The matching of our student with Bridgette made it so positive she had similar interest and was keen to be a part of the family activities. When bridgette was away this was also reflected in how she was cared for by her host family. Bridgette has benefitted from the AFX program in many ways. Her listening and speaking skills have improved but it is more than that she has lived the french way and seen Paris through the eyes of a Parisian and at the age of 16 this is such an opportunity. The benefits that our family gained from opening our home to some one were enormous. The Afx team dealt with any issues we had with efficiently and promptly and this gave us such peace of mind

(Bridgette's mother - Loreto Mandeville Hall - 2010)

Taylen had a wonderful experience with a vey loving and generous family.
We could not have asked for a better matched family and we have been very blessed with both experinces. Keep on doing what you are doing...you people rock.

(Taylen's parents - Kardinia International College - 2010)

As a parent, I felt AFX managed both personal and practical tasks with great competence. I also felt that AFX staff had a clear understanding about the needs of teenager children taking the trip.

(Bradley's mother - Melbourne High School - 2010)

The AFX people (the whole team) were really friendly. They made us feel our family was really important to them. We think that this may be because AFX is a family run organization, rather than a large global business.

(Pippa's parent - Ivanhoe Girls Grammar - 2010)

Getting to know 2 other families and their way of living in France. Being treated as part of their families means that I now have 2 other homes to visit in the future.

(Chris - 2010)

I liked the fact that AFX telephoned several times, and were very well organized both in their arrangements and at the airports. I felt comfortable to be travelling such a long distance with a group rather than by myself.Holly had a wonderful time and enjoyed her host family.It was a perfect match and she could not hav been happier.

(Holly's mother - MLC - 2010

Time and thought that went into finding the right match of family.I would just like to thank Vinciane and Harvey World Travel. Joe had a wonderful time (as well as improving his French), I would also like to thank the French family in Toulouse who looked after him so well.

(Joe's mother - The Geelong Grammar - 2010)

Language improvement. Cross cultural experience. Added maturity and confidence in my daughter. Relationship established across both families. Just a huge thank you. We were thrilled with the service you provided and Tilly had the most wonderful experience.

(Mathilda's mother - St catherine's Scool - 2010)

This was an excellent experience for myself: it provided a great opportunity to experience the differing viewpoints and lifestyles of a foregin culture, all the while forging storng links with the family I stayed with. The matching of correspondants, in my opinion, was done quite well and the personalities of myself and my host were well-matched.

(Joseph - Reciprocal exchange - 2010)

Our family have been rewarded with the many special memories from having our exchange student. Constance and Charlie have become very close and this friendship has enhanced their language skills. I believe this has a lot to do with AFX matching the families together that have similar interests.

(Charlie's mother - The Braemer College - 2010)

A truly wonderful and engaged family.Wonderful opportunity to join in family life in France. Lifelong friendships made. AFX made a wonderfull job with this exchange.

(Jack's mother - The Geelong College - 2010)

The overall structure of the exchange is very good as it provides the student with a certain level of independance yet their is always someone their to assist if required.

(Kelly's parents - Camberwell High School - 2010)

Hi Vinciane,
We would also like to thank you for the excellent organisation. Our daughter Caitlin had a wonderful time and has gained a great deal from the experience. We were particularly happy with the apparent thought that went into the host family selected - I'm sure its a difficult task and doesn't always work out but it worked very well in this case! We are more than happy to be contacted.
Mal

Dear Vinciane and AFX Team

Hugh had a wonderful time in France. The family he stayed with was perfect for him and he experienced the true European family Christmas and New Year while he was there. They looked after him very well and made his time in France very happy and productive. The school he went

to also was excellent for him -- he was very happy there and made many friends with both the staff and students in his classes.

His French has improved amazingly -- he went away with school-boy French and has come home fluent (and with the argot as well!). We are so pleased with the whole experience (and, of course, very proud of Hugh).

We were attracted to AFX because it seemed more personal that the bigger exchange companies... and you were able to provide the flexibility with dates that Hugh needed. It seems that you put a lot of effort into finding a family that would be good for Hugh and that certainly paid off -- Hugh got on very well with his family and had a very successful time in France. We also appreciated your flexibility in finding times to meet Hugh (at Mt Buller) and us (in Sydney).

We have nothing but good experience with you. Thank you for all you did to make Hugh's exchange so successful.

Dear Ben and Vinciane,

We wanted to write to express our thanks for the wonderful experience Jordan has had through the AFX exchange program both hosting and visiting.

She has just returned from her 5 week stay and had a fantastic time.

She and her host sister have become good friends and I think it is a relationship

that will endure. The host family went out of their way to make sure she got

to see and do as much as possible during her stay and she had some great experiences. The extended family also welcomed her over the Christmas period which was very comforting for us. She got to have a white Christmas which we are envious of. I know matching host families and children must be a very difficult job for you, but in this instance I think you certainly got it right! Jordan was not homesick at any stage and felt she was part of the family in every way. She has also developed independence and confidence during the experience which is an added bonus I had not considered. As an apprehensive mother thank you also for your patience and prompt attention to all my questions.

