Title: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Author: Rolf Potts
First published January 1, 2002
205 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9780812992182 (ISBN10: 0812992180)
Rating: 3.95
Overview
Embark on a journey of a lifetime with Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts. This book is your ultimate guide to taking a hiatus from the mundane routine of your everyday life and exploring the world on your own.
Potts, a seasoned traveler, shows you how to achieve the dream of extended overseas travel regardless of your budget. Whether you are planning to take time off for six weeks or two years, Vagabonding is your go-to book to discover and experience the world on your own terms.
Join the vagabonding community and start planning your adventure today by visiting www dot vagabonding dot net.
About the Author
Rolf Potts is a well-known travel journalist who has covered stories in over sixty countries for esteemed publications like National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times Magazine, Slate.com, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, The Believer, The Guardian (U.K.), National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel. He is an experienced travel columnist who has written for Salon.com and World Hum.
Throughout his career, he has gone on adventures across six continents, including piloting a fishing boat down the Laotian Mekong for 900 miles, hitchhiking across Eastern Europe, walking across Israel, cycling across Burma, and driving a Land Rover from Sunnyvale, California, all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina.
Editoral Review
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts is a must-read for anyone with a love of travel or a restless spirit. Potts is a veteran travel writer who has visited over 60 countries and is a contributing writer to outlets such as National Geographic Traveler and the New Yorker.
In Vagabonding, he shares his wealth of experience and knowledge to offer practical advice on how to travel the world on a budget and for an extended period. The book is not a typical travel guide or memoir; rather, it is a guide to the lifestyle of long-term travel.
Potts emphasizes the importance of changing one’s mindset and priorities in order to embark on such an adventure. He argues that travel is not just about sightseeing and ticking off a list of destinations, but also about immersing oneself in different cultures, meeting locals, and gaining new perspectives.
The book is organized into short, digestible chapters that cover topics such as financing your trip, packing essentials, dealing with culture shock, and finding work on the road. Potts’s writing style is engaging and humorous, making the book an enjoyable read.
His anecdotes and personal experiences add depth and authenticity to his advice. One of the strengths of the book is its focus on the practical aspects of long-term travel.
Unlike many travel guides that focus on luxury accommodations and tourist attractions, Potts provides tips on how to travel on a shoestring budget, how to find alternative accommodations, and how to avoid common travel scams. Another notable feature of the book is its cultural significance.
Vagabonding was published in 2002, before the rise of social media and the ubiquitousness of smartphones. In a world where travel has become more accessible and commodified, Potts’s message of slow travel and cultural immersion is more relevant than ever.
The book also touches on larger themes such as globalization, the environmental impact of travel, and the importance of cultivating empathy and understanding for people from different backgrounds. While the book is not without its flaws, they are minor.
Some readers may find Potts’s idealistic tone off-putting, and some of his advice may not be applicable to every reader’s situation. However, these criticisms are overshadowed by the book’s overall merits.
In conclusion, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is an essential book for anyone who dreams of long-term travel. It provides practical advice, cultural insight, and inspiration in equal measure.
Readers will come away from the book with a thirst for adventure and a renewed appreciation for the diversity of human experience. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 4.5/5
