Hi VF,

Surprise this morning: all VF pages have a dark background... I'm not a big fan! Did I accidentally do something wrong yesterday while checking my profile? Or is this a decision on your part to change the background color for everyone? I seem to remember François suggested this option (screen background choice) to forum users back in 2020, shortly before the site became inaccessible. I looked in "my options" for a way to switch back to the old light background but didn’t find anything. What should I do? No pun intended, but thanks for shedding some light on this! :-)

Murielle

Hello everyone,

Some of you may have noticed this morning that when you’re not logged in, advertising banners appear. We’re currently running tests, which is why they may show up in different formats.

A quick clarification: these ads will only be visible to users who aren’t logged in.

They’re necessary for the site’s survival. A website like VF incurs significant costs, whether for hosting or for the team working behind the scenes—we can’t keep it running on love and fresh air alone.

A member generously offered to help out after François’s departure, but we still need a new developer, and all work deserves fair compensation.

Hervé, from myAtlas, who took over VF, has no choice but to monetize the site to ensure it can continue to exist.

We sincerely thank you for your understanding and loyalty. Your support is essential to ensuring VF’s future.

Thanks to you, we can keep this site alive and continue sharing our shared passion.

Hi, Disconnected from all browsers, on all devices (but of course logged back in to post this message), I still appear online and active.

What I mean is, when I refresh (while logged out) the "who's online" page, my profile doesn’t move down the list... it even regularly jumps back to the top as if I were active on the site.

I’ve checked several times...

Any explanation?

Hi there,

Thanks for letting me know about the launch of the new VoyageForum.

I just want to say that I hope this fresh start has helped get rid of those rude people who thought they knew everything about every topic and would attack (and sometimes insult) participants who didn’t agree with them.

It was starting to feel like social media, where everyone thinks their own posts are the most accurate and truthful, and it was getting really tiresome—especially when all we really want to do is talk about travel.

So, my hope is that there’ll now be stricter moderation of exchanges between travelers.

Good luck with this new beginning!

4 years without you all was really tough. Well done to the admins for their hard work. 👏 Long live this Forum! 😄

Hello, Happy to see VoyageForum "back in action" again, and even though I know my post is a bit off-topic, I’ll give it a shot anyway: We’re a group of four looking to take an organized trip to Canada at the end of September/beginning of October 2025, starting from Quebec. These kinds of tours exist, but our main issue is that local agencies don’t handle pre-routing from France, which is a deal-breaker for us. Of course, we’re not at all opposed to traveling in a (small) group. Thanks for your replies and any leads you might have.

Hi there, I’m reaching out because I’ve recently returned to VoyageForum after several years away. Back then, the forum had switched to "read-only" mode, which paused my participation.

Now, I’d like to update my profile, especially by adding an avatar, but I can’t find the steps to do that. Could you point me to the instructions or guide me to a help page if one exists?

Thanks in advance for your help—I’m so happy to be back in the forum community!

Best regards, JULIE

Hello François, and the new team!

Like many others, I’m overjoyed to hear that VoyageForum is reopening! I’ve been waiting hopefully for this, and it’s wonderful that it’s finally happening!

I just couldn’t bring myself to actively participate in other French-language travel forums—their format and way of doing things never appealed to me as much. I really hope that VF’s structure, categories, and interface won’t change too much despite the handover, because I’m very attached to them. Through thick and thin, the site has held strong—it’s amazing!

In a previous message, François mentioned that there were positions to fill ahead of the reopening, including moderators...

I’ve been eagerly waiting for this and hoping to send in my CV.

Now, after reading the latest message, it seems like the team is already fully formed. But are there still a few spots left to fill?

I’ve been a VF member for 20 years (since 2004). I’d love to contribute to this wonderful adventure as a moderator if VF would trust me with the role. If the team is open to reviewing it, I’m ready to send my CV. Could you let me know the next steps?

Best regards, Marine/eversmile

Hi, I can't seem to sign up for the trip to Madagascar contest? It keeps saying "an error occurred." Has anyone else run into the same problem? Thanks

Bonjour,

Apparition d'un nouveau bug empêchant de poster des photos. Au moment de les télécharger apparait en rouge la phrase "Oups! Une erreur s'est produite: Vous avez essayé de télécharger un fichier attaché, mais cette fonction a été désactivée." Problème qui m'est arrivé ce matin et déjà mentionné par Marien33 dans le message 6 de cette discussion: https://voyageforum.com/forum/quel-coin-tranquille-en-thailande-en-fevrier-d11474148/

Re mon signalement d'hier: les compteurs semblent retourner.

