Source:  Eastern Canada Workshop of February 9-10, 2022

• New members bring new ideas to a journey experience
• To encourage newer members to become a Host Coordinator, assign an experienced member to mentor them throughout the event
• FFI should consider adding things like type of accommodation, the type of pets, allergies to the Ambassador Application Form
• Communication is critical between the Host Coordinator and the Ambassador Coordinator – more is better than less
• It is of critical importance that the Health and Mobility Checklist be adjusted to address the specific requirements of a journey and that it be shared with the ambassador coordinator.  It will ensure that not only will ambassadors meet the requirements but will also that the host coordinator can ensure hosts meet the requirements
• The Host Coordinator should have a clear understanding as to when ALL ambassadors will be leaving at the end of journey to avoid surprise requests from an ambassador to extend their stay
• Clubs may wish to conduct a home host visit to ensure suitability for receiving ambassadors
• Journey Coordinator needs to inform all hosts of their roles and responsibilities (how to be a good host), the requirement for ambassadors to attend all program activities, how to deal with unrealistic requests from an ambassador (i.e.: ambassador’s preferred activity for a free day is much too far or very expensive) and identify topics that should be avoided i.e.: religion, politics and at the moment COVID)
• Hosting during the COVID pandemic needs to be addressed to confirm readiness of hosts and their comfort level
• It is important for the night host to communicate with their ambassador to share a variety of information that will ensure a comfortable/successful stay
• Journey Coordinators (host and ambassador) must ensure the fitness of hosts and ambassadors to participate in the journey and its program of activities
• Host Coordinator must be realistic about the difficulty of the activities program – rate in terms of:  low/medium/difficult.  Share this rating with the Ambassador Coordinator.
• A single night host may need the help of more day hosts than if the night hosts are a couple
• The focus of an activities program should be on culture, history and friendship
• Consider having standard experiences as part of your program and then add some variety to keep the hosts interested.  Variety so that experiences are enriching.It may be encouraging for a member to assume the role of day coordinator for a day of standard experience as all the details and contacts are readily available.
• Issues that arise should be addressed immediately
• During the journey, it is important to clearly communicate the details associated with each program activity day – i.e.:  all important times in the schedule, info about the day host, info about dinner plans, etc.
• Some night hosts provide more details for each activity day i.e.: the name of their day host, at what time they will be picked up in the morning and return at the end of the day
• If the program for a specific day is very busy, it is best not to schedule an evening event
• For free days within the program, the hosts should inquire as to the ambassador’s interests and when appropriate present activity options
• It is a good idea for a club to have a policy/guidelines regarding host transportation costs, such a fuel, parking, public transportation, etc. AND under what conditions these expenses will be reimbursed.  Clubs are encouraged to share their policy/guidelines with other clubs.
• Ensure your club’s policy/guidelines on reimbursement of transportation costs (personal vehicle or public transportation), such as fuel, parking, bus/subway/train tickets are shared with all hosts involved in the journey
• Include local cultural experiences in your activities program:  an activity with a cultural or multi-cultural group, theatre, gardens, food, art, bird watching, Halloween lantern making, apple pie baking, picnics, etc.
• As a time-saver and to reduce costs, consider purchasing pre-prepared foods from a grocery store for a particular event OR plan for shared meals (potluck)
• Clearly identify all the costs for the journey during the planning stage – there should be no surprises during or at the end of the journey
• Banking:  use of a member’s personal bank account is frowned upon.  A separate bank account must be opened for each journey or each type of journey. Service charges can be minimized by limiting the period of time the account will be opened and by depositing all cheques at the same time
• Consider having a tiered approach to costing the activities program – tier A, B, C so that the Ambassador Coordinator can choose the journey costing that works best for them
• Ambassador groups may be willing to pay a little more to have a specific experience during the journey
• Perhaps have a focus on outdoor activities for a journey, adding a physical element that may be quite appealing to younger group members
• An ambassador usually wants to take their host(s) out for dinner as a thank you; the night host should discuss with the ambassador to suggest a nice but relatively inexpensive restaurant.  Some ambassadors may prefer to prepare a home meal for their hosts
• It is a best practice to conduct a Journey Assessment after each journey to identify what went well and what did not, and that this be shared with future Journey Coordinators