JEAN PHILIP DE TENDER

I haven’t boarded a plane in almost three weeks. For someone who flies on average three times a week this sounds like vacation. And it is vacation : Geneva – Marseille – Montpellier – Brussels, catching up with friends. Heading back to my home in Geneva and back to the office on Monday.

Back also to the travellers’ tribe.

A few years ago Seth Godin published “Tribes” :

A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have joined tribes, be they religious, ethnic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads).

I am happy to part of more than one tribe, not sticking to just one box such as working in media, or being gay, appreciating good food or being an avid reader. The newest community I am part of is the travellers’ tribe.

We say hello when we board the same plane on a Monday morning.

We get annoyed when we cue for the security check and have people unpacking in front of you.

We have our favorite shops in airports across the world.

We used to buy too many gadgets but learned to avoid checking the newest offer.

We love Easyjet because we really feel special as a frequent traveller unlike the more traditional carriers and loyalty programs.

We pick up a stack of newspapers and magazines in the lounge.

We travel hand luggage only.

We carry plenty of books on our Kindle.

We buy a salad or some sushi before boarding to have something healthy to eat.

We update our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music and plug in our AirPods not hearing the safety measure rules performed by the staff on board.

We look people at customs right in the eyes.

We enter or leave Schengen and sometimes forget were we came from / go to, having to check the boarding pass first before we can answer if we are here for business or leisure.

But above all … we love traveling and visiting new places.