Hi everyone. We’ve been feeling like there’s a big drop in activity on our forum... Probably due to the current situation... Have any of you canceled or postponed your upcoming trips? The forum is also facing competition from social media like Facebook and others, which play a big role in the political situation but are pretty limited when it comes to planning an individual trip. The mandatory ads for new members on the forum are also a major turn-off that should be removed. As for the current situation, I’m in Nosy Be, and there’s no problem here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the future. I feel like this crisis is different this time and could lead to real change. Hope I’m not wrong! Thanks for your replies!

Hello everyone.

First and foremost, I hope this topic won’t just focus on my region—the South of France—and that those of you who enjoy exchanging ideas will share what makes your own regions special.

Personally, I’ve often wanted to push back when people call us vulgar (though I’ll admit I sometimes play it up). At heart, we pure-blooded Southerners just have our own way of expressing ourselves, which differs from other regions. We also get heated in conversations pretty easily (some researchers say it’s the influence of the sun and climate in general).

What some perceive as vulgar, we don’t see that way at all.

Do you want a uniform world with no differences? If so, how do you handle traveling to places with cultures completely different from your own?

In the travel community, the word "authenticity" comes up a lot, and it often takes priority in people’s searches.

In my specific case, speaking a purely regional language without having gone to school for it doesn’t help with understanding on this forum. That’s what creates what you call controversies—and what I call passionate exchanges.

I remember a reply from a member in this thread: https://voyageforum.com/forum/ma-vie-en-camargue-pays-origine-en-colombie-pays-c-ur-d10778555/

It left me speechless and ended the conversation because, for him, that’s just how he sees things, and he refuses to debate it, sticking to his position. I’ll quote him, hoping he won’t hold it against me:

"For me, things like bullfighting, boxing, football, and MMA are just tangible proof that human evolution is still at a primitive stage."

For him, our Latin-origin bullfights are barbaric customs. For us *taurins*, we need to see men face wild beasts (bulls and *toros*) at the risk of their lives every day. Does that make us barbarians?

We’ve always had this need to confront death—it’s in our genes.

Take the example he gave about football: fans of the sport would be considered mentally underdeveloped. But what about a kid who’s passionate about the game and has that drive to be a winner, just like a boxer or athletes in other violent sports?

As a traveler myself, passionate about old stones and beautiful historic buildings, I’ve visited Rome but couldn’t fully appreciate it. Religion is everywhere, and I felt like I had a lead weight on my head realizing that millions of people worldwide have believed in a god for millennia.

I’ve also judged believers for basing their faith on archaic texts that don’t prove a god (or gods) ever existed—I still think that, but I’m open to being proven wrong so I can say, "You’ve convinced me I was mistaken."

- If everyone clings to their own ideas and positions, no discussion is possible, and that’s a shame.

I’ll take away two things from my forum interactions: some accuse me of being omnipresent when I just love exchanging ideas. My way of speaking is misunderstood (regional differences), even if I’ll admit I sometimes turn up the heat—or rather, the *aïoli* —which for me is just lively debates 🔥 (a regional specialty).

And my "mocking" side, which I really need to work on.

This topic isn’t just about me—I hope other forum members will share their own regional "specialties" . For example, in Alsace, some older folks switch to their local language when they don’t want outsiders to understand, and I still don’t know if it’s German or something else.

https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/decouvrez-marseille/traditions/le-parler-marseillais/

https://www.lexpress.fr/informations/accent-du-midi-ave-ou-sans_642635.html

Hi there, This might seem a bit out of the blue, but I really need some info, insights, and advice—especially tips! I’d love to go volunteer in countries that need help. Thanks, and please keep any negative comments to yourself

hi,

We’re planning to spend a few days in Brazil and would love some tips. What are the easiest transfer options between Rio airport and our hotel? Where’s the best area to stay in Rio for 3 days? Has anyone used the domestic air pass, and how does it work? How do you visit the waterfalls, and which hotel is best there? And what’s worth seeing around Salvador de Bahia? Thanks in advance for your replies. Best,

... or when a well-intentioned initiative can turn out to be harmful.

Hi there, Why does highlighting a post in the "Suggestions" section result in it being removed from the subforum where it was originally posted?

If it's to draw attention to this worthy topic, wouldn't it be better to leave it in its original forum too, like "Destination + country" when it's a travel journal... ... and maybe add a special symbol next to the title (the opposite of the padlock, so 🤪) to show it's been featured?

Hi, I started a thread about Afghanistan.

Out of 4 pages, more than half had nothing to do with the country/topic. The mods closed the thread—why not ban off-topic members and clean it up instead? Instead of closing a thread that had 2 REALLY interesting videos! Because in my thread, there will be more videos to come...

If you close it as soon as a few members go off-topic, letting some former prostitute who’s never set foot in the country tell a guy who spent 10 days there what’s true or not about Afghanistan...

