Bon Voyage Cards: How to Give a Colleague the Send-Off They Deserve

Bon voyage vs. leaving card: what's the difference?

A leaving card says "we'll miss you at work." A bon voyage card says "we're excited for what's ahead of you." The tone is different — less bittersweet, more celebratory and forward-looking.

A good bon voyage card focuses on the adventure: the country they're moving to, the trip they're taking, the chapter they're starting. Messages that acknowledge what they're heading towards land better than ones that linger on what they're leaving.

Who it's for

Bon voyage cards work for a wider range of situations than most people realise:

• ✓A colleague emigrating — Australia, Canada, Europe, anywhere
• ✓A friend taking extended sabbatical or career break travel
• ✓A family member moving to university in another city or country
• ✓Someone heading off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip (gap year, RTW)
• ✓A colleague who's retiring and moving somewhere new

What to write in a bon voyage card

The best bon voyage messages are specific and warm. Some starting points:

Reference the destination

"I've always wanted to visit New Zealand — now I have a very good reason to."

Send them off with something practical

"First thing you must do when you land: find the best local coffee and report back."

Keep the door open

"This isn't goodbye — it's see you on the other side. And we expect updates."

Be honest

"We're going to miss you more than you know. Go have the best time."

Timing is everything in summer

Summer departures often come with short notice — or at least, people leave it until the last moment to organise the send-off. The good news is a digital group card can be turned around in under 24 hours if you need it to be.

Create the card, drop the signing link in Slack or WhatsApp, and set signing to close the evening before their last day. Even with just 48 hours, you'll usually get 15–20 messages from a team that cares.

One thing to watch in summer: a lot of people will be on leave themselves. If you can give it a full week, do — more messages means more of the people who matter had a chance to be heard.

Delivering the card

A leaving card lives in a drawer and gets forgotten. A digital card stays accessible — they can open it on their phone on the plane, read it again when they arrive, and share it with family. Send the card link directly to the person you're sending off, ideally on their last day or the morning of their departure.

If there's an in-person leaving do, you could also pull the card up on a laptop to read messages aloud — it works well as a toast moment.

No account, no faff

The main reason people don't sign cards is friction. SimpleCards requires no account to add a message — you click the link, type something, and submit. That's it. In a busy summer period when people are juggling holidays and handovers, removing every unnecessary step matters.