about

Once upon a time (ok, maybe not exactly that long ago), travellers used to send postcards from their adventures to their loved ones.

Travel used to be something you experienced, right there in the moment. And then you thought about telling someone about it. Maybe when you're back in your hotel room at night.

That experience has been replaced by immediate posting on social media. Travel has become content. Instagram is full of perfect travel days, all the same trendy spots, the same food, the same photos. And the dreaded: "Oh, you didn't go to that matcha place? Then you didn't do Tokyo right." As if there's a checklist, and you've failed it.

But often, the best part of a trip isn't on anyone's list. The quirky souvenir from a shop you just so happened to walk past. The unbelievable coffee from a café you spotted from across the street. The encounter with a stranger you'd never have met in any other lifetime.

That's the travel worth talking about. And those are the moments I want to share with you.

I've been to over 75 countries. And when I look at my travel photos, what stands out to me? Not a photo of me in front of the Eiffel Tower. Not a photo of the Eiffel Tower itself glimmering in the Paris skyline. But a photo of strangers walking down a Parisian street, where the Eiffel Tower just so happens to peek from behind the buildings. The moment I noticed at the time, but didn't know what to do with.

Magritte painted a pipe and said: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe". This is not a pipe. He explained: "Who could smoke the pipe in my picture? No one. So it is not a pipe." So I say this is not a postcard. Because who would have sent these photos, drawings or stories as a postcard? No one. So it's not a postcard. But oh how I wish it was.

So now, I do. Every month, I pick one photo from my archive that inspires me, and write a piece of flash fiction. I distill the moment into one-line art. And I match it to a literary quote. And then I put it all in an envelope and send it to your door.

The postcard I wish someone would send me - I'll send to you.