Flash Pack

Friendship profoundly improves our emotional well being, sense of belonging, purpose and levels of happiness. Everyone wants more human connection but making new friends is really hard. That’s why Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million meaningful friendships across the globe, using the power of travel and technology.

Our platform connects solo travellers in their 30s and 40s to enjoy authentic, stylish and rewarding adventures together. In a world that increasingly plays out behind screens, we facilitate authentic friendships between people at the same life-stage. We are solving a unique problem for a prominent niche with our global brand appeal. Over 60% of our customers now come from outside the UK, and the potential for growth is limitless.

Co-Founder

Vyas Fundraising Ltd

Vyas Fundraising established itself as a successful consultancy business with a strong reputation,
within the Charity financial, trust fundraising and project management sectors. Vyas Fundraising raised over £9.2 million for clients from ultra high-net-worth individuals. Consultancy projects include:

• Transforming organisations' fundraising habits
• Developing sustainable fundraising strategies
• Streamlining fundraising processes
• Strengthening organisational resources
• Developing competitive projects to attract funding
• Creating sustainable fundraising campaigns
• Creating strong relationships with high-net-worth donors
• Implementing robust monitoring and evaluation systems

Director of Fundraising

Childreach International

Trustee

Trusts and Statutory Interest Group, Institute of Fundraising

Treasurer

Co-founder & CEO at Flash Pack 🌏 Social adventures for solo travelers. Follow for daily posts on building a career and life with purpose.

On a mission to create 1 million meaningful friendships using the power of travel. 

In 2014, I founded a boutique adventure company called Flash Pack that connects solo travellers aged 30-49 across the globe. 

I was in my 30s:
 
➤ Stressed with work. 
➤ Not quite nailed what I wanted to do. 
➤ Friends were busy, getting married & having kids

I wanted to get away for some fun & an adventure. 

But when I researched the market, there was nothing for me, just: 

a) Party packages for budget backpackers in their 20s.
b) Slow but luxurious options for retirees in their 60s. 

I wanted something in between:

✨ A dynamic adventure. 
✨ People at my stage of life. 
✨ A boutique hotel, not a hostel! 

And Flash Pack was born 🌏 

Fast forward 10 years… 

🗺️ We offer all the classics, as well as bucket list trips. 
🗺️ From Portugal, to Japan, Australia, and beyond! 

Our trips are 100% hassle-free. We sort the incredible people, handpick the experiences, hotels & guides. And we OBSESS over  the group dynamic, ensuring those connections feel natural. All you need to do is turn up! 

So far, we’ve created: 

✨100,000 friendships
✨With 80% of travellers staying connected after trips. 

But the journey has been FAR from linear. 

Diwali 2020: COVID forced us to close the business & we lost everything. 
Diwali 2021: we relaunched Flash Pack 2.0. 

Today, we’re stronger than ever. 

↳ A global team of 90.
↳ A +400k strong community. 
↳ A £7.5M raise to expand our mission. 

What took us 4 years pre-COVID, has taken 2. And we’re just getting started!

Follow for more of the journey, as I scale Flash Pack 2.0 - sharing the mistakes & the lessons, whilst championing the importance of human connection, women’s empowerment & diversity in entrepreneurship 🩵

Want to explore our life-changing trips? ⤵ 
🌐 Head to FLASHPACK.COM 

– 

For media, press or speaking inquiries: radha@flashpack.com

For soul-warming content ⤵
📽️ @flashpack on Instagram 
📽️ @flashpacktravel on TikTok

When I first read about women who sold everything, surfed in Indonesia, or walked away from toxic bosses to take career breaks, I felt a pang of recognition.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:

We’re told to “power through” burnout.

We’re told career breaks are indulgent, irresponsible, even career-ending.

But these women came back stronger:

• Less anxious.

• Clearer about what they wanted.

• Ready to live life on their own terms.

We call it a career break.

But maybe it’s really a career accelerator.

🍀 Repost if you’re done believing there’s an “expiry date” on success.

—

👋🏽 I’m Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack. We connect solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

Radha Vyas

The confidence crash after a career break is real.

And it's not just in your head 🧠

I see this constantly in our Flash Pack community. Brilliant, accomplished people who've taken time out suddenly questioning everything:

→ "Who's going to want someone who's been out for 2 years?"

