Newsroom

Radha's Linkedin

Radha Vyas, co-founder and CEO

Radha Vyas came up with the idea for Flash Pack as a 30-something single woman in London, frustrated by a group travel market that only catered to backpackers or retirees.

At the time, she was like so many of her customers:
➤ Stressed with work and unsure what came next.
➤ Watching friends settle down and move on.
➤ Craving adventure — but with comfort, style, and like-minded company.

Then came a first date with Lee (now her husband and Flash Pack co-founder), where a bold idea was shared — and a business was born.

Together, they created the kind of travel company Radha had been searching for: one that matched people by life stage, offered immersive, boutique adventures, and prioritised friendship as much as the destination.

Today, Radha is one of the UK’s few BAME female founders to raise millions in venture capital and is widely recognised as a leading voice on entrepreneurship, inclusive leadership, and meaningful connection through travel.

Lee's Linkedin

Lee Thompson, co-founder and CMO

Lee co-founded Flash Pack after a 15-year career as a photojournalist, travelling to over 100 countries and capturing major global events from the Egyptian Revolution to the Libyan civil war.

At the time, he was like so many of our travellers:
➤ Struggling to find new friends in his 30s.
➤ Watching friendships fade as life got busier.
➤ Travelling the world solo, but feeling increasingly alone.

A viral selfie taken on top of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer changed everything – driving 1.2 million people to the Flash Pack website in two days and kickstarting the brand.

Since then, Lee has led the creative direction and brand voice behind Flash Pack, blending storytelling with bold, often unconventional campaigns to build a travel company rooted in friendship.

Today, he speaks openly about male loneliness, and has shared his story on the BBC, Forbes, and Huffington Post. He’s on a mission to help others find belonging through travel – one friendship at a time.

Will you be my friend?

Our co-founder, Lee, hit his forties and had a sudden realisation – he was lonely. He’d grown apart from old friends as he focussed on work and his family. In other words, life got in the way. Realising that this was fairly common amongst men of his age, and ahead of a potential move to New York to launch Flash Pack in the States, Lee set out on a bold mission: asking strangers in the Big Apple (often dubbed, unfairly, as the world’s least friendly city) if they’d be his friend.

How hard can it be to make friends with total strangers? | Flash PacK Instagram

I held a sign to ask New Yorkers to be my friend | New York Post

Follow One Man’s Quest To Make Friends In NYC | New York Live TV

The Friendship Corner

As we continue our mission to tackle the global loneliness epidemic – we’re aiming to create a million new friendships by 2030 – we created the world’s first Friendship Corner, in the heart of West Village, New York. A first-of-its-kind pop-up, it offered a public, intimate space for New Yorkers to arrive as strangers, and leave as friends. The results? Heart-warming and mind-blowing.

Strangers come together on a random NY street | Good News Movement 

The Friendship Corner is the cutest pop-up in West Village | Secret NYC

The Friendship Bus

The 2024 election was one of the most polarising in history, leaving Americans feeling more disconnected and isolated than ever before – with nearly three quarters (73%) feeling anxiety about the political climate. So we created The Friendship Bus to encourage conversation and connection, regardless of political beliefs. Harnessing the power of our bespoke conversation cards to break the ice, we saw strangers open up to one another and ‘vote friendship’.

Travel company aims to combat loneliness through Friendship Bus | PIX 11  News

Making connections on the Friendship Bus | WUSA 9

Friendship Bus’ looking to connect strangers makes DC stop | ABC News 7