Thank You, VoyageForum (page 1 of 2)

I don’t want to write an obituary for VF here; I hope it’s just a rough patch and that we can keep exchanging. But I do want to list all the great things this Forum has given me:

-Some amazing travel stories from Yangguizi, one of which led me to North Korea. Just look at the power of storytelling! And Looping, Mariecurry, Michant... Pondi will see me in the Altai one day. -Meeting a really friendly travel companion, which gave me the confidence to explore the Russian Far North. Where else could I have found a travel buddy for such a unique trip? -Meeting people on the Forum who encouraged me to write and gave me confidence. I even found my Quebecois translator and Breton translator for a few lines here on VF. A big thank you to them. -A wealth of information from reading travel journals, plus the chance to ask specific questions to prepare for a trip. Reading these journals also inspired me to visit new destinations.

And then, Voyage Forum is like a big family made up of so many different personalities. Anonymity breaks down all barriers and inhibitions. Sure, some people can be a pain and might’ve needed some help, there are the lost souls; others are all kindness and warmth; some stand out for their beautiful French; that’s not something to dismiss in these times of language impoverishment; some intellectuals share ideas that often go over my head; there are the ruthless commentators on others’ writing and thoughts. Ego battles flare up—it’s all part of the game. I can’t imagine the work it takes to manage all this. Rarely, a historical discussion takes hold with knowledgeable contributors. How cool is that! It’s fascinating and educational. Unfortunately, political correctness often shuts it down quickly. The trolls are watching!

Thank you, VF. And thank you all who owe it to yourselves. What are the most original contributions?

A HUGE thank you to VF—what are my reasons?

Wow, there’s so much I owe to VF. If I look back at the years on the road with men and women who have the tenacity of steel—friends for life, brothers and sisters of adventure. Through my job, I have brothers in arms, and through my first passion, mountaineering, I have brothers of the great walls. VF fits into this trilogy with the multitude of people it’s allowed me to meet: Jean, Alain, Gérard, Yves, André, Evelyne, Brigitte, Patricia, Flora, and so many others… Without VF, I don’t know how I would’ve met these crazy folks who only come alive when they’re caught up in crazy adventures.

It all started with Jean, to whom I gave some info about Albania since I’d lived there. And just like that, the gears started turning—first with him, a warm-up trip. I didn’t even bike back then: a tour of Corsica and Sardinia. We clicked, and right after, we crossed Europe, then the Andes the following year. He became my wife’s public enemy number one. Mountaineering scared her, but at least it never lasted four months.

The best memories of the last ten years, I owe to VF. They say true friends are those from your youth. Sure, as I’ve already said, the army and mountaineering gave me strong friendships when I was young.

At 50, a new youth—baptized in the flow of VF—and other brothers and sisters were gifted to me. I feel like I’ve known them forever, so deeply have these years on the road with them imprinted on me. Despite a hectic professional and sporting life, VF, through the discovery of bike travel—where you live 24/7 together for months—taught me to know myself even better. To always adapt more when things go south, because it’s not always others’ fault.

And then there are the writings, the people you only know through the keyboard—stories beautifully written. Yes, Pondy, whose work I’ve been a fan of from the start, Dolma, whose pen wanders lightly with the nostalgia of time passing, and others in hard or soft adventure tales. There are so many; several names come to mind, but many others have made me dream.

And of course, the advice I’ve received, especially for committed trips like crossing great deserts self-sufficiently.

Of course, there are a few wasps, just like in real life, and I’m ashamed of how I’ve sometimes let myself get dragged into responding to them in, let’s say, crude ways. Thanks to VF for not banning me for those slip-ups. Travel should teach you to put things into perspective and let them slide.

On top of that, this complementary experience has allowed me, for the past 28 months, to host a monthly travel segment on a Vosges radio station. It’s let me join the editorial team of the *CCI* magazine, bringing in contributions from VF travelers. It’s let me write bike travel pieces for the *École de l’Air* alumni magazine *Le Piège*, seeing my text sandwiched between a technical article on Rafale onboard equipment and one by an astronaut from the same school—wow, thank you VF. It’s also let me write two books. Though breaking into publishing is tough, I’ve had a lot of positive feedback (a little ego boost!!!).