→ "I don't even know if I'm employable anymore"

→ "The technology has moved on without me"

Here's what's actually happening:

Your professional identity hasn't disappeared. It's just dormant.

The shift is gradual but brutal: Early in your break: "I'm a marketing director taking time to travel" Later: "I'm just... figuring things out"

That erosion of identity? It's what kills confidence.

But here's the thing – those skills, achievements, and experiences didn't evaporate when you handed in your laptop

The person who closed that major deal, led that team, or solved that impossible problem? Still you.

Try this exercise: Break your life into 2-3 year chapters. Give each one a title. Write down 1-3 achievements from each period.

Watch how quickly you remember who you actually are.

Your career break isn't a gap in your story. It's another chapter.

And some of the best plot twists happen when you least expect them

Have you experienced the confidence crash after time away? What helped you reconnect with your professional self? 👇🏽

🍀 Repost if you’ve ever felt your professional identity wobble after stepping away from work.

—

👋🏽 I'm Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack, connecting solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

The confidence crash after a career break is real.

The brutal truth about friendship breakups no one talks about 💔

I had to break up with my best friend of 15 years.

Not because of a dramatic fight.
No screaming match.
No stolen boyfriend or money drama.
We just… grew apart.

And instead of acknowledging it, we spent two years pretending everything was fine.
The signs were all there:
→ Conversations felt forced and surface-level
→ Nothing in common except shared history
→ I started dreading her calls instead of looking forward to them
→ We were both performing a friendship that no longer existed

The hardest part? Society doesn’t prepare you for friendship breakups.
We have scripts for romantic endings.
We understand couples can grow apart.
But friendships? We’re told to fight for those forever.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me:
➡️ Not all friendships are meant to last a lifetime.
➡️ Some people are with you for a season — that’s not failure, that’s life.
➡️ You can love someone deeply and still outgrow the relationship.
➡️ It’s okay to grieve a friendship that’s ended, even when it was the right decision.
➡️ Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is let someone go.

The conversation was terrifying but necessary:
“I think we’ve both changed, and maybe it’s time to acknowledge that our friendship has changed too.”
She felt it too. The relief in her voice was undeniable.
We didn’t part as enemies.
We parted as two people who had shared something beautiful — that had naturally run its course.

Now I choose friendships differently:
✨ People who challenge me to grow, not just remember who I used to be
✨ Relationships that energise me, not drain me
✨ Honesty about what I can offer, instead of pretending

Some friendships are lifelong.
Others are meant to teach you something important — and then gracefully end.

Both have value. Both deserve respect.

👉 Have you ever had to let a friendship go? How did you know it was time?

♻️ Repost if this resonated.
_
👋🏽 I’m Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack. We connect solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

The brutal truth about friendship breakups no one talks about 

How to turn your work friends into real friends?

Most of us start with the same script:

We bond over deadlines, bad coffee, and office gossip.

It feels like friendship… until the job changes, the team reshuffles, or one of you leaves.

Then suddenly those daily touchpoints vanish — and so does the “friendship.”

But some of my closest friendships did start at work. The difference? We took them out of the office.

Here’s what helped me:

➡️ Shift the conversation

Stop talking only about work problems. Ask about family, passions, the thing they’d do if money was no object. That’s when you discover who someone really is.

➡️ Change the setting

Friendship doesn’t deepen over Slack. It happens at coffee shops, walks, book clubs, and birthday dinners. Create memories outside of the office.

➡️ Be intentional

Don’t assume the bond will last just because you once shared a project. Put effort in: invite them, check in, follow up.

➡️ Allow for vulnerability

Work friends know your “professional self.” Real friends see the cracks too — the fears, the mistakes, the late-night doubts. That’s when connection gets real.

Some colleagues will remain colleagues. But if you want a few to become lifelong friends, you have to take the leap.

The best friendships I have today started with shared deadlines… but survived because we built something bigger.

Who’s one work friend you’re grateful made it into your “real life”?


♻️ Repost if this resonates with you
_
👋🏽 I'm Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack, connecting solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

How To Turn Your Work Friends Into Real Friends

8 questions I wish I’d asked myself before starting Flash Pack 🚀

When I quit my job to start my own business, I didn’t do a lot of due diligence. I had a gut instinct, a burning desire to work for myself, and frankly, I was miserable in my corporate career. That was enough to make me leap.

