Fellowship Travel International

What Fellowship Travel International does

Fellowship Travel International (FTI) is a private, family-owned travel agency founded in 1981 by Wayne Lawhorn and headquartered in Ashland, Virginia. The company provides full-service travel agency services—flights, tours, ground transportation, accommodations, and travel insurance—targeted at three primary customer segments: religious organizations and churches, educational institutions, and humanitarian and volunteer organizations. FTI serves both groups of 10+ passengers (requiring advisor-negotiated fares) and individual travelers (1-9 passengers) with access to retail, student, and humanitarian contract fares. The company holds 30+ private humanitarian airfare contracts with major international carriers, providing discounted rates, flexible terms, and extra baggage allowances unavailable through consumer channels.

FTI's core technology is Ubi, a proprietary online travel management portal launched as a sub-brand that provides administrators and group leaders with 24/7 access to track deadlines, manage payments, download trip documents (e-tickets, hotel vouchers), manage passenger information, sign group sales agreements, create custom registration forms, and monitor unused ticket credits. Beyond Ubi, FTI operates a sales-led go-to-market with approximately 20+ employees organized into specialized roles: dedicated travel advisors (group, individual, tour), procurement specialists, trip operations, accounting/HR, and marketing. The company maintains affiliations with ARC, ASTA, BBB, CLIA, and IATA, and partners with Travel Leaders (network), Travelex (insurance), and Travel the World Visas (visa services).

The business model is transaction-fee and commission-based, with revenue derived from airline commissions, tour operator markups, service fees for group bookings, and insurance referrals. Pricing is quote-based and customized per trip, with no publicly disclosed standard pricing tiers. Group bookings require direct advisor engagement and negotiation, while individual travelers access services through consultation or the Ubi self-serve portal. FTI generates global tour offerings across the Middle East (Israel), Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with faith-based, educational, and humanitarian travel as the core verticals. The company has operated profitably as a bootstrapped, family-controlled business for 45+ years without external venture capital or private equity investment, and received Great Place to Work Certification in both 2024 and 2025.

Name

Fellowship Travel International

Legal name

Fellowship Travel International, Inc.

Website

https://fellowship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fellowship Travel International is a family-owned travel agency founded in 1981 that provides flights, tours, and travel management services to religious organizations, educational institutions, and humanitarian groups, leveraging 30+ private airline contracts and its proprietary Ubi portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni, Reunion & Affinity Group Educational Travel (THAKAGAJ)

Keywords

• Group travel services
• Faith-based tours
• Humanitarian airfare
• Study abroad travel
• Mission trip planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Services: FTI operates as a full-service travel agency earning commissions and service fees from booking flights, tours, ground transportation, accommodations, and travel insurance for groups and individuals. Revenue comes from airline commissions, tour operator markups, service fees for group bookings, and insurance referrals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fellowship Travel International (FTI) is a full-service travel agency that books flights, custom international tours, service-learning volunteer projects, and travel insurance for non-profit organizations, educational institutions, religious groups, and humanitarian travelers. The agency negotiates directly with airlines and ground operators using 30+ private humanitarian airfare contracts and supports group travel coordination via its proprietary Ubi online travel management portal.

Product overview

Fellowship Travel International (FTI) operates as a full-service travel agency offering a portfolio of travel services primarily for non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and faith-based groups. The core offering centers on Ubi, FTI's proprietary online travel management portal, which serves as the primary customer-facing platform for trip planning, payment management, document access, and traveler coordination. FTI's service portfolio encompasses group airfare booking (including specialized humanitarian, student, and mission flights), custom tour design (faith-based pilgrimages, faculty-led study abroad programs, service-learning projects, and alumni tours), and supplementary services such as travel insurance, vacation bookings, and 24-hour emergency support. All services are designed to support group travel with emphasis on educational, humanitarian, and spiritual travel segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ubi: Proprietary online travel management portal for FTI clients to track deadlines, manage payments, download trip documents, and coordinate group travel.

