Travel Book Review: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

I have wanted to want to read this book for years now, but for some reason it evaded my interest for years. It’s sat parked on my iBooks app, long before I even started considering my own long-term travel plans. It’s been on every “travel book list” that I’ve ever read, and I finally sat down and bit the bullet, and I’m glad I did.

Vagabonding, in one word, is charming. Written in 2002, it is not actually a super helpful guide. In fact, much of the advice is comically and endearingly outdated. For example, Potts specifically encourages limited internet research because the “message boards” tend to be biased. I was amused when I read this because the book dates itself frequently in these little ways but it does so in a way that I actually really enjoyed because it spoke to a bygone era of “wandering” and “getting lost” that is almost completely impossible these days.

The world is more connected now, but it’s also lonelier. I like seeing a snapshot into a time when we didn’t obsessively research locations before we committed to seeing them, when things didn’t have to be “the best” in order for them to be great.

One of my favorite bits of the book is when Potts addresses the hard work associated with long-term travel. Literal work. As in, “how do I fund this expensive hobby without being a trust fund kid”-type work. He ties the importance of earning travel to its cathartic and psychological benefits, which was super actualizing for me, someone who is currently working many hours to make long-term travel happen. “A vacation, after all, merely rewards work,” Potts states. “Vagabonding justifies it.”

Rolf Potts loves travel. This book is obsessively researched, full of quotes and sources compiled by someone who has clearly dedicated their lives to getting lost. He also doesn’t bog the reader down with packing lists or itineraries (he suggests a backpack and a good attitude). This book speaks more to the nature of travel, not necessarily to the specifics, which is refreshing and endearing.

Potts addresses the concept of “looking at” something versus “seeing” it as a necessary mentality one should take on their journey. He laughs off the concept of “tourist” vs “traveler” (a distinction that was still debated over almost 20 years ago, apparently) and focuses on being open to experiences and cultures and people. We get so caught up in authentic vs. fabricated, and we gatekeep what is essentially one of the biggest blessings of the modern world: the ability to see distant lands.

I can’t wait to read the rest of Rolf Potts’ books.