I think the entire exchange was very well organised and I felt confident that I could always contact someone from AFX if I had any concerns.Once again, sincere thanks to you both and all the best for 2009.

Dear Vinciane and AFX team, Isabelle is having a fantastic time with her family. They seem to be getting along really well and she does not appear to have been at all homesick. Her French has improved greatly and she seems to be understanding everything now except for the occasional word. She spoke to her Geography class a few days ago about the water restrictions in Australia as they are studying water at the moment. I think that you have found her a really wonderful family - such a positive experience for her.

Dear Vinciane and the AFX team,

I know that this message is way overdue, but I'd just like to thank you all very very much for providing me with an amazing exchange experience.

The ......... family was beyond what I'd hoped for. We got on incredibly well and I felt really well looked after the whole time. They took me on a tour of the Loire chateaux as well as a four-day trip to Rome, which was incredible. The hardest part of the whole five weeks was saying goodbye to the family at the very end!

During those five short weeks, I collected memories that I will never, ever forget and felt truly independent for the first time in my life. As well as improving my French, I feel that I'm now a more confident person as a result of the exchange and now I'm lookiong forward to finishing school instead of being terrified of leaving my little world. And most importantly, I've made friends in France that I hope I can visit again and again!

Thank you a million times for matching me up with such a beautiful family in such a gorgeous part of France. I hope that you continue to provide students with unforgettable exchanges like mine in the future.

Jess

Je tenais à vous remercier pour l'échange que vous nous avez permis de concrétiser entre Carole et Eliza! Carole a été reçue formidablement à Melbourne par une famille charmante et je crois qu'elle a été appréciée dans cette famille ! Ils l'ont emmenée en WE à Sydney, à Sorrento et dans les montagnes aux alentours de Melbourne! Du coup nous avons mis un point d'honneur à ce qu'Eliza garde un super souvenir de son voyage, avec un programme chargé.Nous avons eu la chance d'avoir une jeune fille adorable, gaie, chaleureuse, avec de l'humour, s'intégrant partout, chantant dans la maison ... bref que du bonheur !

Adrien est rentré ce soir. Son séjour s'est merveilleusement bien passé et nous tenons à vous en remercier. Sa famille a été particulièrement accueillante et généreuse pour lui, bien au delà du minimum que nous pouvions attendre. Les résultats que nous espérions de ce séjour semblent atteints en tous points; Que ce soit pour l'apprentissage de l'anglais, pour la découverte d'une autre culture et d'un autre pays, mais aussi pour l'ouverture vers un fonctionnement de vie différent. Adrien en revient dynamisé, avec le sentiment que l'on peut réussir et qu'il appartient à chacun de travailler pour son avenir. Nous verrons si cela porte ses fruits à plus long terme ! Isabel doit venir en France le 1er décembre et nous l'attendons déjà avec impatience.

We have had a wonderful 5 weeks with Thibault. He was the perfect guest and exchange.Stefan and Thibault got on extremely well and he really just became one of our family.There is non doubt that the relationship will continue. We had a teary goobye!!

Thank you so much to Ben at AFX for organising our French exchange. My daughter spent a wonderful few weeks in Paris over Christmas 2006 and the family you carefully selected were perfect. She was welcomed into her French family and enjoyed home life, school life and of course the culture, history, shopping and sightseeing! Her Franch went to great lengths to make her stay memorable and her improved French language skills sinc she returned have been reflected in her exams results. She is now saving up to return to France as soon as she can at the end of Year 12, and it's lovely that she has a family waiting there for her.We have just welcomed her French sister who is staying with us in Melbournefor five weeks and look forward to reciprocating a fantastic experience.

I have recently returned from my French exchange where I stayed with the xxx family. My visit was extremely rewarding! As well as gaining more confidence with my French, I gained more confidence in myself, and really enjoyed the opportunity of immersing myself in the French culture.

Je voulais simplement vous dire que frédéric est revenu emballé par son séjour à Melbourne et rêve d'y retourner...

Marie sadly left today at 2pm. We miss her already. She had become part of our family and even our dog, Calvin, loved her. She had a wonderful time here. She saw many sights of Sydney, the South Coast, a bit of Canberra and went skiing at Perisher. She absolutley loved Oxley College and remarked of how the school was very friendly and accepting of her. She made many friends and was invited to many parties, dinners etc. We even celebrated her birthday here and she was thrilled with ther Aussie gifts. As for Theodora, she has made a life long friend, not only with Marie, but with the other French girls- Pauline and Margaux. I wish to thank you and your company for all you have done. It was an enriching experience for both girls- and the girls were a perfect match. Theodora cannot wait to go to France in December.

