Freepackers
Freepackers Travels, B Corp certified, runs international educational programmes, while the Freepackers Care association makes humanitarian travel accessible to everyone.
One goal, two organisations to make your humanitarian project happen
Freepackers Travels, B Corp certified, based at c/ d'Alaba 100, 08018 Barcelona, Spain, opens up international experience through school trips, summer camps for teenagers, language immersion courses, cultural exchange and educational projects open to everyone. These are international programmes with an educational and cultural purpose.
Alongside it, our non-profit Freepackers Care association, registered at La Ruche Associative, 30 avenue Pompidor in Narbonne, France, opens up humanitarian action through information sessions, workshops, talks, financial support and professional training. The aim of Freepackers Care is to give access to humanitarian travel to every social and professional background, whatever a volunteer's skills, means, gender or origin.
How do you join a programme?
Drawn to a social or environmental programme? Get in touch to talk about your goals, your expectations, your profile. Our team is here to connect you with the humanitarian project that suits you.
Once you have decided, it is time to work out your budget. It varies with the project and the destination. The contribution asked covers the running costs of Freepackers Care and the costs of the local associations. The split can vary, but broadly it works out as follows:
- Donation to the project, covering accommodation, meals, transport, local staff, guides, equipment and safety arrangements: 65%
- Membership, administration, support and personal follow-up: 20%
- Work in the field, awareness raising, project audits: 15%
Supporting and building humanitarian projects around the world
Every project is chosen against strict criteria so that donations have a lasting impact. The projects we support must employ more than 50% local staff, and show a clear system of joint management with local communities. In this way the great majority of donations goes to supporting a sustainable development project, and the local voluntary sector.
The fields vary: building, education, environment, animal care, project management, social action, communication. Within a safe and ethical framework, we offer serious programmes built on exchange, learning and long-term impact.
Opening up humanitarian action
- Education: taking part in more than 50 events, presentations and talks a year, so that as many people as possible can find out how to join a humanitarian project
- Funding: offering routes so that everyone has the chance to join a programme, whatever their means
- Training: providing the tools so that everyone can take part at their own level, or access the training their chosen project requires
Connecting, engaging, learning
We open up access to learning through inclusive, solidarity-based travel. We connect NGOs, social associations and government bodies with volunteers from around the world.
We represent several dozen foundations and NGOs across the planet, in order to sustain their work over the medium and long term and to strengthen global cohesion and participation.
A word about our founder, Justine Trembicki
Involved in animal welfare associations from a very young age and a committed supporter of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, Justine, our founder, was drawn early to a career in humanitarian work.
She took part in fundraising and in campaigns against a number of bills (hunting with hounds, animal testing, bullfighting, animals in circuses), and has always given to animal protection associations.
So it was natural that this passion grew through her personal and professional life, and that she went on supporting local associations in their fight for animal welfare and respect for the planet.
2024 goals: projects that are more inclusive still
- Developing solidarity-based learning camps to give the youngest participants (12 to 17) access to international humanitarian projects, opening their eyes and inspiring their future personal and working lives.
- Widening the network of partner priority neighbourhoods in France, to build links between local authorities and international humanitarian projects, so that young people from priority areas can join educational projects beyond their borders.
- Identifying, auditing and supporting solidarity projects in areas that need resources. In early 2024 we audited Thailand, India and Cambodia in order to develop projects with local communities.
- Employing and training a small team in Lyon, which would act as an information hub to welcome participants and run sessions on international mobility, humanitarian action, funding options and more.
Our goals
for 1 to 3 years
A presence in France and Europe
- Education: identifying and attending careers fairs for young people and students, to present the options for international mobility in France and in Europe.
- Partnerships: approaching works councils, local councils and employment services to present solidarity-based learning camps for younger participants.
- Development: identifying needs in the field, supporting community projects and providing programmes suited to students and young people.
for 3 to 5 years
Creating our own project
- Having built a solid organisation with several teams in charge of logistics, administration and the development of the association's work in the field.
- Setting up one or more projects funded by corporate giving or public appeals. The first would be a shelter for domestic animals in France or in Spain, depending on the funds and donations available.
Raising awareness
As professionals in humanitarian travel, we care about staying informed and about passing on what we know of the social and environmental problems our partners deal with day to day. Connecting people to each other and to their environment is the first step of any international project. So we try to inspire and inform on a range of themes: the different ways to travel with an impact, local action, environmental and social issues and more, through blog articles, press interviews, partnerships with others in the sector, and taking part in forums and trade fairs.
A guarantee of ethical, responsible practice
An active member of several global associations working on education and international mobility, Freepackers takes part in many initiatives alongside international bodies: co-writing two ecovolunteering charters, sitting on the French AFNOR standards committee, attending international professional conferences (WYSTC, ICEF, IAIE), sharing best practice at round tables and more. Alongside our international professional network, we are in constant contact with our local teams through field visits and regular conversations with project directors and members of the local community.
Supporting our partner associations
Internationally, Freepackers works with around two partner associations per country, each running several projects. Every one of these associations has been met in person and approved against our ethics and our values. On top of their contribution on site, each participant brings a donation to buy equipment and pay coordinators and local staff. This is what lets projects last over the long term and, in some cases, grow to a larger scale. That contribution represents 10% of the registration fee. Freepackers also relays many online campaigns and appeals for donations, and takes part in local projects several times a year.
Taking part in the field
The Freepackers team is fully committed to sustainable development. We share values that bring us together and drive us every day. That is why we decided to take an active part, every month, in a local charity in Barcelona and the surrounding area: since 2021 every member of the team has joined at least one solidarity action, from beach cleaning to food distribution. We also widen our network within the local voluntary sector every day, to support sustainable development projects (Project Rescue Ocean, WWF and others).
Got a project in mind?
Anaëlle, Nicolas or Maëlia build your departure with you, never a call centre.