And in my latest travel report, I start with a tribute to VF: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10328211;#10328211

There you go—in 20 minutes, I’ve just poured out what this question about gratitude inspires in me.

YES, François, an ENORMOUS and GIGANTIC THANK YOU to VF. Luc

PS but this is gonna last

And thanks to both of you as well for your kind and well-deserved messages. :) We all agree that we need to keep VF going!

The rats are on guard there!

We came this close to a message from a seasoned traveler mellowed by journeys.

The rats are on watch there!

We came within a whisker of a message from an old traveler mellowed by journeys.

Yeah, it's frustrating because suddenly a great discussion starts with contributors who have real expertise; we learn things, see the problem from a different angle—basically, it's fascinating. And then—bam! The thought police step in and shut it down under the pretext that we're not mature enough to weigh the issues. With the way political correctness is going these days, it's better to stick strictly to travel topics... and even then, stay cautious.

I totally share that huge feeling of gratitude. Let’s just say VF is pretty essential to our lives!

Hello 🙂

Like many of us, I’ve been logging on almost every day for 15 years. There have been periods of abstinence, frenzies, disagreements, discoveries, sharing—so much sharing. I’ve met some of you in person, some I know virtually, and others I feel like I know. In short, VF is like real life, but with travel on top.

François (from Quebec), you’ve explained the challenges of keeping VF going—we’re ready to roll up our sleeves or open our wallets...

My message doesn’t add much, but it makes me sad to think this space that brings us together, sometimes daily around travel, might disappear.

In short, VF is like real life, but with travel on top... This phase of questioning we’ve seen in the closed thread is ultimately logical, sped up by the financial difficulties linked to the pandemic. That’s the issue we’ll need to solve... How? I don’t know—unity around this tough question certainly won’t be enough.

But like many others, I love VF, and I’m putting it out there...

Well, I see that this thread is about settling scores—François, you’re explaining the challenges of keeping VF going, and people are offering to roll up their sleeves or open their wallets...

Good evening, I’m François from France, just a regular visitor. The François from Quebec is probably reading this. Even if he’s facing temporary difficulties, I think our support must warm his heart, and he must realize he’s created something wonderful with this forum.

As for settling scores, that’s over—I’ve let go of all my past frustrations. The people on this forum are actually really friendly.

Yes, sorry François from France—I’d written that little post to publish in the thread that’s now closed. So the sentence didn’t make sense anymore. I’ve edited it :)

You seem like someone who really likes their goulash spicy, huh? 😉 VoyageForum is a legendary meet-up site (I see you getting all excited, but it doesn’t always end in an adventure). Paradoxically, it’s also a place to learn about real life (you’re not just among your own kind here). And finally, it’s a playground that makes me miss being ten years old (even if things can get personal sometimes and there are a few bad apples). It’s buzzing, it’s vibrant, and it crackles with energy—but watch out for the teacher! 😇

A post without Voyajou is like a Martini without a cherry!

Nope, I don’t eat goulash anymore—I’ve switched to crêpes Suzette with orange blossom; the "Politruk" (political commissar) can sleep easy. We won’t see lively discussions like the ones about the Spanish Republic and Francoism again. Besides, how do you even have a conversation without risk these days, when values shift, when you have to weigh every sentence before saying it, when a word loses its meaning overnight or suddenly becomes taboo?

Otherwise, I wasn’t exactly thrilled in northern Russia—I was looking for adventure, not *an* adventure.

As for the teacher, she hasn’t failed me yet. Tabernacle! !

Lovely message.

Thanks also to VF for existing. And after having frequented various other forums, I can say this one has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of management or atmosphere, which is generally quite good and friendly (at least before the COVID era).

It’s such a pleasure to talk about our passion and reconnect with familiar usernames, even if we don’t always share the same ideas!

I also hope this forum will survive. I’d be sad if it had to close :/

Forums are sadly dying out in favor of social media, but personally, I can’t bring myself to join Facebook groups, for example—I don’t like the layout, and I think I’m still very much "old-school internet."

My encouragement to François especially, who’s doing his best for us all!

Voyage Forum has been with me for 15 years now... seeing it disappear would be such a sadness...

This site, by far the best for travel, deserves to live on. Without it, where will we find such a goldmine of information and inspiration for our future trips? Because there *will* be future trips—this dark period will eventually fade away.

