Who wants to see the world?

Posted by Melide Mackee 
on May 11, 2012
 

 

Image
Kevin Hilgers
Apr 16, 2012

Rotary Friendship Exchanges are when Rotarians get to travel to each others country and visit.   It is purely for fun and friendship.  This is when a group of Rotarians travels to their district, and then later a group comes to our district. A fantastic way to travel the world and make friends with people you have something in common with: Rotary! Plans are under way for Rotary year 12/13 exchanges and it should include you!  Click this page for complete details
ROTARY FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILY EXCHANGE
 
Rotary Friendship Exchanges are when Rotarians get to travel to each others country and visit.   It is purely for fun and friendship.  As outlined below, a group travels to their district, and then later a group comes to our district. A fantastic way to travel the world and make friends with people you have something in common with: Rotary!
 
See THIS LINK for a definition of Rotary Friendship Exchange.  

It is our goal to do several friendship exchanges in 2012 2013.   Also - for the first time - we are organizing a FAMILY exchange.   What  does that mean?  if you have children, the FAMILY exchange is for you.   If you don't have children - FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE is for you.
 
Family Freindship Exchange (With Children)

We are planning a Family Friendship Exchange with District 1280, which is in England.  A Friendship Exchange is where a group of Rotarians from one District travel to another District for approximately two weeks – the focus is on fellowship and cultural exchange.  This one is a bit different because unlike a regular Friendship Exchange, children are welcome on this one!  Couples or singles are welcome too, but remember this is first and foremost a family-friendly event.
 
The team from England will visit in early July 2012 for about two weeks and the team from our District will make the return visit in late July 2012/early August 2012.  We are looking for three or four Rotary families to make the trip.  The size of the families will determine how many will make up the team.
 
If you and your family are interested in being a part of District 5370’s first-ever Family Friendship Exchange, please send an email to Karen Munjak (Rotary Club of Grande Prairie) at munjak@telus.net and include the following information:
 
  •      Name of Rotarian 
  • ·    Name of your Rotary Club
  • ·    Name of spouse
  • ·    Name(s) and age(s) of child(ren) who will accompany you on the trip
  • ·    Email address
  • ·    Home address
  • ·    Phone number
  •      If you are part of the District 5370 team, you will be responsible for the following expenses:
  • ·    Return airfare for you and your family from your home to England.
  • ·    Passports
  • ·    Travel visas (if you are not a Canadian citizen, a visa may be required)
  • ·    Medical insurance
  • ·    Approximately 3 or 4 nights of hotels
  • ·    Gifts for your host families
  • ·    Meals (except for most breakfasts which will be provided by host families, and some lunches/dinners will be hosted by Rotarians in Denmark)
  • ·    Admission to various attractions
  • ·    Spending money
  • ·    Car seats or booster seats for any of your children who require one
  • ·    Any additional travel you wish to do before or after the Friendship Exchange
 
As well, we are looking for clubs that would like to be involved in hosting the English team.  The team typically visits four or five locations and stays there for about three days.  Host clubs are responsible for providing accommodations (billets with Rotarians), some transportation between towns, and generally showing the visiting team what a great District we have.

 
Friendship Exchange (No Children)
 
Do you love to travel? Interested in meeting Rotarians in other parts of the world? Enjoy wonderful hospitality? If this piques your interest then I invite you to learn more about the District 5370 Rotary Friendship Exchange program.
 
An invitation was extended world-wide to Rotary Districts to come and visit us in 2012-2013 and we have received many responses. As a result we are planning an Exchange with the following Districts:

• Poland District 2230 in August 2012 and hosting in July 2012
• England (Eastern Midlands) District 1220 in October 2012 and hosting September 2012.
• Sweden – in Summer/Fall 2012 and hosting in 2013 provided there is enough support and
interest

The Rotary Friendship Exchange is a fun program which gives Rotarians the opportunity to be a part of the lives of fellow Rotarians from different countries. We are looking for Rotarians (singles or with partners) who are interested in traveling to these countries. The costs to go on an exchange are nominal as travelers are hosted in Rotarians homes. Air travel and personal expenses are the traveling Rotarians responsibilities. The trips are typically two weeks in duration plus travel time to the exchange country. We are also looking for clubs that are interested in hosting for 3 nights. The numbers of individuals on an exchange range from 8 – 12 and usually are a mix of singles and couples. If you are interested in doing some traveling or if your club is open to hosting please send an email to Marilyn Cramer at cmcramer@telusplanet.net by January 30, 2012. We are looking to see what the interest is in our district. There is an excellent handbook on the Rotary International website if you want to learn more.  See THIS LINK for a definition of Rotary Friendship Exchange.  

Marilyn is a member of the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie.