Nathalie | Day 2:

So Close and Yet So Far

Today I’ve thought a lot about the strange nature of technology. You often hear criticisms of its tendency to make people detached from the world around them (e.g. are you reading this on your iPhone right now instead of looking at whatever’s passing you by on the subway?).

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that technology has the strange power to create both intimacy and distance between people. Through email, texts, and calls we can connect to people across the globe like never before. Today you can keep track of old friends or make new ones without physical contact. But in doing so perhaps we lose track of what’s around us and, further, it’s really not the same kind of human connection we’re used to.

Technology, at least as I see it, creates not a false sense, but a different sense of intimacy. Nobody can deny how strange it is to reconnect with an old classmate in person after a good couple of years of Facebook stalking her or to meet someone for the first time after an intense email penpalship. Being close to someone in person is not the same as connecting to them—no matter how many ways we do so—through technology. It’s hard to describe why, but it is important to acknowledge this difference exists between being with someone in virtual space versus the same physical space. As our virtual networks grow increasingly, it’s important to remember to still connect with people in person.

In fact, this is precisely why the Vayable team is here in Paris to begin with.

Who did you meet?

Early this morning Michelle and I ran over to meet Sarah, one of our top guides in Paris, as she is kindly putting us up for the night before we switch to an AirBnB. When we arrived she and her boyfriend Sam had put out a lovely little breakfast for us of yogurt, croissants, tartines, tea, and coffee. The apartment is a total dream in an old building in the 17th arrondissement. High ceilings, wood floors, ceramic tiles, and beautiful windows with Venetian blinds overlooking the street. My favorite part is the big blue door at the entrance, leading into a leafy courtyard. It reminds me of Notting Hill, except Sarah is much cuter than Hugh Grant.

What interaction stood out most and why?

In the evening we had an intimate meet up with a group of our Insiders at O Chateau, a wine bar run by Olivier, a Vayable Guide. It was a very warm affair, but I noticed two people standing in the corner not really engaging with anyone. When I went over to talk to them, I realized that they were Brazilians and recent transplants from Sao Paolo, wanting to be closer to their children after retirement. Antonio, a new addition to our Parisian Insider team, told me that he joined Vayable because it was such a joy for him to share the secrets he’s discovered in Paris. He looked at me and said, “Maybe there are some travelers who are older and who would like to connect with someone like me.”

It’s so true! That’s why I think about Vayable like a dating site for travelers and Insiders. Because we’re all different and like experiencing a place in different ways. The trick is just matching with someone who resonates with you—and who can bring the familiar out in a foreign place.

What was the biggest challenge?

Crossing cobblestones in the rain!

What new ideas did you have?

I love little mussels. They are much more delicious than big mussels. Hands down.

What did you discover about yourself?

I miss my boyfriend! How lame. I really thought that I was stronger than that! It’s only been 48 hours or so. Shall I continue the love story I started in the blog yesterday?

Maybe I’ll let it wait still. It didn’t come out in conversation today with anyone in Paris. If it does tomorrow (when he arrives), then I promise I’ll write about it.

What’s something new you learned about the Vayable business/community?

Our Insiders are attracted to Vayable because they share our values. It’s lovely to realize that not everyone in the world is motivated solely by money.

For example, I had a long talk with Prisca, a new Insider who is a beautiful Cameroonian/French mother of two. She used to manage a boutique hotel, but quit some years ago because she realized she was missing out on her children growing up.

“Vayable was perfect for me,” she explained, “because I wanted to have flexible time so I could be with my kids, make some money on my own terms, and also use my expertise from working in tourism for so many years.”

Admittedly, this kind of choice is a privilege. Not everyone can quit their jobs because they want quality time with their kids. But it still points to the alternative type of employment that people are increasingly searching out, for many reasons not to be fleshed out here, one that lets them live more flexible lives with a better work/life balance.

Nathalie and Pisca

How’s the team doing?

Everyone ended the night feeling very fuzzy and warm. It’s lovely to meet people after engaging with them over email for so long. This is probably a very modern phenomenon—because technology can connect you with people across the globe in a way that’s simultaneously intimate and distant. We know our Insiders so well, and yet we don’t. We are in contact with some of them every day, and yet we haven’t met in person. So finally being in the same room is a very interesting feeling of familiarity and admiration—but also strangeness, because many of us are meeting for the first time.