Advice and answer from the World is a Village team.
Are assistance costs refundable?
Assistance costs are reimbursed if this option is cancelled within 14 days of booking your trip.
Benefits for your community
There are many benefits for members of your community, here are a few examples:
- The virtues of travel
Gaining independence and gaining self-confidence: Growing up!
Developing a taste for travel, discovery and curiosity - Common benefits
Discovering the world, opening up to others
Compare lifestyles
Expand your network, friends all over the world in “real life”! - The pleasures of hosting
Discover new cultures in your own home and share them with the whole family.
Gain WIVs points to start again at a lower cost
Benefits for your company, association, school
The benefits of World is a Village for your business are numerous, here are a few examples:
- International synergies
Facilitate exchanges between employees
Sharing Interprofessional Cultures
Knowing the company internationally
- Great place to work
Developing a sense of belonging
Strengthening the bond between employees - Awakening of the generations
Encouraging internships abroad
Learning world languages and cultures
Contact us
The best way to contact us is via our contact form.
Click here : contact
Phone
We can also be reached by phone, Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 6:15 pm. Outside these hours, leave us a voice message and we will call you back as soon as possible.
- From France: +33 1 84 80 17 74
- From the UK: +44 20 71 73 03 60
- From the US: +1 424-421-5284
Contacts Companies, Schools, Associations…
World is a Village works closely with :
- human resources
- the works council
- the head of association
- the school management
- Etc…
In order to set up a personalized communication pack adapted to each community.
Extend my trip
Only in agreement with the host family, you can extend the length of your stay by making a new reservation request directly on World is a Village.
How are the families classified?
During a search, families are classified in two different and simultaneous ways:
- By community: First appear the members of your community (your trusted network: your company for example)
- By language: Ranking by language comes second.
The whole network is present, so you can discover the family profiles on the left or search by country thanks to the world map on the right!
How can I chat with a family that doesn’t speak my language?
If the family does not speak the same language as you, you can exchange in English, which is the international language.
Feel free to use sites like Deepl or Google translate, to translate your messages and use the chat to chat with people from all over the world or feel free to contact us so that we can help you!
How can I see the profile of the family I’m talking to?
At each stage of your conversation with a family, you can find their profile by clicking on the family box on the right-hand side of your screen.
How do I add spoken languages?
On your profile you can easily add languages at the bottom of the page by clicking on “+ Add a language”.
Please fill in the real language level so that the matching is as efficient as possible 😉
How do I book a trip for my child?
Before booking a trip, the family you are talking to must validate the welcome.
Once validated, go to the page “Our stays” in your logged account.
Click on the trip concerned, then at the bottom right of the conversation page, click on “confirm my trip”.
You can then proceed to payment to finalize the reservation 🙂
How do I contact a member of the community?
Once you have launched a search, the family profiles that could match your request will appear (click here).
Just click on the green “contact” box to contact them :
How do I contact a member of the World is a Village community?
Once you have launched the travel search, family profiles that may match your search will appear on the left side of your screen (click here).
To contact them, simply click on the green or pink “contact” box next to the profile in question.
How do I edit my profile?
Once connected to your account, click at the top right of your page on “My family” then “modify my page”: click here!
Then fill in the information for each member of the family, house, pet…
How do I fill out my profile 100%?
The more attractive your profile is, the more likely you are to compete with members of the community.
Make sure you have completed your pages:
- Profile (photo of the World is a Village account creator)
- Family (photo of the whole family, description, DNA, …)
- House (photos, address, …)
- Profiles of the 2nd parent & children (pictures of all the children whatever their age, what they like, etc…)
Click here to access the modifications.
Other World is a Village members will only have access to your family page when you accept their chat request.
The goal is to show who you are in order to match up with the community members that best fit your family.
How do I prepare for my trip?
We advise you to follow a few tips to leave serenely
- Transmit all travel information to your host
- Find out about the country of destination (vaccinations, customs, etc…)
- Organize UM accompaniment if the traveller is a minor.
- Communicate as soon as possible your travel information (arrival and departure time, flight/train number, terminal if flight, etc, …)
How do I reply to the messages I receive? Where can I find them?
When logged into your account, click on “My family” at the top right of your screen, then on “my travels”.
You can see the messages with their status:
- accepted
- in progress
- cancelled
- done
How do I search for a family to host?
Welcoming is as rewarding as travelling!
