Visiting friends
BackVæssevnen på Edvard Thomsens Vej in Copenhagen is a special travel and experience company that works in the gray area between classic voluntary social work and more organized experience courses for people who otherwise have difficulty getting out of everyday life. The company is registered as a travel agency/local experience agency and in practice functions as a mix of social association and service company, where the focus is on relationships, presence and meaningful activities rather than mass tourism and standardized package tours.
While many traditional travel agencies market themselves with exotic destinations and fast offers, Besøgsvenner tries to create a slower, more present space, where the individual citizen is at the center. The concept is typically based on volunteers or affiliated besøgsvenner meeting people who need company or support to go out for experiences, small excursions or cultural activities. This means that the company speaks to a target group that is not necessarily looking for a classic charter trip, but who to a greater extent want social and safe settings around the experiences.
For you as a potential customer or relative, it may be relevant to see Visiting Friends as an alternative to a regular travel agency if the need is not a big holiday, but rather smaller, manageable experiences that are adapted to the person's physical, mental or social situation. We often work with fixed agreements and regular contact persons, which creates continuity and security. At the same time, it provides a flexibility that many classic tour operators cannot offer because their products are more standardized.
Strengths of Visitors' Friends as a travel and experience player
One of the biggest strengths of Visiting Friends is that they don't just sell services, but work with relationships. Where a regular travel agent typically ends the contact once the trip is sold, Visiting Friends builds on ongoing contact and human presence. This makes the offer particularly interesting for the elderly, lonely, vulnerable or people with limited mobility who want experiences but don't feel comfortable using a traditional travel agency.
The company has a clear core value base with a focus on presence, respect and reciprocity. For many users, this means that a visit or a trip is not only a practical service, but also a social event that adds content to everyday life. This significantly distinguishes Visitors Friends from an ordinary commercial tourism company , where the relationship is typically short-term and transactional.
Another strength is the flexibility of the content: an excursion can be anything from a short trip in the local area to a cultural event or a specially planned visit, depending on the agreement and resources. This individualization is reminiscent of the way modern travel agencies work with tailor-made trips, but with a local and social focus rather than international destinations. For some users, this simplicity will be an advantage, because it requires less energy and planning, while at the same time giving the feeling of “getting away” from everyday life.
Weaknesses and limitations
Although Visiting Friends has many qualities, there are also clear limitations that are important for potential customers to know. First of all, the company does not operate as a classic commercial tour operator with a large catalog of destinations, flights, hotels and package holidays. If you are looking for a full-scale holiday package, city break or international travel, a traditional travel agency will in most cases be better suited.
There is also a natural dependence on available resources – both in terms of time, finances and human resources. When a concept is based on personal contact and often a certain degree of volunteerism or small teams, waiting times can occur, limited options for certain times or periods when demand is greater than capacity. For customers who are used to fast, digital service from larger online travel agencies , this can be experienced as a disadvantage.
Furthermore, communication about services and content is not always as clear and standardized as you see with large commercial travel agencies. For some, the personal, slightly less structured form may seem warm and safe, while others may miss the clear product descriptions, fixed packages and detailed program overviews that are usually associated with professional travel agencies.
Service experience and user impressions
User feedback often describes Visiting Friends as an offer where the human encounter is more important than the activity itself. Many highlight the feeling of being seen and taken seriously, and that their wishes and needs are listened to. This is especially valuable for those who not only want an experience, but also need support in getting there, finding their way around, or dealing with practical challenges that a traditional travel agency rarely helps with.
However, there may also be experiences where expectations do not quite match what Visiting Friends can actually offer. Some may have an idea of a more classic travel or excursion offer with a fixed program, transport, meals and entertainment, while in practice the offer may be simpler and dependent on the dialogue with the individual Visiting Friend. For customers who are used to well-defined packages from established tour operators , it may require a change to understand that the focus here is on the personal encounter and not on “all-inclusive” experiences.
The service experience is also influenced by how well the chemistry between the user and the tour guide fits. When the relationship is so central, the quality can fluctuate slightly from session to session. This is different from larger travel agencies , where the experience is often more standardized and depends more on the hotel, transportation and destination than on any one person.
Visitor Friends compared to classic travel agencies
If you compare Visiting Friends with a traditional travel agency, the differences become very clear. Where the big players compete on price, destinations and digital booking solutions, Visiting Friends competes on presence, local roots and social value. There are no long lists of exotic countries, but on the other hand the opportunity for manageable experiences and social meetings, which can have a great impact on the recipient.
The classic customer journey at a regular tour operator often starts online, where you compare offers, read about destinations and book digitally. At Begårdensvenner, the process is typically more dialogue-based, where you jointly find out which activities make sense. This can be an advantage for those who are not comfortable with digital solutions or who have complex needs that cannot be handled via a standard form on a website.
For customers who are considering both social experiences and traditional travel, Besøgsvenner's offering can be seen as a supplement rather than a competitor to classic travel agencies. For example, you can use Besøgsvenner for everyday activities and at the same time use a larger agency for longer holidays. In this way, the company can fill a gap in the market where the focus is on the local environment, relationships and the small but important breaks in everyday life.
Who is Visiting Friends suitable for?
Visiting friends are particularly relevant for people who value security and personal contact in connection with experiences. Elderly, lonely, vulnerable citizens or people with reduced functional levels can greatly benefit from an offer where a trip is not only planned, but also followed up and continuity in the relationship is created. Unlike many commercial travel agencies, it is not the number of destinations or stars in the hotel that is most important, but the feeling of togetherness and support.
It can also be relevant for relatives who want relief or support for a family member who needs more social contact and more activities, but where the family themselves cannot be present all the time. Here, Visiting Friends can act as a partner that creates structure and contains the social element that you cannot buy from a regular travel agency .
For younger target groups looking for cheap city breaks, sun trips or adventure trips, Visiting Friends will rarely be the obvious choice. Here, the large tour operators and digital platforms will be more relevant, both due to price levels, selection and the way the products are presented and booked.
A sober assessment for potential customers
Seen from a sober perspective, Besøgsvenner is not a traditional travel agency, but a specialized player that works at the intersection of social gatherings and experiential activities. The strengths lie in the personal, in the small but meaningful experiences and in the focus on relationships rather than destinations. For the right target group, this can be far more valuable than a standardized package tour.
The main weaknesses from a classic tourism perspective are the limited range of actual trips, the dependence on human resources and the lower degree of standardization, which can give a certain unpredictability to the experience. Compared to well-known travel agencies , some will find that the wide range is lacking, while others will appreciate that the focus is narrow and personal.
For those of you considering using Visiting Friends, the choice is therefore about what you are actually looking for: if you want a classic holiday with a hotel, flight and catalogue, everything points towards a traditional travel agency; on the other hand, if you want safe, human-based experiences in a more manageable framework, Visiting Friends can be a relevant and meaningful choice, provided that your expectations match the company's special profile.
