How Do I Get An Exclusive RAWRA Trip Invitation?
RAWRA is not a traditional travel club where the same group of women travel together each and every year, rather it is a vehicle to expose as many 50+ women to international travel as possible. RAWRA only does one trip per year and places are limited. Given that demand often exceeds supply, RAWRA found themselves in the very difficult position of trying to determine the best way to allocate places. After much deliberation, we have recently moved to an invitation only model. This allows us to be as fair as possible to our long term supporters and be true to our goal of offering our services to as many new travellers as we can. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is ‘how can I secure an exclusive RAWRA trip invitation?’. Here is everything you need to know …
Where We Started
When Robin started This I Do for Me (TIDFM) in 2015, she envisioned escorting small groups of women aged 50+ to a variety of international destinations. Allison shared the same vision and their partnership, RAWRA, was formed in the same year when planning commenced for the first RAWRA trip to Sydney in 2017. While TIDFM was able to offer multiple trips per year, Allison’s availability (while working full time) meant that RAWRA were only able to offer one trip every two years. At that time, recruitment relied heavily on social media and all trips were launched each year on 1 January. TIDFM’s first trip to France in 2015 had just seven participants and RAWRA’s first Sydney trip in 2017 had just eight.
After RAWRA’s first two incredibly successful trips planning was well under way for the third 2021 trip when the global pandemic hit. Australia closed their borders and Allison was going nowhere fast. The pandemic hit hard and after way too long being confined to a 5klm radius of her house, Allison jumped at the chance when Robin suggested annual RAWRA trips.
Where We Are Now
Robin is the driving force behind recruitment for both TIDFM and RAWRA. She has an extensive network of family, friends, church members, professional organizations and relationships both domestically and abroad. And those people talk! Word gets around fast and coupled TIDFM’s favourable media coverage, demand exceeded supply before we knew it. Even after doubling our trips to once a year! There are currently over 100 women who have travelled with RAWRA and/or TIDFM. Almost all of them are keen to travel with us again.
Needless to say, we simply cannot accommodate that large a number and be true to our core concept of small group travel and exposing new women to international travel. As a result we have moved away from marketing our trips on social media and have moved to an invitation only model.
How To Be Considered For An Exclusive RAWRA Trip Invitation?
Even with an invitation only model, deciding who to invite is complex. When a destination is chosen, Robin starts with a list of women who have expressed a desire to explore that particular part of the world. The goal of exposing new women to travel is paramount and first timers always make the list. The completed list is always far longer than the available places and Robin considers various factors before determining who will ultimately receive an invitation.
Register Your Interest Now!
RAWRA’s target group of travellers are now at an age where there is no time to wait on others to make their dreams come true. At this stage in life if there is something you want to do, you must do it! If you are keen to travel with RAWRA, shoot Robin an email at robin@roaming-around.com and let her know which area of the world you are interested in. If the planets align, you might just get an invitation to a RAWRA trip of a lifetime.
Disclosure Statement: This post is not sponsored. The information provided is based on our own personal experiences and has not been influenced in any way by the brand(s) featured. This post may contain affiliate links and any purchases will earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you.