I’ve met extraordinary people here virtually, laughed and cried when learning about the passing of some contributors. I didn’t know them, and yet, it broke my heart. I’ve discovered countries, adventures... escaped through remarkable travel journals, and admired so many beautiful photos...

Yes, thank you Voyage Forum for existing.

As for original contributions, I’m not sure if, as a "traveler," mine were all that original—but it’s thanks to VF and its travel journals that I went to Colombia, Ecuador... that I planned my trips in the countries I visited...

Preparing for my travels always involves reading the travel journals on the country I’m considering. In the end, I owe VF the success of my trips, the sweet memories they’ve left me—and that’s no small thing.

VF, it’s my playground.

VF is my virtual encounters with contributors I appreciate, who make me laugh, who make me think, who make me dream, who I try to imagine in their real lives.

VF gave me confidence in my words and, even with my spelling and syntax gaps, allowed me to write all my ramblings. It gave me the push to take part in all sorts of small literary contests and bigger ones, to win prizes, and to be published in short story collections. To twist my ankles on stage because they were swelling—but mostly because I’ve never known how to walk in heels.

VF is my “secret garden,” known only to a few, and where even my son, who used to be a participant, didn’t know I was there.

VF is my embarrassment at never being able to help with any destination because, while I remember situations and conversations from my travels, I never remember cities, addresses, or things to see.

VF is a lot of smiles, alone in front of my screen.

VF is real sadness for those who’ve disappeared forever and whom I used to read with such appetite and joy.

VF is irritation, it’s anger that wells up in the face of intolerance and meanness. And I close the window.

VF isn’t real life, as I’ve read, because in real life, I’m a shy person who doesn’t speak up.

So yes, Zorba, I can say thank you to VF.

I don’t want to write an obituary for VF here; I hope it’s just a rough patch and that we can keep exchanging. But I do want to list all the good things I owe to this Forum:

And I totally agree with everything said later in this post.

Concretely, how can we support the long-term technical survival of this forum? That’s the question: an online fundraiser, crowdfunding... but only after estimating the operating costs, which I personally have no idea how to assess.

Oh yeah, it would be such a shock to see VF go.

No other travel site is as interactive and rich in my opinion.

In networks that also practice and encourage insularity, it’s also incredibly valuable to virtually meet people who don’t agree and have different opinions—and that alone is priceless.

When it comes to travel, no guides or anything like that—the forum offers so much more, and I hope I’ve been able to help with the destinations I know and contributed to.

And, on a side note, it’s where I spend a lot of my free time when work gives me a break...

Yes, long live VoyageForum!!!!!! I won’t repeat—less eloquently—what’s already been said so well before. VF is my daily fix, a fix that sparks dreams and warms the heart.

VF, Let’s hope it lasts! as Madame Mère so aptly put it

A discussion about Place de la République where people come to leave a little note, memories, a tear, a small flame... and everyone would hold their breath so as not to make it flicker. A discussion like a dreamcatcher to keep at bay the inevitable that many fear. A discussion of A Thousand and One Nights where each person, like Scheherazade, would tell a bit of their story here. (Then the sultan would yield and the story would have no end...)

Over time and through gnashing of teeth, the forum has changed, grown richer, become more structured, shed some weight, sharpened itself... while preserving that incredibly precious quality in a virtual world: its soul. Into which of our tiny cracks did this soul slip to take hold, take root, and grow so much that its removal—whether chosen or endured—would be such a blast in our lives...

VoyageForum, a metaphor for the world as it is, for life as it goes, for people as they are, a fabulous setting for talented writers, gentle dreamers, and incorrigible dreamers, stories from elsewhere—not always far away—with disorienting words and luminous images.

VoyageForum, a community of travelers and a sum of individuals who cross paths as much on public walkways as in private shadows...

A force that exists, a force we should be able to rely on.

🙂 hello

I’m joining in too... my turn to say: thanks VF! And a special shout-out to all the Africa fans (rotsaka, papy et mamie, and so many others), the hiking, biking, and motorbike gurus... Djalma, Luc Bertrand, and so many more. To everyone who’s inspired me and helped me have amazing trips! Long live VF—I’m also ready to contribute if needed. herve