You can search in 2 ways:
By language
Please select :
- the child who wishes to host
- the language to improve/discover by welcoming
In the last search bar indicate your dates of availability
By country
Do not select any languages from the box above and click on “Let’s go”.
The world map will appear with pinpoints representing families in the community.
Send a message to offer the family of your choice to stay with you.
You will be able to discover a new culture directly in your home 😁
How do I sign up for support?
After confirming your trip, at the time of settlement, you will have the opportunity to purchase optional assistance.
The amount will depend on the duration and destination of the trip. It will be indicated to you as soon as the box is ticked.
And, as everyone has the right to change their mind, you can subscribe up to 3 working days before your departure!
How do I sign up for Word is a Village?
Your community (company, association, school, …) has joined World is a Village – they will send you a dedicated registration link.
This link will allow you to create your account:
You will immediately receive a confirmation email to check your email. This will allow you to create your profile.
How does it work?
Travel, host, it’s up to you!
Thanks to World is a Village meet families who are members of our network present all over the world. All member families belong to World is a Village member communities:
- Company
- School
- Association
This is what allows us to verify identities and secure our network.
When you become a member, you gain access to the entire World is a Village network, so you can contact families according to your affinities in complete confidence.
How does World is a Village check family profiles?
In order to ensure community safety, family profiles are verified.
When registering you may be asked for additional information.
Examples :
- Membership via a trusted community
- Mails checked
- Profiles verified with the reference body
- Documents on request…
How many points do you earn by hosting?
To be able to travel more often, you can earn WIV points by hosting! 😁
You have access, at any time, to the number of WIV Points you earn in Your Home page at the bottom of the conversation page:
How much does assistance cost?
Optional assistance can be added when booking your trip.
And, as everyone has the right to change their mind, you can subscribe to it up to 3 working days before your departure!
Here is the cost of the assistance:
- For a stay between 1 and 28 days, the amount of the assistance is 10€/day. (For example, if the stay lasts 10 days, then the assistance will cost 100€)
- For a stay of 29 days & more, the amount of the assistance will be 9€/day. (For example, if the stay is 32 days, it will cost 288€)
How much does it cost? (Company, Association or School rate)
The price of the subscription is studied to best meet the needs of your company, association or school.
Please contact us here to ask for more information or to make an appointment so that we can make you a personalized proposal.
How much does it cost? (Family rate)
The registration to World is a Village, the search for families in more than 20 countries, and the unlimited exchange via chat and visio are completely free.
- Service fee 150 euros
- This is a one-off amount that covers the matching fee that you only pay when you travel!
- This price is on average 70% cheaper than any similar offer
How to be a good host?
Always welcome in a good state of mind!
Here are a few tips for this:
- Fill in your profile in full (family members’ profile, details of the house with photos)
- Inform the family rules
- Discuss all the necessary questions before the arrival of the person you welcome via the chat.
- Behave with the traveler as you would like to be welcomed
- Do what you can to include it in family life
- Keep an open mind
- Be in a good mood!
- Think of a small gift to give at the departure, it’s always a pleasure 😉
Good welcome !
How to Buy WIV points
You can buy WIV Points if you are short of them when you book your trip. Each night costs 100 WIV Points, i.e. 25 euros.
Here is the cost: WIV points are purchased individually.
1 WIV point = 0,25 cents of €.
100 WIV points = €25
How to earn WIV points?
There are several ways to earn WIV points:
- 1,000 WIV points at registration when you fill out your profile 100%.
- You earn 100 WIV Points per night when you host
- By sponsoring a new company, association or school, you will earn 1000 additional WIV points!
You can also buy WIV points if you need them to complete your trip.
How to join?
If you are a company, association or school with an international presence, we will be happy to welcome you to the World is a Village network!
To apply for membership and discuss with our sales team, click here
How to join?
If you are a company, association or school with an international presence, we will be happy to welcome you to the World is a Village network!
To apply for membership and discuss with our sales team, click here
How to organise a travel journey ?
We advise you to follow a few tips to travel serenely
- Book your tickets as soon as you have validated your stay by subscribing, if you wish, a cancellation insurance with the carrier.
- Find out how to enter the destination country (passport, visa, etc…).
- Organize UM accompaniment if the traveller is a minor.
- Communicate as soon as possible your travel information (arrival and departure time, flight/train number, terminal if flight, etc…)
- Have the telephone numbers of several family members (parents, children, …) at hand.
- Arrive in advance at the train station and at the airport
Happy travel !
How to search for families?
