Club History

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRAVELLERS' CLUB FINLAND (TCF)

TCF was established in Finland in 1994 in order to bring travellers together. The activities of TCF are based on the one hand on club events with excellent presentations and on the other on communal trips. The idea behind the club comes from England. The oldest Travellers' Club is located in London, and was established in 1819. It resides at 106 Pall Mall in its own house built in 1822. The club was meant to bring together British officials and businessmen working abroad. The address alone reveals that the Club is one of the most prestigious in the country.

In the traditional manner, the idea first came to Finland via Sweden. Our club was founded on 20.10.1994, while the club in Stockholm had already been in operation from as far back as 1911. The idea was imported here by our honorary member Folke U. Persson, who was a co-member in the Lions Club along with our honorary chairman Aimo N.K. Viitala. They were both active, busy businessmen, and brought in Oiva Rajasammal and Lauri Kaijansinko “Lakri”  to realize their idea.

The club began its activities slowly but surely. In 1995 there were 37 members, and now there are 260. We aim to keep approximately the amount of members we presently have in order to stay vital but also small enough to keep a community atmosphere where everyone knows each other.

Every year we hold six communal evenings where high-quality presentations are held. The yearly ball is a communal event to be attended with spouses. Gatherings have also been held at summer festivals and golf tournaments. Another function of the club are communal trips, which take place two times a year, one a week-long trip in Europe and the other a two-week excursion to farther destinations. In addition to these we also have a couple of optional trips every year which involve less organization.

The members of our club have taken part in events of all of our sister clubs in the Nordic countries as well as England and Turkey.

Our meetings are attended by around 50 members and our short trips have about as many participants. A slightly smaller group takes part in far travel. Our club uses only the best travel organizers, aiming always for the highest quality and most of all a pleasant time spent with good friends. ‘

Jarmo Kalm