Just a quick word to tell you that my time in France with Florence ...... and her family was fantastic. Florence and I got on very well when she was in Australia so I was very positive about going to her place - her family were very nice also...............

je tenais juste a vous remerciez de m avoir trouver une famille aussi gentille ,jai fait un bon voyage et je suis bien arrivee en Australie. (mail reçu de Melbourne)

Enfin un petit mot pour vous dire que Perrine est enchantée de son séjour en Australie.....La preuve: elle veut que l'on vive là bas!Merci à vous pour l'expérience exceptionnelle qu'elle vit.

hi, merci beaucoup pour tous votre travail! mon correspondant est super simpa et je rigole beaucoup avec lui! je m entends de même tres bien avec tous le monde dans la famille! Que demander de mieux?! je passe de tres bonnes vacances .. merci beaucoup. (mail reçu de Sydney)

A genuinely safe, cost effective method of enhancing your child's ability with a foreign language.

Elisabeth waited at the airport even though Hugh missed his flight and arrival was delayed.

I was very happy that the exchange was two-way so what that my son knew the boy he was going to stay with and that if there was a problem at any time there was someone available who spoke the native language. The matching of the students was very well done and they will remain friends for years after.Thank you Ben for organising it.

I immensely enjoyed my stay in France and also having my exchange student stay with me. AFX did a wonderfull job in pairing up the students. It was noticeable that the others wer also matched well. The exchange program is great if you want to further your French, make lots of friends and have a great time.Thank you Ben.

I went to France for six weeks and I had a great time. My French has improved dramatically as I have gone from being an average student to the best in my class! Thank you.

The best thing about my exchange was that it was to Paris. I did a lot of research for my exchange and AFX was the only organisation that offered Paris as a destination. The shopping was great and my French has really improved - merci beaucoup!

Being met at Paris airport, entertained for the next three hours and put on a rural train was fantastic. A real relief to know your daughter was safe and in good hands.

Le voyage en Australie s'est bien passé. La famille, l'école, les activités proposées étaient très bien. J'ai pu parler anglais avec la famille....J'ai hate de revoir Laura ... avec qui j'ai passé de très bons moments. Ce voyage en Australie m'a laissé de très bons souvenirs.

Mon séjour en Australie a été très agréable, ma famille était très gentille et m'a fait découvrir Sydbey. Je suis vraiment ravie d'être partie et j'attends avec impatience la venue de Megan.

It's reassuring to know that my daughter was greeted at the airport in Paris.I was also impressed with the contact between AFX and the students.Thanks to AFX for a very reasonably price exchange experience to Paris.

Je voulais vous remercier pour m'avoir permis de faire cette magnifique aventure, qui d'ailleur m'a été très bénéfique... j ai passé des jours merveilleux en compagnie de ma famille Australienne.

Je tenais à vous remercier pour mon séjour en Australie : c'était génial et très intéressant,ma famille était sympa,l'école beaucoup plus intéressante qu'en France... bref, c'était un rêve!.Merci encore

La famille m'a très bien reçu grace à eux j'ai découvert beaucoup de choses j'ai pu voyager aller sur la barrière de corail etc...faire du ski - L'école était géniale je me suis fait beaucoup d'amis dont j'ai gardé l'adresse.j'ai bien fait la fête,j'allais souvent à des soir'es.Je pense avoir bien amélioré mon anglais.Je rêve de vivre une année en Australie.Merci pour l'organisation. J'ai envoyé un mail à Christopher nous l'attendons en France a Noël.

I had a fantastic time in France and I also improved my French very much. I think the best thing about my exchange was the match up between my and my French host brother Philippe. I didn't originally know if I wanted to host a French boy but that turned out to be as much fun as actually going to France.

Le message que je peux dire en retour de ce voyage c'est que cela m'a permis de découvrir un grand pays tel que l'Australie. Et je remercie la famille qui m'a accueilli pendant 6 semaines. Comme mon cousin, j'ai trouvé ce voyage très magique et garde de superbes souvenirs et j'espere laisser la même marque à mon correspondant lorsqu'il viendra chez moi.

Merci beaucoup pour ce super voyage qui m'a fait découvrir l'autre bout du monde. J'ai pu enfin aller dans le pays de mes rêves et je ne pourrai jamais oublier : Sydney, Melbourne, MLC , l'accueil des Australiens et ma famille qui m'a si gentiment fait partager sa vie quotidienne. Merci beaucoup et vive l'Australie.

Mon voyage en Australie s'est super bien passé. C'est un pays magnifique dont les habitants sont très accueillants. J'y ai découvert des tas de choses et l'école, même si elle n'est pas mixte, est très intéressante notamment les cours d'arts (mais ça reste toujours de l'école !!).Je me suis très bien entendu avec mon correspondant et j'attends avec impatience qu'il vienne en France.

Je suis très content de mon séjour à Melbourne et j'aimerai bien y retourner. Ma famille était sympa et nous restons amis.

L'Australie est un pays formidable dont je garde un excellent souvenir.Cinq semaines c'est un peu court. Je serais bien resté 3 mois.