International Women’s Day 2026
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At freetobook, people are our priority. With 36 members and counting, our team has over 200 years of combined experience in travel and technology. Our Head of People, Kit, ensures that we invest in our team and always help them progress – we’ve even won a recent Breakthrough Culture Award!
Building on her experience from previous roles that a ‘one size fits all’ benefits package often results in poor uptake, Kit developed a suite of bespoke benefits that prioritises our team’s immediate wellbeing. As part of this initiative, freetobe was launched.
This is an annual personal ambition fund of (currently) £500 spent in a manner of the recipient’s choosing. There’s one condition: it can’t be spent on boring household bills!
We asked our team to share how they spent their freetobe this year.
Andrew, Senior Software Developer, lives in northern Scotland and has a taste for outdoor adventure. He spent his freetobe on a two-day traditional rock-climbing course in the Cairngorms.
This advanced style of climbing involves placing protective gear as you go, with a second climber removing it on the way up, leaving no trace on the rockface. Andrew was in his element, even sporting our freetobook colours!
Andrew in action
“This felt like a natural progression from the course I took the previous year (also through freetobe!) on sport climbing, where protection is already fixed to the rock,” says Andrew.
“On the first day, I worked on the skill of placing protection. I would climb up a route following the instructor, taking out each piece of protection he had placed and attempt to replace it myself. Back on the ground, I identified good locations in the rock to place protection.
On the second day I led some routes; first with the instructor on a fixed rope next to me for guidance, before progressing to leading routes by myself!
Whilst the climbing was mostly straightforward, knowing that your only protection from a fall is the gear you’ve just placed was a real mental battle.
I came away with the skills to do this without an instructor. Although, having recently had a baby, it’ll be a little while until I put them to the test!”
Nathan, Senior Software Developer, spent his freetobe on a creative pursuit that will keep giving throughout the year – pottery making. He started with a five-week mug making course, learning the techniques of throwing, trimming, handle making, glazing, and slip decorating required to shape unique pieces. Since then, every Saturday he returns to the wheel to perfect his craft. His homemade mugs have even made an appearance in the office kitchen.
Was it the contrast between his work coding advanced software and the traditional craft of clay pottery making that appealed to Nathan?
“During the week I’m stuck to a screen, but every Saturday, I’m at a pottery wheel using my hands to make whatever I can imagine,” says Nathan. “You get to focus on what’s in front of you physically. It’s relaxing after a week at work.”
Nathan’s pottery pre- and post-firing
Pottery making follows a complex yet fascinating process: “First, you use the pottery wheel to shape the mug and leave it for two weeks to dry out. Then you cover it in liquid clay, add a handle, and fire it, before painting, glazing, and firing it a second time.
It gives you a lot of freedom; you never quite know what results you’re going to get.”
To that end, pottery making and software development follow the same principle: “If you can imagine something, you can try and make it.”
Jess, our Marketing Manager, used her freetobe to help fund her once-in-a-lifetime antipodean trip around Australia and New Zealand.
For four unforgettable weeks, Jess reunited with friends and family on a bucket-list trip across the outback, spotting kangaroos, koalas, quokkas, and sharks along the way.
Jess in New Zealand
“I began in Perth, exploring Margaret River on a girl’s wine-tasting trip and visiting Rottnest Island to meet the quokkas. It was incredible to experience Western Australia like a local,” Jess remembers.
Jess then spent Christmas the Aussie way – on the beach in Melbourne: “I flew to Melbourne to spend Christmas and New Year with my brother, his girlfriend, and my parents. As a big family person, being able to experience my brother’s new life in Australia was truly special. We went on amazing road trips along the Great Ocean Road, standing in awe at the Twelve Apostles.
Finally, I stopped in New Zealand at my extended family’s farm, road-tripping around the South Island in a campervan. The highlight was Doubtful Sound, one of the most remote and breath-taking places I’ve ever visited.
This trip, shared with so many of my favourite people, was genuinely once-in-a-lifetime, and freetobe helped to make it possible.”
Similar to our other software developers, Nick used his freetobe to take a break from his keyboard-intensive work as a Staff Developer – turning his hand to beer brewing.
“What I really love about brewing is taking just a few raw ingredients – grain, hops, yeast and water – and turning them into something completely different that you can share,” explains Nick. “It’s a mix of science, creativity, and patience – every batch teaches me something new.
Nick’s homebrew set up
Lately I’ve been trying to master IPAs and NEIPAs, tweaking the recipes to get that juicy, hoppy character just right. I also go along to a local homebrew meet-up, where we swap bottles, feedback, and ideas. It’s a brilliant way to keep learning (and tasting!).”
We sampled some of Nick’s homebrew beer at our annual summer BBQ, and it was worth the freetobe investment.
Beer tasting at the freetobook BBQ 2025
Evidently, freetobe lets our team pursue their interests outside of work; be it travel, creativity, or adventure. By investing time in themselves, our people can relax and simply be.
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