In hindsight, there are some big questions I wish I’d sat with before taking the plunge. They wouldn’t have stopped me — but they might have prepared me for the rollercoaster ahead:

1️⃣ Am I prepared to not make any money for 6 months (or more)?

I lived this. Flash Pack didn’t pay me a salary for years. You need a cushion, or nerves of steel. Preferably both.

2️⃣ Am I a natural leader?

Having an idea is one thing. Convincing others to back it, follow you, and fight with you in the trenches is another.

3️⃣ Can I articulate my ‘why’ in one sentence?

When the odds are stacked against you, your ‘why’ is what keeps you going. Mine? To help solo travellers find friendship and belonging.

4️⃣ Am I prepared to block out the noise?

When I started, plenty of people thought I was crazy. Everyone had an opinion. You have to learn which voices to tune out.

5️⃣ What am I willing to sacrifice?

For me, it was financial security, time off, and a lot of sleep. I don’t regret it, but it was brutal.

6️⃣ Can I separate my self-worth from the business?

This one still bites. When Flash Pack stumbled, I felt like I had failed.

7️⃣ Am I doing it for the money or for a purpose?

The money will not come quickly. Purpose has to carry you through.

8️⃣ If this fails, what do I stand to lose?

Reputation, finances, confidence. But also — what do you stand to gain? For me, it was freedom, friendships, and a life’s calling.

Starting a business is not glamorous. But if you’re ready to stare down these questions — it might just be the best decision you’ll ever make.

🍀 Repost if you’ve ever wrestled with the decision to start your own business.

—

👋🏽 I’m Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack. We connect solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

8 questions I wish I’d asked myself before starting Flash Pack

The women who travel with Flash Pack as an ad didn’t “fall behind.”

They:

→ Learned to surf.

→ Wrote books.

→ Travelled the world.

→ Built new careers.

And here’s the kicker:

They came back sharper, more creative, more alive.

What if the real career risk isn’t stepping away…

but never stepping out at all?

🍀 Repost if you’re done believing there’s an “expiry date” on success.

—

👋🏽 I’m Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack. We connect solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

Adult friendship is one of the most powerful health habits we ignore.

Stronger than we admit. Easier to let decay than we realise.

I’ve watched this up close at Flash Pack: strangers board a plane; ten days later they’re a micro-tribe. That “medicine” is available at home too, if you treat friendship like a habit, not a hope.

Here’s the playbook I share with leaders, parents, and burnt-out high performers who want real connection (no awkward networking required):

👉🏽 Start Small

→ Send a 20-second “thinking of you” voice note.

↳ Script: *“Saw this and thought of you. No reply needed- just hello.”*

👉🏽 Build Rhythm

→ One recurring ritual beats ten brilliant plans.

↳ Monthly walk, Wednesday lunch, Sunday WhatsApp check-in.

👉🏽 Co-Create Safety

→ Ask one deeper question than “How are you?”

↳ “What’s heavy / hilarious / hopeful this week?”

→ Share first. Vulnerability is an invitation, not a demand.

👉🏽 Honour Energy

→ Connection doesn’t need performance.

↳ “Silent co-watch” a show, co-work, or cook together. Presence counts.

👉🏽 Use “Third Places”

→ Join low-pressure spaces where friendship can grow by accident: classes, clubs, community dinners, small-group travel.

↳ Quantity of contact → quality of bond.

The cost of letting friendship decay?

⚠️ Higher cortisol and worse sleep

⚠️ Weaker immunity and motivation

⚠️ Less resilience when life hits hard

The upside of treating friendship like healthcare?

👏🏽 Faster recovery from stress

👏🏽 More meaning, laughter, and perspective

👏🏽 A support net that catches you before you fall

This week’s 20-minute challenge:

→ Book one recurring micro-ritual.

→ Send two “no-pressure” pings.

→ Put one low-stakes meetup on the calendar.

Friendship isn’t a luxury. It’s maintenance for the soul- and a cheat code for longevity.

🍀 Repost if you believe adult friendship belongs in every wellbeing plan.

—

👋🏽 I’m Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack. We connect solo travellers on life-changing social adventures.

Follow for regular posts on the journey!

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