“Embrace your travel mistakes. You can’t ‘fail’ at travel; you can only learn from travel.” –Rolf Potts

In this episode of Deviate, which excerpts a keynote talk from TravelCon, Rolf talks a bit about his background of growing up in Kansas and dreaming about travel, his earliest vagabonding travels, and his first forays into travel writing (3:30); then Rolf shares his “20 lessons learned from 20 years as a travel writer,” (7:30).

Notable Links:

Podcasts and essays alluded to:

Nomadic Matt Kepnes on travel (Deviate episode)
Van Life before #VanLife (Deviate episode)
A Trans-Siberian story (Deviate episode)
No Baggage Challenge (round-the-world video series)
The wrong town in Morocco (blog/video dispatch)
Up Cambodia without a phrasebook (travel essay)
Cowboys and Indians, Thai-style (travel essay)
Going Native in the Australian Outback (travel essay)
A Vagabond Finds a Home (essay)
Toura Incognita (Conde Nast Traveler article)

20 lessons learned from 20 years as a travel writer

1) Relationships count more than platforms

2) Distinctive content counts more than self-promotion

3) If in doubt, ask for help

4) If in doubt say yes

5) There is always more to learn

6) Don’t postpone things

7) Be an expat at some point in your travel career

8) Take it slow

9) It’s OK to make mistakes

10)

20 lessons learned from 20 years as a travel writer: A TravelCon keynote

Deviate

20 lessons learned from 20 years as a travel writer: A TravelCon keynote