The first idea was to make a small local travel agency. I have been organizing tailor-made trips throughout Latin America for more than 20 years and "thanks" to the COVID pandemic and the need to redefine our industry, I naturally thought of embarking on a local tourism project that would be meaningful and sustainable in the current climate. So I would use my extensive experience in tailoring long-haul tours and adapt my expertise locally in slow travel style.

As I know the Normandy region fairly well and have family ties there, I decided to set up a travel agency in the glamorous coastal city of Deauville, on the outskirts of Paris (2h drive). The region is beautiful, full of potential and there is still a lot to offer, especially in the interior of Calvados.

In March 2020, on the verge of signing my lease contract, I decide to put the project on hold… too risky, little visibility on what will happen… In short, let the storm pass and refine the idea. 

As we went out of lockdown, at the beginning of June, the project started to take shape. The lockdown was behind us, I had time to think about it and especially thanks to 'La Serre' a work seminar we organized with Terra Group, focusing on post COVID green transition in travel,  and the various brainstorming workshops conducted at the home of our friend and partner Togezer This gave me enough material to review and fine-tune my local travel agency project, which ended up being still too risky at that time given the pandemic...  I just had to wait for the right time and in the meantime, continue to explore the idea and improve it!

In Paris, the electric bicycle is booming and the exodus to the Normandy countryside begins in early June. The town hall of Deauville, with whom I have been in contact for a few weeks, supports many projects and is looking at expanding its range of services around cycling... Cycle lane are developping fast and many green lanes are still being studied.

Finally and after some talks with the Mayor and the city council, I had the opportunity to rent a local in a great location. We are located on Deauville 's peninsula, opposite the marina and the entrance to the Pierre & Vacances residences, very close to the two new towers. This prime location also has the advantage of being around 100 meters from the train station and a stone's throw from the Tourist Office. This recently renovated district is in full expansion and is mainly accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

I am in the starting blocks to develop this great project which seems to be perfectly in tune with our times. I hope you will feel good at "Jean Connaît Un Rayon", enjoying a coffee or a nice ride in the region! This new store will offer beautiful tailor-made tours in Normandy which, I hope, will complement nicely the traditional local tourism offer.

To conclude, I would like to say that I had the chance to live for nearly 15 years abroad where I co-created Terra, a collective of 16 locally-based agencies across the world, designing unique trips in about twenty destinations. This experience has led me to travel and live on a daily basis all over Latin America, particularly in Bolivia, Peru and Argentina.

“Todo posible , nada seguro “ (Nothing is guaranteed but everything is possible !)

This is the motto of these Latin countries. Setting up projects from scratch in these countries is a real challenge and a daily “struggle” because, unlike our Western societies, there is no help to be expected from the State… Basically, every man for himself and we try to do our best in the best of all possible worlds.

This hybrid shop is clearly a beautiful challenge, there will certainly be twists, struggles and unforeseen events, and also perhaps at the end of the road the satisfaction of having explored another path and proposed a new form of local travel. 

And that’s the spice of life too, right?

Check out Jean's beautiful bikes !