“Travel is life’s best education, if you allow it be.” – Rolf Potts

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf remixes his interview from the Looking Up Podcast, by Max McCoy. They discuss why travel is a great catalyst for finding direction in life (1:30); how being lonely, lost, and bored allow you to experience travel in a deeper, more vulnerable, more spiritual way (12:30); how traveling and journaling about it can focus one’s writing discipline (20:00); the relationship of one’s travels and one’s work over time (31:00); how to whet your travel appetite by finding adventures at home, and how to navigate relationships as a traveler (41:30); the weird ways souvenirs can deepen the experience and memory of travel (46:00); and Rolf’s life advice to his younger self (50:00).

Max McCoy is the host of the Looking Up podcast.

Notable Links:

Van Life before #VanLife (Deviate episode)
Epiphanies of expatriate life in Korea (Deviate episode)
Time Wealth and the spiritual texture of travel (Deviate episode)
Thomas Merton (American monk and writer)
Rumi (13th-century Persian poet)
Stephen King (American horror author)
Astronaut pen (writing tool)
Paris Writing Workshops (Rolf’s writing classes)
Geoarbitrage (lifestyle-location strategy)
Robert Creeley (American poet)
Souvenir, by Rolf Potts (book)
One Month On the Mekong, by Rolf Potts (essay)
Donald Barthelme (American author)

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.

Vagabonding audio companion: How your earliest journeys transform you

Deviate

Vagabonding audio companion: How your earliest journeys transform you