Frequently Asked Questions

When FF International began, we went on “Exchanges”. We now go on “Journeys” – “an act of traveling from one place to another.”

A Friendship Force Journey is a club or group of members from one part of the world visiting another club or area (in the same or different country). This usually involves home hospitality – the heart of a Friendship Force journey – which provides the opportunity for people of different states or countries and cultures to connect at a personal level. To explore, to understand, and to develop friendships with people in that part of the world.

When one club or group visits another club, it is an Outbound Journey. When a club or group visits us, it is an Inbound Journey.

We usually have one or two outbounds and one or two inbounds per year that are arranged by our International organization. We may also schedule some Domestic Journeys – Journeys between clubs within the United States. More information is on our Journeys page. Often the Journey Coordinator organizes an optional tour of the area before or after the journey.

There are three types of FF Journeys – Club-to-Club, Independent, and Special (see other FAQs for info).

For other journeys, contact the Journey Coordinator to confirm the journey is still accepting ambassadors. If so, they’ll let you know how to apply.

—Detailed info—

Regardless of who is leading the journey, complete the entire application – including your Member Number (your my.FriendshipForce.org Member ID), the Journey Number (get from JC), your Health and Mobility info, Reference(s), your Personal Statement, and especially read & sign the AMBASSADOR AGREEMENT on page 4 & 5.

Once you’ve completed it, deliver it to the JC by the application deadline.
If you filled out a paper copy, mail or give a copy to the JC along with the deposit.
If you filled it out online, email the JC and let them know you submitted the form. Contact the JC to see how to pay the deposit.
If you filled out a Microsoft Word version, save it then attach it to an email to the JC. Contact the JC to see how to pay the deposit.

After the application deadline, the JC will evaluate all applications and make their decision of who to accept for the journey. They will inform all applicants of that decision.

The Host Journey Coordinator (JC) works with a committee to plan events; visits to sites or museums; lunches and dinners, and more. The JC can work with the Ambassador JC if there is a specific place that the ambassadors want to visit.

The Host JC then communicates the schedule to the Ambassador JC as well as to members in the hosting club (who can participate).

We often visit our Dallas Arts District, the Dallas Arboretum, and various museums. The Host JC always schedules at least one free day where the host and ambassador decide on other places to visit.

An Ambassador is an FF member who goes on a journey to another city somewhere in the world (sometimes called an Outbound Ambassador). A Host is a member who hosts incoming member(s) (sometimes called a Host Ambassador). Regardless of which role you take on, we are Citizen Ambassadors since we are representing our home community and country as well as promoting global understanding across the barriers that separate people.

All participants in the journey should understand and agree to the Friendship Force mission and principles. They should also be able to meet the specific physical requirements for the journey (the Host JC will provide the Ambassador JC those requirements).

A Journey Coordinator (JC for short) is an individual who plans, organizes and coordinates a Journey, either the inbound or outbound side.

A Host Journey Coordinator (Host JC) is an individual who plans, organizes and coordinates the Journey in the hosting club. This position is open to anyone who has the desired leadership qualities and can make the commitment of time needed for adequate planning.

An Ambassador Journey Coordinator (Ambassador JC) plans, organizes and coordinates the Journey in the traveling club. This coordinator recruits Ambassadors to go on a Journey and works with the Host Coordinator.

For both roles, our club has several great experienced Coordinators who are more than willing to mentor a first time Coordinator. We have plenty of information and documents to help carry out the journey. FF Dallas and FFI periodically conduct a Coordinator Workshop; all interested individuals may participate.

Yes and no. The outbound group usually consists of 10 to 20 members, known as Ambassadors.

Yes in that we are all going on the same journey to a hosting club or part of the world.

No in that each ambassador generally makes their own travel arrangements.

The Ambassador JC lets the ambassadors know when and where to meet the hosting club. Each ambassador decides how to get there – by plane (possibly using frequent flyer or rewards), car, bus, and/or train. Rarely will the Ambassador JC coordinate and arrange all travel – they are not travel agents. Regardless of how you travel to the hosting city, traveling with and meeting new friends is a rewarding experience.

A Home Host agrees to share your home for five to seven days and nights with an ambassador from another country or state. You can learn about another culture without leaving home. You have the opportunity to participate in a number of group/club activities so you won’t have to plan everything for you and your guest. There will still be time to share your special interests and places with your guest. The ambassadors’ fee covers the cost of events, admissions and most meals. But, just as you would host a friend in your home, you provide breakfast, transportation to/from activities, and some suppers.

A Day Host is a member or friend of a hosting club who wants to participate in the journey but, for whatever reason, is unable to host an ambassador in their home. The day hosts volunteers to transport and/or escort an ambassador for one or more days to a scheduled activity or, if it is a day when no group activity is planned, decides how and where to spend the day with the ambassador. Discuss with the ambassador and their host so the activity you plan is something of interest to both of you.

