Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V.

What Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. does

Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. (FoB) is a German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2010 and headquartered in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, that enables people with disabilities to undertake self-determined vacations and leisure activities. The organization's core service, Reisebegleitung, matches trained volunteer travel companions with travelers across physical, intellectual, and multi-disability needs for trips throughout Europe. A network of 500+ volunteer companions nationwide is supported by a tiered qualification system (Basisschulung, Reiseleitungsschulung, FoB Akademie) and structured honoraria of €125-€400 per week depending on experience tier, paid under Germany's Übungsleiterpauschale tax exemption. The organization is a recognized Träger der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe NRW and Juleica issuer, enabling Sonderurlaub benefits for volunteers.

The product portfolio has expanded beyond core travel accompaniment into adjacent service lines: Festival Assist (launched 2025 with FKP Scorpio and DJH) provides inclusive festival experiences; the Initiative Urlaubsträume erfüllen and Reisestipendium programs channel donations into travel subsidies for travelers who cannot afford additional care costs; Zufahrer*in offers paid transport accompaniment at €12/hour; and Paderborn-All-Inclusive integrates children with disabilities into local sports and clubs. The underlying technology stack is deliberately lightweight—Slack for coordination, Google Forms for applications, standard website platforms—with no proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or APIs. Core strategic partnerships include YAT Reisen (accessible travel operator handling booking and logistics), FKP Scorpio (festival organizer), Deutsche Jugendherbergen (accessible accommodation), wünschdirwas e.V. (travel subsidy funding), and ADAC Ostwestfalen-Lippe (road safety training).

The revenue model is donation-monetised and grant-funded rather than market-priced: individual and corporate donations, foundation grants (including Inklusionsscheck NRW), and volunteer contributions are the principal inflows; the Initiative Urlaubsträume erfüllen specifically funnels donations to underwrite care-cost subsidies. Go-to-market is community-led, with volunteer recruitment driven by social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), university/school partnerships, festivals, and a peer-referral program ("Reisebegleitung wirbt Reisebegleitung"). The organization operates with a small paid office team of approximately 8 employees against a 500+ volunteer base, and publishes annual Spendenbericht transparency reports. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V.

Legal name

Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V.

Website

https://fob-paderborn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. is a German non-profit association founded in 2010 that connects people with disabilities with a national network of 500+ trained volunteer travel companions, enabling self-determined vacations, festivals, and leisure activities across Europe through donation-funded programs and strategic travel, festival, and youth-welfare partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Travel Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential & Cultural Programming (Tours, Activities, CSR/Voluntourism) (THAHADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA), Risk Management, Safety & Duty of Care (Insurance, Medical, Security Planning) (THAHADAM)

Keywords

• Disability travel support
• Volunteer travel companions
• Accessible tourism services
• Inclusive leisure programs
• Nonprofit travel assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Paderborn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: FoB operates primarily through charitable donations from individuals, companies, and foundations. Donors contribute to the 'Initiative - Urlaubsträume erfüllen' which funds travel costs for people with disabilities who cannot afford vacation due to high care and assistance costs.
2. Initiative Funding (Reiseförderung): Financial support and subsidies provided to people with disabilities to cover additional travel costs beyond their means, funded through donations and potentially public grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FoB is a registered non-profit association that enables children, youth, and adults with disabilities to take self-determined vacations and leisure activities. It recruits and trains volunteer travel companions (Reisebegleitungen) who accompany travelers on trips across Europe, and channels donations and grants to subsidize the additional care and assistance costs that often make such travel unaffordable. The organization also runs Festival Assist for inclusive festival experiences, a multi-tier training and coaching program (FoB Akademie), and travel scholarship initiatives.

Product overview

Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. (FoB) operates as a non-profit association that enables people with disabilities to enjoy self-determined vacations and leisure activities. The organization connects travelers with disabilities with volunteer travel companions and offers multiple interconnected services: the core Reisebegleitung service provides professional travel accompaniment throughout Europe; Festival Assist enables inclusive festival experiences; the FoB Akademie delivers training programs for volunteers; Reisestipendium and Initiative – Urlaubsträume erfüllen provide financial grants for those who cannot afford additional care costs; and Zufahrer*in offers transportation support. All services work together to facilitate accessible travel experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival Assist: A program that enables people with disabilities to attend festivals, partnering with event organizers like FKP Scorpio and Deutsche Jugendherbergen.
• Initiative – Urlaubsträume erfüllen
• FoB Akademie
• Reisestipendium