You can search in 2 ways:
By language
1/Select the child who travels.
2/Select the language you would like your child to improve/discover.
3/Indicate the dates your child is available.
By country
1/Select the child who travels.
2/Do not select language
3/Do not change the dates
The Map of the World will appear with the families in the community in pinpoint
How to translate a profile, a message?
Feel free to use translation sites such as :
- Deepl
- Google translate
Copy and paste the description or message and ask for the translation in your language 😁
How to validate or refuse a welcome?
To validate or refuse a greeting following a conversation with a family, simply click at the bottom right-hand corner of the conversation page on
Validate or refuse the welcome.
If you decide to decline the greeting, then the status of the conversation will change to “Cancelled”.
I did not receive the ‘verification email’ of my account
If you do not receive the email confirming your address when you register, please contact us by clicking here.
For security reasons, we need to verify that you have access to the email account you filled in before accessing the platform and discovering the community.
I don’t receive the registration link
Normally you will find the registration link on various media provided by your reference organisation:
- Newsletters
- Flyers
- Posters
- Intranet
If you can’t find it, you can contact us here!
In case of cancellation, will I be refunded?
If you cancel within 14 days of booking, you will be refunded the World is a Village service fee.
If your cancellation is made after the 14 day period, we will unfortunately not be able to issue a refund unless you have subscribed to World is a Village assistance.
Individuals
You can access the World is a Village network if your company, association or school is a member of our platform.
Subscribe from the link sent to you by email 🙂
Each community has a dedicated registration link, if you haven’t received it, please contact us here here
Modify a trip
When logged-in to your account, you can change the dates of a reservation on the page of the conversation with the family (in the tab “Our stays”).
Click on “Modify” at the top of the page next to availability.
My email has not been recognized during the registration
The email you fill in must be the one linked to your reference organization:
- company
- association
- school
For security reasons, your personal email will not be accepted, in order to maintain trust within the community.
If your email is still not recognized, you can contact our teams by clicking here
We will be happy to help you 🙂
Networks and communities
World is a Village is a network of trusted communities.
- companies
- associations
- schools
Membership allows their employees, members, parents, etc… to have access to the platform and register for free to World is a Village.
All members of the World is a Village global network belong to one or more circles of trust.
They can travel with their children or host members of their community and/or the World is a Village network.
Onboarding
We work closely together to integrate each new community into the World is a Village network of trust.
Communication packages are customised to best meet your needs.
Among others, we offer :
- Personalized emails to send to the teams
- Flyers
- Posters
- Webinars
- Live presentations
- Personalized accompaniment of families
At each step we will be at your side to accompany & onboard your community.
Professionals, associations, schools …
World is Village is an international network of trusted communities:
- companies
- associations
- schools
If you are interested in our service, please contact us by clicking here.
Once a member of the community, you will be able to access the World is a Village platform and discover the different communities and family profiles.
Profile connected VS Not connected?
Before becoming part of World is a Village, you will need to connect through one of WIV’s trusted partner communities.
Without registering to World is a Village, no information is visible.
After registration you and other community members will have access to a first level of visibility.
You can search for families, discover their membership community, family composition, photo, languages spoken, description & DNA.
Once you have contacted a family and they have accepted the chat request you will be able to discover their profile & they will have access to yours.
Report content
Some content may be removed for the following reasons, among others:
- Coarse/injurious language
- Spam
- Empty content
- Unintelligible content
- Any content that does not comply with our T&Cs and T&Cs
World is a Village has a period of 3 working days to decide whether or not to maintain the content.
To report abuse, contact alerte@worldisavillage.com
The advantages of World is a Village
World is a Village has many advantages!
- Safer: the families present on the platform all belong to companies, schools or associations selected by World is a Village.
- More open: Families choose each other and contact each other directly. They can check that they correspond to the criteria they have defined.
- More flexible: I am not obliged to make reciprocal exchanges. After hosting a Brazilian, I can go and learn English in South Africa.
- A worldwide network of trust
- A unique support service
- Creating a Network for Life
- A service 30 to 75% cheaper than with any language organization
The benefits of hosting
Hosting is as rewarding as travelling
Here are a few examples of the many benefits:
- Discover new crops right in your own home
- Make the whole family enjoy
- To discover or rediscover one’s city and country
- Make your children want to have the same experience by traveling in their turn
- Earn WIV points to start again at a lower cost
- Progress in languages
- Comparing lifestyles
- Networking, friends all over the world in the “Real Life!”
