“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.
Seeking real crowds beats crowdsourcing (from The Vagabond’s Way book launch)
Preconceptions can blur what you see firsthand on the road (with Eddy Harris)
Travel deviations can be as appealing as travel plans, with Ari Shaffir
The Vagabond’s Way: An audio introduction to Rolf’s new book
Vagabonding audio companion: Love, finding home, and telling TV travel stories
“On the Ice”: What it’s like to live and work at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station
A Critical Race Theorist’s guide to writing smut novels, with Dr. Kevin Harrison
Traveler ideals, hospitality, and the disappearance of an Italian priest in Syria
Refuse to be Done: The art of creative persistence for long-haul projects
Marcia DeSanctis on revisiting places, souvenirs, and travel as self-reinvention
Chris Guillebeau on life goals, work, and travel as alt-university [encore]
Hitchhiking for pastries: The art of structuring a journey with an obsession
How to embrace uncertainty and redefine success by taking a “pathless path”
What travel teaches you about the human body, with Dr. Jonathan Reisman
The creative art of making a living as an adventurer, with Alastair Humphreys
The strangers we meet on the road, and how they can deepen our journey
Vagabonding audio companion: What it’s like to come home after a long trip
Meghan Daum on career-reinvention, flyover country, nuance, and Gen X
Paul Theroux on reading, teaching, and slow travel in Mexico [encore]
How inexpensive countries are the secret to prolonging the journey [encore]
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