Aussies facing friend famine
New research released has revealed that Aussies feel like they are missing out in the friend department, with almost half of us having fewer friends than we’d like.
The ‘Mate Metre’ research, from Intrepid Travel, reveals 55% of Aussies claim to have one to three close friends, despite 43% agreeing the ideal number of close friends is between four and six.
The Intrepid Mate Metre was commissioned in celebration of Intrepid’s 25th anniversary, with the Australian-owned company hoping to use its small group tours to help facilitate new friendships.
The research shows one in five (20%) of us are indeed looking to expand our social circles – confessing we’re unsatisfied or only slightly satisfied with the number of close mates we have overall.
More than half of those surveyed revealed good reasons for having lost close friends over time, including drifting apart with age, leading different lives and priorities and finding it harder to make new friends as time goes on.
But the news isn’t all bad, with the research also showing more than 2.5 million Aussies having forged their closest friendships while travelling and living overseas.
And this was indeed the case with Intrepid Travel founders Darrell Wade and Geoff Manchester, whose business was born from an adventure through Africa 25 years ago.
“With the Mate Metre showing over half of Aussies would like to widen their friendship circles, we’re proud to be helping people travel the world while making long-lasting and real connections along the way,” Manchester said.
“Travel is undoubtedly a powerful way to form new friendships and reconnect with old friends.”
To help combat the mate drought, Intrepid Travel is giving Aussies the chance to ‘take a friend or make a friend’ on a $20,000 Intrepid Travel adventure, which includes a Travelex card loaded with $5,000 and $10,000 worth of Intrepid Travel trips, along with $5,000 of airfares.
The winner will be able to choose to ‘take a friend’ and split the winnings among them, or ‘make a friend,’ picking up a travel buddy on the way.
Aussies can enter the competition by visiting http://www.intrepidtravel.com/about/friendships, and will automatically receive a 10% off voucher for their next Intrepid trip.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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