The benefits of travelling
It’s difficult to detail the benefits as they are so numerous!
“Nothing develops intelligence like travel.”
Here are a few examples:
Gaining independence
Gaining self-confidence: Grow!
Develop a taste for travel, discovery and curiosity
Give the desire to welcome in turn to discover its city, its environment …
Discover the world, open up to others
Making progress in languages
Compare lifestyles
Networking, friends all over the world in the “Real Life!”
We are all over the world
World is a Village is developing across all continents and the community is growing 🙂
You can travel all over the world and welcome families from more than 20 different countries!
Navigate easily with the help of the world map and pin points, which represent the families registered in World is a Village and their locations.
Once registered, you will be able to carry out a search : click here
What are the different levels of visibility of your profile on the site?
What does a low visibility profile look like?
Profile with reduced visibility may appear when some families have not filled in all their information.
What does a full profile look like?
Members with a full profile will be visible by 100% of the communities and will also have access to all families.
Make sure to have completed the following:
- Profile (photo of the World is a Village account creator)
- Family (photo of the whole family, description, DNA, …)
- House (photos, address, …)
- Profiles of the 2nd parent & children (pictures of all children regardless of age, what they like, etc…)
Click here to access the modifications.
Other World is a Village members will only have access to your family page when you accept their chat request.
The goal is to show who you are in order to match up with the community members that best fit your family.
Here is the information that appears for the connected members:
What are the instructions for transporting the traveller?
We advise you to follow a few tips to welcome smoothly :
- Ask for transportation information (flight number, schedule, phone number of the traveler and parents if needed)
- Communicate the modalities of entry into the country of destination (passport, visa, etc…)
- Provide a sheet of paper with the name and surname of the traveller and the World is a Village logo (PDF version available on request).
- Communicate as soon as possible the information on the person who will come to welcome the traveller (name, first name, description, telephone numbers)
- Have at hand the phone numbers of several family members (parents, child, …)
- Arrive early at the train station and the airport
- Welcome the traveler with a big smile 😁
What are WIV points ?
To travel, you need points, which are called WIV Points.
You earn 1000 when you sign up, which corresponds to 10 nights in one of the World is a Village families! (100 WIV Points per night)
You spend them when you travel and you earn them when you host.
You can also buy them if you need them when you book your trip.
What is the cancelation policy of World is a Village?
Cancellation of the stay is possible during 14 days following the reservation. This only concerns the costs incurred on the World is a Village platform (matching fees). Please note that this does not apply to transport costs or any other costs.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more information about cancelling your stay.
Contact us here
What is the minimum age required to participate?
World is a Village connects you with families from our global network.
We offer language and cultural trips to young people from the age of 10 upwards.
On the other hand, there is no minimum age to welcome!
What to choose as a profile picture?
Other members of the community have access to family photo & description, languages spoken & community of belonging.
The photo should therefore illustrate your family (no landscape, no single person, etc…).
The more attractive the family photo will be and the more contacts you will have 🙂
When do I have to pay for my stay?
In the conversation page, once you have confirmed your trip (you and the host family), you will be redirected to the payment page.
This page contains the family contract and the details of the assistance contract.
You can pay for your stay by credit card.
Where can I find my travel confirmation?
- You will receive a travel confirmation by e-mail as proof of purchase.
- You can also find the order on the page “Our stays” in your logged account. At the bottom right of the conversation page, click on “View receipt”.
Where can I find the contact requests I sent?
Click on “My family” at the top right of your screen, then on “my travels”.
You can see the messages with their status:
- accepted
- in progress
- cancelled
- done
Where can I see how many WIV points my trip costs me?
Throughout the conversation with the family, you can see the number of WIV points corresponding to the duration of your trip.
See the box at the bottom right of the conversation page.
Where do my WIV points appear?
When you are connected to your account, you can see the number of WIV points you have at the top right of your screen (see the yellow box).
World Assistance World is a village
World is a Village has specially created an assistance service to guarantee safety during your stay anywhere in the world*.
This exclusive assistance includes specific guarantees such as :
- Coverage in case of no-show or late arrival of the host family*.
- 24/7 telephone assistance in case of the blues or any problem during your stay*.
- Repatriation in case of a problem on the spot*
- Essential guarantees: illness, hospitalization, accident, psychological care, etc… *
The assistance has been tailored to meet the specific needs of World is a Village; it contains exclusive guarantees that even top-of-the-range credit cards do not cover.