Products and services

• Reisebegleitung (Travel Accompaniment) The core service where volunteer travel companions accompany children, youth, and adults with physical, intellectual, or multiple disabilities on vacation trips throughout Europe, providing care, mobility assistance, medication management, and help designing self-determined leisure experiences.
• Festival Assist A specialized service enabling people with disabilities to attend music festivals with personal accompaniment, welcome teams, and dedicated support to ensure inclusive participation, including Special Needs Camps at events like Hurricane Festival in partnership with FKP Scorpio and Deutsche Jugendherbergen.
• Schulungen und Coaching (FoB Akademie) Training programs including basic training (Basisschulung) for new travel companions, leadership training (Reiseleitungsschulung) for trip leaders, and continuing education (Fortbildungen) plus coaching. Topics cover nursing care, wheelchair handling, animation, and legal matters, delivered via the FoB Akademie online platform.
• Reisestipendium (Travel Grant) A grant program supporting individuals with disabilities to realize their personal travel dreams, including festival visits, individualized adventures, and self-determined trips with counseling and financial support.
• Initiative – Urlaubsträume erfüllen A donation-funded initiative that finances additional care and assistance costs for people with disabilities who cannot afford vacation due to high nursing and support expenses, enabling self-determined leisure and travel.
• Zufahrer*in (Transportation Service) Transportation accompaniment service that transports people with disabilities to and from their travel destinations, including wheelchair transfers, toilet assistance, and weekend/night trips throughout Germany, paid at €12/hour.
• Paderborn-All-Inclusive A project aimed at including children and youth with disabilities into society through shared sports and leisure activities with non-disabled peers, connecting them with various clubs in Paderborn.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ trained volunteer travel companions nationwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• wünschdirwas e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Cooperation to provide travel subsidies for children and youth with disabilities. When families cannot afford the high costs of care during travel, wünschdirwas e.V. provides funding grants enabling vacation dreams regardless of family income. Children travel without parents but with experienced FoB travel companions, gaining independence and new experiences.
• YAT ReisencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYAT Reisen is the specialized accessible travel operator that handles booking, logistics, and destination coordination for group trips. FoB provides trained volunteer travel companions for YAT-organized trips. The organizations share the mission of enabling self-determined vacations for people with disabilities. YAT's marketing and FoB's volunteer network create a complete service offering.
• FKP ScorpioflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFKP Scorpio is a major German festival organizer. FoB partnered with FKP to create Festival Assist - making festivals accessible for people with disabilities. The partnership enables Special Needs Camps at festivals like Hurricane, providing professional accompaniment and inclusive experiences.
• Deutsche Jugendherbergen (DJH)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Youth Hostels (DJH) partner with FoB and FKP Scorpio for the Special Needs Camp at Hurricane Festival. DJH provides accessible accommodation facilities that serve as the base for inclusive festival experiences.
• ADAC Ostwestfalen-Lippe e.V.minorOthersADAC provides Fahrsicherheitstraining (road safety training) in cooperation with FoB, helping volunteers become comfortable driving minibuses for transport companions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aktion Mensch e.V. Largest German social funding organization for disability inclusion projects; an established, much larger player in the disability welfare space that frequently funds grassroots projects similar to FoB but as a grantmaker rather than a service operator.
• Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe: Major German federation representing people with intellectual disabilities and their families, providing advocacy, services, and inclusion programs. Comparable as a large-scale disability services organization but with a much broader advocacy and care mandate.
• Caritas Deutschland: One of Germany's largest welfare organizations providing social services including disability support, inclusion programs, and respite services. Comparable as a large established social services organization though far broader in scope.
• Special Olympics Deutschland: National federation of inclusive sports programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable in mobilizing volunteer networks and serving people with disabilities, but focused on competitive sports rather than travel/leisure.

Direct peers

• YAT Reisen: Specialized accessible travel operator for people with disabilities and core operational partner of FoB. Overlaps directly in organizing group trips for travelers with disabilities across Europe, the same customer segment FoB serves.
• Rollstuhl On Tour: Provider of accessible travel experiences and group trips for wheelchair users and travelers with disabilities in Germany. Comparable in curating accessible European vacations for the same persona.
• w\u00fcnschdirwas e.V. German nonprofit that grants wishes and finances experiences for children with serious illnesses and disabilities. Directly comparable mission of enabling travel/lifestyle experiences for vulnerable populations through donations and charity funding.
• Handicap Reisen (Reisebüro Handicap): German accessible travel agency specializing in barrier-free vacations for travelers with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments. Direct competitor in the accessible travel booking space serving the same primary customer segment.

Emerging players

• Sterntaler e.V. German nonprofit granting travel and experience wishes for seriously ill children and their families. Smaller-scope player with overlapping mission (charity-funded travel dreams for vulnerable populations) though focused on medical illness rather than disability.

Others

• Reisen für Alle (TourCert): National German certification scheme for accessible tourism, providing standardized accessibility ratings for travel offerings. Adjacent ecosystem participant that FoB's trips could leverage for credibility and quality signaling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freizeitohnebarrieren
• Instagraminstagram.com/freizeit_ohne_barrieren
• TikToktiktok.com/@freizeit_ohne_barrieren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freizeit-ohne-barrieren-e-v

Compliance2 records

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 Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V.