Products and services

• Ubi Online Travel Management Portal Proprietary online travel management portal providing 24/7 access for administrators and group leaders to track deadlines, manage payments, download trip documents (e-tickets, hotel vouchers), handle passenger information, sign group sales agreements, create custom registration forms, and access FTI team contacts including after-hours emergency support.
• Group Flights Flight booking services for groups of 10 or more passengers, with FTI acting as an advisor to negotiate directly with airlines for optimal rates and itineraries. Airlines require advisor booking for groups of 10+ passengers.
• Humanitarian Flights Specialized flight services for humanitarian travelers utilizing 30+ private humanitarian airfare contracts with major international carriers, offering discounted rates, flexible terms, extra baggage allowances, and child/infant discounts.
• Student Flights Flight arrangement services for study abroad, global education, and service-learning travel, supporting J-term, Maymester, summer programs, and other short-term faculty-led travel with group or individual booking options.
• Faith-Based Tours Completely custom spiritual tours including Holy Land pilgrimages, New Testament and Old Testament journeys, Reformation tours, Catholic pilgrimages, choir tours, and Jewish heritage programs.
• Faculty-Led Programs Custom-designed international study abroad and faculty-led programs tailored to course objectives and budget, including air arrangements, ground logistics, accommodations, meals, activities, and more.
• Service-Learning Projects Custom international volunteer and service-learning projects designed to complement group skills or academic focus.
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance policies offered through Travelex, including comprehensive and medical-only options, with coverage for trip cancellation, delay, and medical costs.
• Vacations Leisure vacation travel services including international cruises and resort bookings.
• 24-Hour Emergency Help After-hours emergency helpline available to all FTI ticketed passengers for travel emergencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45+ years serving higher education organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Travel LeadersminorOthersAffiliated with Travel Leaders network as shown on website footer logo. Provides access to additional travel resources and industry networks.
• Travelex InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFTI offers Travelex travel insurance products to clients. References Travelex for coronavirus coverage updates and insurance services. Partners for both group and individual insurance policies.
• Travel the World VisasminorOthersRecommended visa and passport services provider for clients. FTI refers customers to Travel the World Visas (www.worldvisa.com) for passport and visa related services.
• Great Place to WorkminorOthersWorkplace certification organization that certified FTI in 2024 and 2025. Certification badge displayed on careers page.
• CityServe IsraelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTI organized an exclusive five-day Israel FAM trip for CityServe Israel pastors and leaders in January 2025, including visits to Gaza border region, Ein HaBesor community, and Galilee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Insight Vacations: Insight Vacations is a premium guided tour operator serving small-group cultural and faith-oriented itineraries across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Its focus on customized, higher-touch group experiences mirrors FTI's custom-tour design service.
• Trafalgar Tours: Trafalgar is a major guided group tour operator offering 100+ itineraries across six continents with built-in group logistics. While more consumer-facing than FTI, its model of pre-packaged group tours with end-to-end travel coordination parallels FTI's custom tour operations.
• EF Education First: EF Education First is a global leader in educational travel and study abroad programs, directly overlapping with FTI's faculty-led, J-term, Maymester, and student flight services. Both target institutional clients (universities and schools) seeking coordinated group international travel.
• Globus Family of Brands (Globus, Cosmos, Monograms): Globus operates a portfolio of guided group tour brands across Europe, North America, and faith-based itineraries, with a similar end-to-end flight-tour-transfers-insurance bundling model to FTI. Globus's faith-based tour offerings directly overlap with FTI's Holy Land and Reformation tours.
• AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study): AIFS is a study abroad and cultural exchange provider offering faculty-led programs, gap year, and intern abroad services — closely aligned with FTI's educational travel vertical. Both serve US colleges seeking turnkey international programming for student cohorts.
• CIE Tours International: CIE Tours is a guided tour operator specializing in Ireland, Britain, and faith-based Catholic pilgrimage itineraries. Its niche in religious/faith group travel directly mirrors FTI's faith-based tours vertical, though at smaller scale and narrower geography.
• WorldStrides: WorldStrides is a large US-based educational travel provider specializing in university faculty-led programs, K-12 student trips, and study abroad — directly comparable to FTI's higher-education segment. Both operate a sales-led model with dedicated program advisors supporting institutional clients.
• Collette: Collette is a US-based guided tour operator offering 160+ itineraries across all seven continents with strong faith, cultural, and small-group tour options. Its end-to-end model (flights, hotels, guides, insurance) and affinity for faith-oriented group travel closely parallels FTI's full-service tour offering.

Broad incumbents

• Travel Leaders Network: Travel Leaders is a large US travel agency network of which FTI is a listed affiliate. It offers overlapping corporate, leisure, and group travel capabilities, but as a broad multi-brand network it does not specialize in the faith-based, humanitarian, and non-profit verticals that define FTI.
• Direct Travel: Direct Travel is a large US corporate travel management company with group, meeting, and incentive travel capabilities. While it primarily serves corporate rather than non-profit clients, its group booking infrastructure and airline relationships are comparable in scale to FTI's group flight operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fellowshiptravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/FellowshipTravel
• Xx.com/FellowshipTrips

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fellowship Travel International