Generally Yes. While couples normally host another couple or one or two ambassadors, there are exceptions. Just let your JC know, but it is your decision. Frequently, the number of bedrooms and type of bed(s) available play a part in matching hosts and ambassadors as do interests and occupations. Also, traveling as a single woman is easier when you are with a group and a family; you are not alone.

There was one case in Dallas where a female member hosted a man from Germany. She grew up and spoke fluent German, so she said “Sure, I’ll do it.” A few months after the journey was over, he returned to visit her. And several months later, she packed up, moved to Germany and they got married. This was rare, but talk about friendship!

The total cost of a journey is comprised of several parts and can range from $450 to several thousand dollars (especially for Special Journeys). The Ambassador JC will inform all applicants of the estimated costs.

• Journey fees – this includes most of the activity, admission, and meal costs in the host club’s city; a fee paid to Friendship Force International; and some contingency and administrative & organizing fees.
• Travel costs – you pay for our own transportation to the host city.
• Personal expenses – you pay for some of the meals during the Journey, take your host(s) out to dinner one night, costs for non-Journey activities, personal items, etc.
• Gifts – It is customary to bring your host(s) a gift or gifts (especially Texan if possible), just as you would if you were visiting a friend. If you don’t bring a gift with you, you may be able to buy something for your host when you determine their interests or needs while you are there, or treat them in some way.
• Tour costs – If you choose to go on an optional tour before or after the journey, you would pay the cost of the tour.
• Insurance – FF International requires that all ambassadors have travel and medical insurance when going on a journey. Your own medical insurance may cover expenses in the USA, but probably not in another country and definitely not transportation back home. You can purchase a policy from any travel and medical insurance company. FFI has negotiated a policy that you can purchase for FFI Journeys as well as personal journeys.

With e-mail, international calling plans, and person-to-person apps (e.g., WhatsApp) widely available, ambassadors and hosts can easily communicate with each other.

As soon as your JC provides ambassador & host contact info, you can communicate with your host or ambassador by e-mail, app, letter, or phone. Just remember:

• the other person is several if not many time zones away from you. It may take a few days before you receive a response.
• the other person may not be fluent in your language. Don’t hesitate to use a translator application or to ask someone who speaks that language in order to communicate with them.

For many involved in a journey, friendships, communications, and private visits continue for years and even a lifetime.

An Independent Journey is an opportunity for members to host and travel by themself or with one or two other members, explore other cities, cultures, & customs, and to form friendships. These are in addition to the Club-to-Club and Special Journeys. FFI announces these journeys in the Journey Marketplace. Like other journeys, members can apply. The hosting member will then select from the applicants.

See the FFI Help Center page on Independent Journeys in the Journeys section.

The same guidelines apply – Hosts and ambassadors adhere to the Friendship Force Code of Conduct and keep in mind the Friendship Force Ambassador Pledge.

A Special Journey is a journey organized by an FF Club, an FF Member or FF International.

It may be a Discover or Mission type of journey that does not include a homestay, or a very short one, if any. The purpose is to meet people in an area who are interested in forming a new Friendship Force club. They have the opportunity to meet members and talk about what it is like to form a club and what benefits and responsibilities they would have. Or they may be to an area where they are not any FF Clubs and we are just exploring that area. In both cases, since participants will stay in hotels or lodges, the journey fees are more than a homestay journey but still reasonable!

It might be Global one – a way to meet and travel with members from clubs around the world together with a similar interest or theme. The journey may include homestays for some of the time, or they may involve travel between different clubs or points of interest. A Global Journey might focus on artists, or gardens, or history or architecture of the area. It may appeal to more active participants who like to bike, hike in the wilderness, or participate in a volunteer project – called a Friendship in Action Journey. Again, the journey fees will be more than a homestay journey but still reasonable!

Regardless of the type, you are traveling from one place to another, exploring another part of the world, understanding about that place and its people, and promoting understanding between peoples!

See the FFI Help Center page on Special Journeys in the Journeys section.

The same guidelines apply – Hosts and ambassadors adhere to the Friendship Force Code of Conduct and keep in mind the Friendship Force Ambassador Pledge.

Yes, many of the clubs in the United States arrange what are called Domestic Journeys  with another club where there is a mutual interest in such a visit and our international journey schedule permits it. In past years, the Dallas club has visited clubs in all parts of the United States and have hosted many of those clubs in return (see Past Journeys and the US map at the bottom of that page). We are always looking for clubs we can visit for next year and welcome visits from other clubs.

