’m going to plump for one of the great waterfalls of the world – whether that’s Iguazu Falls in Brazil/Argentina; Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia, or Angel Falls in Venezuela (although that’s a bit trickier to get to, involving some serious trekking!) I’ve visited all three, so I can vouch for just how breathtaking they are. They offer the most visceral experience of the power and wonder of nature.

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Learn more about Freebird Club at their website, and don’t forget to check out Amevida’s travel section for more great travel and vacation resources.