“One way of making famous landmarks more comprehensible is to look for surprises, good and bad, that go beyond what you are expected to encounter there, details that open you up to the raw imperfections of the encounter itself.” –Rolf Potts
In this episode of Deviate – which is a redo of episode 229, which didn’t air properly due to technical problems – Rolf and The Vagabond’s Way book club participants discuss how to break out of standard tourist routines and see places in unexpected way (1:30); how to get beyond the transactional, “taxi drivers and bartenders” layer of travel (10:00); how to become more independent of technology and smartphones as a traveler and find the “wisdom of place” (16:00); and the travel photos Rolf wishes he had taken when vagabonding 20 years ago (23:00).
Discussion moderator Luke Richardson is a traveler, author, and DJ based in England.
Notable Links:
The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.
Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.
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How travelers create quests and find community (online book club remix)
Art introduces us to places before we go there (live from the Faroe Islands)
Travel can be a way to see the future (and experience the past), with Kevin Kelly
The best age to travel is whatever age you are now (an online book club remix)
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Why you go someplace is less important than just going (with Tony Perrottet)
Integrating love of travel & love of home (with philosopher Chloe Cooper Jones)
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Travelers create their own distinct global culture (with anthropologist Pegi Vail)
The travel industry is here to help you; feel free to ignore it (with Seth Kugel)
Deviate Live in NYC: The Vagabond’s Way (onstage at KGB Bar with Ari Shaffir)
Reinvent what it means to be an “explorer” (with Kate Harris)
The subtler risks of travel carry rich rewards (with Carl Hoffman)
Uncertainty makes for the truest adventures (aka Tim Cahill’s Travel 101)
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Keeping a journal helps you make sense of the journey (with Lavinia Spalding)
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