“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.
20 lessons learned from 20 years as a travel writer: A TravelCon keynote
Sex, travel, and the art of being a better bad tourist (with Suzanne Roberts)
Drunk in China: A vicarious Middle Kingdom adventure via its favorite booze
Growing up racially diverse: A not-so-politically-correct roundtable
Eric Weiner’s journey into the ways philosophy compels us to live better
Life changing travel experiences: The best hostel ever (in Cairo)
Brian Koppelman on the intimacy of podcasting and the genius of Iron Maiden
Vagabonding pioneer Ed Buryn on what indie travel was like in the 1960s
Kevin Kelly on how travel has changed over the past 50 years [rebroadcast]
Remembering Bettina Gilois (and what writers can learn from her work)
Talking with my parents about how to handle it when your parents die
Bonus: Unpacking the mission of travel-writing in the 21st century
What the world’s last subsistence hunters can teach us about humanity
Revisiting The Great Gatsby, high-school-style, in quarantine
Why travelers visit museums (in places like Iceland), and what they find there
Life changing travel experiences: Jumping freight trains in the Pacific NW
Kate Harris on the way travel can lead us into deeper questions about the universe
Andrew McCarthy on the Proust Questionnaire (and Brat Pack legacy)
How to balance creative success with business success: An open chat
How underground exploration is the perennial frontier of adventure travel
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Concrete Pastures Podcast
The Atlas Obscura Podcast
Travel with Rick Steves
Frequent Miler on the Air
Too Niche?