There is no requirement by our club for members to host visitors or go on Outbound Journeys. We hope, though, that those joining our club would want to actively participate in these events, as they are how we can best learn about people in other cultures. If you cannot host or travel, you can still day host or participate in other ways.

There are a number of other ways to journey.

You can go on another club’s journey if they have room for you.

You can go on a Special Journey that include people from several clubs (from one or more countries) where the Ambassadors travel somewhere and stay mostly in hotels but meet people from that country. Several Festivals are held each year in different parts of the world where all are welcome to come to stay in a hotel but meet people from the area. There may or may not be homestays offered before or after the Festival.

You can attend Regional and International Conferences – there may be short homestays or tours before or after the conference.

There are sometimes long weekend trips available and volunteer opportunities as well.

See the list of Journeys and events on the Journeys page as well as FF International’s Journey Marketplace.

For several years, the FF Dallas donated refurbished computers (with sound cards and/or screen-reader or magnifier software) to schools for the blind in Peru, Chile, Romania, Turkey and Palestine. We call this our Bridge Builder Project. The latest computers were donated to Schools for the Visually Deficient in Brasov, Romania and in Izmir, Turkey. Other supplies for the blind have been donated in Bogota, Colombia and in Paraguay. The Brasov and Sibiu, Romania clubs visited Dallas in April 2007 and brought back additional computers to Brasov.

We do not have an active program right now, as computers have become much more available. But, we check with the hosting club to see if there is some sort of assistance or support program or organization that we can help out.

As of 2024, our membership is around 65 members – including our members, Emeritus members, and associate members (members of other clubs). Most of our members live in the Dallas metroplex area, but we also have members who live in other states.

For inbound journeys, we require a minimum of 10 Ambassadors and can host up to around 15 Ambassadors.

Small Group Dinners are dinners in a member’s home for ambassadors & club members (if held during an Inbound Journey) or for just members and friends. The host decides how many people they feel comfortable having for dinner. You arrange with the attendees who brings what – main course, salad, dessert, appetizer, or beverages. Or you can work with a few other members and do it all. It is entirely up to you.

The evening is for you to plan whether you play a game or just visit. The whole idea is to share the culture and experiences of your guests and give them the opportunity to visit another home and meet others. If during an inbound, the ambassador’s host(s) accompanies them to your dinner. Sharing, fun, laughter and conversation are the goals for the evening.

We have lots of opportunities for involvement in Journeys and club activities and events.

For journeys, you can be a Journey Coordinator or assist them in organizing and planning. You can be an ambassador or a host. You can also be a day host, small group dinner host, activity organizer, or publicity person.

You can also volunteer on any of our committees and teams. If you have people skills, you can help the membership or telephone teams. Computer skills? Help our communications team producing our yearbook, newsletters, emails, and website or coordinate our shuttle driver team. Like organizing events? Help our programs team. Know how to keep financial records? Help our treasury team.

See our Board of Directors page to find out who to talk with. Or let our president, membership VP or any Board member what you are interested in doing. We welcome your ideas and enthusiasm. Many of our present leaders have been in the club only a short time and have become active and valued contributors.

For additional information about the Dallas club, send us a message via our Contact page or send an email to friendshipForceDallas+pres@gmail.com or friendshipForceDallas+info@gmail.com

Certainly, Friendship Force is more than a travel club. The mission of Friendship Force is building global goodwill through personal friendships. This can be accomplished in other ways. You might consider being a home host, a day host, a small group dinner host, or someone who attends social activities to build friendships with individuals who have an interest in the goals of Friendship Force.

IF you believe in the goals and mission of the organization; you like the challenge and excitement of new people, places and experiences; you believe that friendship among people of different countries and cultures can make the world more peaceful; and you have a curiosity about the world and enjoy learning about other cultures and ways of life,

then we welcome you to Join The Friendship Force.

Contact the Membership Chair or see the Member Information page.

Annual dues are $40 per member for 2024. Members of other Friendship Force clubs (Secondary Members) may join the Friendship Force of Dallas for an annual fee of $10. A portion of your dues supports Friendship Force International, our parent organization.

Dues are payable by December 15th for the following calendar year. If you join in October, November or December, your membership is for the rest of that year and the following year.

Contact the Membership Chair or see the Member Information page.

When you join you will receive membership information via e-mail.

We publish frequent bulletins by e-mail about activities, new members, journeys and FF International news. We also publish a bi-monthly newsletter. See Newsletters page for our current issue.

You can always visit our Meetings & Events page. Or our Facebook page – LIKE us there and you will receive notices about our club.

To find out more about FF International, visit their website https://www.friendshipforce.org.

To find out more about FF International, visit their website https://www.friendshipforce.org.

There is information about the history, organization, mission, goals, meetings and projects; about the Board members; about the journeys; and much more.