The Founder's Story
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Lucyna MacDermott
Founder of Friends of Friends Travel Connect (FFTC)
I left Wrocław, Poland, as a teenager, moved to Nigeria and then began adult life in Australia. So travel has never been a tidy holiday in my mind. It is departure, adjustment, belonging and sometimes return.
On my recent trip through Europe, I travelled independently, often with just a carry-on. But the moments that stayed with me were the people who helped a place become more than a destination. FFTC grew from that experience: independence feels different when there is a trusted local connection waiting at the other end.
My most meaningful travel experiences have rarely come from guidebooks or tourist attractions alone, although I certainly enjoy both. They have come from people who welcomed me, introduced me to their world and helped an unfamiliar place feel less unfamiliar.
In Morocco, a woman invited me to a hammam and introduced me to local women, including a ceramic artist whose work reflected one of my own passions. In Edinburgh, reconnecting with an MBA colleague led to generous introductions to local events, clubs and community networks. In Berlin, strangers helped when a lost passport upended my travel plans. Two have since become friends.
These experiences showed me how much can open up when someone is willing to share their local world. They gave me a sense of belonging, however temporary, and changed the way I experienced each place.
My professional life has also been shaped by change and a commitment to people and communities. I began by working directly with women affected by domestic violence, disadvantage and exclusion. Later, through senior roles across government and community services and as a consultant, I worked in governance, quality, risk, leadership and change, building systems intended to support people and communities.
Over time, these personal and professional experiences came together in Friends of Friends Travel Connect. I am building FFTC not simply as a travel service, but as a carefully developed network grounded in relationships, trust and human connection.
At its heart is a simple idea: women should be able to travel independently while still having the opportunity to connect meaningfully with people who know the place they are visiting.
That is the network I am committed to growing: carefully, thoughtfully and with the same spirit of generosity that inspired it.
An Invitation
If FFTC resonates with you, I would love to hear from you.
Whether you are interested in becoming part of the FFTC traveller community or expressing interest as a potential Local Friend Connector, you are warmly invited to get in touch and register your interest as we build the network.
Lucyna MacDermott
Founder, FFTC
Life Across Worlds
Friend → Friend of a Friend → Trusted Local Network → Meaningful Journey
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