Los Angeles Friendship Tour

We base most of our groups at the fantastic Hotel Current in Long Beach. This Los Angeles Hotel features art from local artists. It offers an outdoor swimming pool, shuttle service, continental breakfast, free newspapers and free wireless internet.

In addition to the on-site art from local talent, the Hotel Current is also near many other cultural locations. The Museum of Latin American Art and Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens are near the hotel. Other popular attractions include Harbor Breeze Whale Watching and Gondola Getaway boat cruises.

Each room at the Current in Los Angeles features a mini-refrigerator and premium cable television.

Thursday: Depart on your transatlantic flight for LAX arriving late afternoon.  After you clear customs you will be met by our local representative who will take you to the van rental office where you will pick up your rental vehicles.

You have a choice of 15, 12 or 8 seater vehicles, or a combination of all three; whatever suits your groups needs.  All vehicles are automatic and come with air conditioning, AM/FM radio, CD Player,  unlimited mileage, additional drivers, full insurance and GPS navigation system.

After you pick up your vehicles you will travel to the hotel.  You will have the remainder of the day free to relax, unwind and settle in to that California lifestyle!

Friday: After breakfast the team will travel to nearby soccer fields for a light training session and then in the early evening we will arrange your first Friendship Match against a local team. This will give your squad an early opportunity to find out what it’s like to play against an American team.

Saturday: A free day to explore the local area. As you are ‘self drive’ you are free to go where you want to.

Our local representative is on hand to make some suggestions.

Sunday: Your second Friendship Match will be played today. All matches are arranged against teams of your own ability level.

Monday: Today you can enjoy all that the Disneyland® Resort Theme Parks has to offer.

Discover for yourself why Disney’s enchanting Disneyland® Park is one of the happiest places on earth! Enter an enchanting kingdom to sail with pirates, explore exotic jungles, meet fairy-tale princesses, dive under the ocean and rocket through the stars – all in the same day.

Explore seven exciting lands that bring to life Disney and Pixar characters, while providing amazing attractions, entertainment and dining. Prepare to be floored at Cars Land, where Disney Pixar’s hit film Cars comes to life. Then hop aboard a vintage red tram – inspired by the historic 1920 Pacific Electric Railway street cars – at Buena Vista Street.

Take the day – as well as the night – to discover unforgettable themed lands like Grizzly Peak, Paradise Pier, Pacific Wharf, a bug’s land and Hollywood Land.

Venice Beach: With its world famous boardwalk and beautiful beach Venice has became the “Coney Island of the Pacific,” complete with an amusement pier and a miniature steam railroad. It is one of the most popular destinations in Los Angeles for visitors and locals alike. From its days as home to Beat Generation poets and artists, Venice continues to be an important Los Angeles cultural centre.

The world famous Venice Ocean Front Walk (aka “the boardwalk”) is one of the best places in L.A. for people watching—everyone from colourful locals to visitors from around the globe. There’s something for everyone on the concrete boardwalk: on one side there are specialty shops, restaurants and uniquely designed residences, and on the other a myriad of street performers, artists, fortune tellers and much more.

Venice certainly marches to the beat of its own drum. On Saturdays and Sundays, that beat is heard loud and clear at the Venice Beach Drum Circle, an improvisational jam session that takes place on the sand where Brooks Avenue meets Ocean Front Walk. Hundreds of people from around the world gather to play their drums, shakers, congas and more, while others dance and chant. The drum circle begins around noon and lasts until sunset.

Santa Monica Pier: When you think of Santa Monica, the attraction of the Pier inevitably comes to mind. Its red and yellow Ferris wheel is a city icon. The Pier offers Pacific Park, a full service amusement park, combined with plenty of restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops, as well as an entertaining arcade. Pacific Park’s solar-powered Ferris wheel is the only one of its kind in the region. By day, marvel at the historic Looff Hippodrome Carousel or check out the street performers.

The views of Malibu and the South Bay are outstanding and make for the perfect evening when watched with a beer in hand. Stick around past sunset and you might just catch live local music to the sound of the nearby waves.

Malibu: Explore a fabled beachfront town with real star power. Stretching for more than 32 miles along the Pacific, Malibu is a beach town like no other. Hollywood stars and top athletes escape to oceanfront homes here. Considered to have some of the most perfect waves anywhere, Malibu’s Surfrider Beach was named the first World Surfing Reserve; nearby Zuma Beach is a sun magnet for locals and families. You can shop for beach fashions, and maybe even spot one of local celebs, at the Malibu Country Mart and Malibu Lumber Yard, two adjacent and upscale retail centres. There’s dining and fishing on Malibu Pier, which is a great place to watch the action at Surfrider.

You will play your final tour match this evening.

Wednesday: Your final day so it’s time to get those last minute gifts and what better place than Citadel Outlets

One of the best outlets in LA, it brings a long list of strong brands under the same roof. there is also a nice food court to have a break during shopping.

The Mall has every kind of store imaginable including Armani, Adidas, American Eagle, Asics, Boss, Calvin Klein, Clarks, Crocs, Disney, H & M, Levi’s, Nike, Old Navy and Vans. As this is an Outlet Mall all of the prices are a lot cheaper than in the regular stores,

We will arrange for you to play as many games as you wish during your stay. We will take care of the pitch hire and referee expenses, all you need to do is turn up and play!

Los Angeles soccer teams range from purely recreational to national championship winners, but whatever your level of play we will match you with teams of your own ability level.

We don’t book flights instead we pass your details on to a company called AVIATE GROUPS who are specialists in obtaining the best group flight prices out there. They use their experience of the market and relationships with major airlines to guarantee you the very best fares, but if you want to book your own flights you are more than welcome to do so.

Below you find some of the airlines that fly directly to LAX. If you would like us to get a quote from Aviate on your behalf please ask.

Aer Lingus from Dublin.
American Airlines from London-Heathrow.
BA from London-Heathrow.
Norwegian Air Shuttle from London-Gatwick.
United Airlines from London-Heathrow
Virgin Atlantic from London-Heathrow plus from Manchester

There are many other airlines you can fly to LAX with from all over the UK that have one stopover. Here are a few examples:

From Birmingham via Amsterdam with KLM and Delta
From Birmingham via Paris with Air France
From Birmingham via Munich with Lufthansa

From Manchester via London-Heathrow with BA
From Manchester via London-Heathrow with American Airlines

From Edinburgh via Amsterdam with KLM
From Edinburgh via Amsterdam with Delta

From Glasgow via Dublin with BA
From Glasgow via London-Heathrow with BA

When you arrive at LAX our local representative will meet you and help you with the pick up of your hire vehicles.

We’ve found that this is the best way for groups to travel around, however, if you prefer not to ‘self-drive’ we can offer private coach travel but this tends to be expensive.