If all the anti-Taliban folks tell you *Le Figaro* or others do a better job than this YouTuber... LOL Journalists often haven’t even been there—they just copy each other or write articles via ChatGPT... *Le Figaro*, for example, gets millions in subsidies to churn out garbage... And now this young guy deserves to be silenced?

Reopen the thread and clean it up! Thanks

Hello,

After 20 years of operation and a 4-year hiatus, we were happy to rediscover this forum following its acquisition by Myatlas.

At the very beginning of the adventure, there was a section allowing members to share their ideas—good or bad, feasible or not—with the team in charge to help perfect the forum.

So, to help VoyageForum regain its momentum and adapt to new audiences and a new environment, why not put our heads together and suggest some improvement ideas in this thread?

I’ll get the ball rolling!

Travel journals are limited to 300 photos because photo storage is expensive. This limitation is completely understandable, and Myatlas found a solution by offering a paid subscription for those who wanted to exceed the free photo limit. Maybe this approach could be adapted here? Limiting without offering an alternative is a reason members leave.

Hello! I’m a former VF lover (and, incidentally, an explorer of my Atlas 😊) and I’m genuinely thrilled the forum is reopening, but I have two little questions.

Over the past four years, I’ve put together a few travel journals that I’d love to share, but there are two things that bother me: - How can I edit my post after a few hours? (Because sometimes I need to correct mistakes even two days later.)

- At the end of VF’s previous run, there were a few members who were really unpleasant and enjoyed derailing certain discussions. As a result, I know several people who stopped coming to VF because of that. So, for MY travel journals, I’d really like to keep the vibe positive and kind. Is there any way to set something up so the person who starts a discussion can block them?

Thanks, and long live VF!

Hi, I’m not sure if this belongs here. The videos aren’t mine—they’re from a YouTuber.

I find his trip mind-blowing and totally different from what we see on TV!

So far, two 1-hour-12-minute videos have been released, but there’ll be at least one more!

Some French journalists and politicians have been tearing him apart lately. At the same time, the guy put in insane work without any funding...

Personally, I’m really impressed by what he’s done...

Here are the links. Sorry if this feels like an ad, but I genuinely think his trip is great—and most importantly, judgment-free. The only other thing I’d seen from him was his trip to Transnistria.

I Lived 10 Days with the Taliban 🇦🇫

Under Taliban Sharia in Afghanistan 🇦🇫

Hi,

Many of us have noticed that bugs have been making it difficult to navigate the forum lately.

I’ll let Kate and Ticapi explain the issue:

I went to your profile to check out the Thailand travel journal, and when I clicked on it, it brought me back here again. All week, I’ve been dealing with bugs like this—it’s really discouraging from continuing on VF.🙁

I had the same thing happen, and multiple times. For me, it was Montagnard’s latest journal that kept coming up no matter which discussion I clicked on.

Hopefully, a solution will be found soon.🙂

I'm stopping posting on the forum... these new rules are too complicated. I'll go to other forums that are less demanding... too bad!

Hi there, I just found out that VF is back...!! What a joy....

A huge thank you—this site is so rich in exchanges and the range of information you can find here.

Bravo to the team for your perseverance and courage in getting through that difficult period.

You're coming back strong.... I wish you a long life and nothing but good things ahead...

Just a few words so I don’t forget the one who had the magical touch and the ingenious idea of creating a wonderful site that made the word "travel" resonate for thousands of people.

Thank you, François, and rest in peace...

Bonjour ,

Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Et si je veux voir les messages d'un membre du forum je n'ai accès qu'aux (très ) anciens messages , pas aux plus récents.

Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Et si je veux voir les messages d'un membre du forum je n'ai accès qu'aux (très ) anciens messages , pas aux plus récents.

Même constat , pour moi aussi . C'est la faute à la chaleur, ou peut être à nos gouvernants ... 😏

Salutations

Bonjour,

Bonjour , Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Même problème depuis environ 15j.

Même problème depuis environ 15j.

Bonjour ,

Moi c'est beaucoup plus récent .

Le fonctionnement n'était déjà pas pratique mais là on ne peut plus voir les nouveaux messages qui n'ont pas encore eu de réponses , ni les forums qui n'apparaissent pas dans la rubrique " en cours " , c'est le cas du concours photo , du forum croisières , compagnons de voyage, etc....

Pour moi le problème est résolu !

Bonjour ,

Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Et si je veux voir les messages d'un membre du forum je n'ai accès qu'aux (très ) anciens messages , pas aux plus récents.

Bonjour, j'ai eu le même problème depuis mercredi. C'est résolu depuis ce matin, peut-être grâce à votre signalement !

Oui. Dites-nous si le bug revient.