The Vagabond's Way: Time Wealth, Slow Travel, and Immersing Yourself in a New Place with Rolf Potts

#84: Travel writer and author, Rolf Potts joins Chris to discuss time wealth, why that's such a vital topic in life and what anyone can take from the concept to travel more richly. They also talk about how to adapt to the changes in travel technology and still have amazing adventures, why Rolf once traveled for six weeks without luggage and what you can learn from that experiment, how leaving your phone behind or getting lost might create richer experiences, and why he thinks that as you get older, you can still have richer and fulfilling travels.

Rolf Potts (@rolfpotts) is an esteemed travel writer, teacher, and author. He’s reported from more than 60 countries across six continents for publications like National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel. His most recent book is The Vagabond's Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel

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Selected Links From The Episode

Connect with Rolf Potts: Website | Instagram | Twitter

Books

Resources Mentioned

Full Show Notes

The book that played a role in an eight-month backpacking trip around the world (00:27)

Common misconceptions about travel (02:14)

Embracing the world and living your travel dreams (05:04)

Travel Safety: shifting your mindset and not giving in to “clickbait” (06:03)

Tricks to reducing hotel expenses and being open to setting the itinerary aside and making decisions along the way (07:40)

Rolf shares how he learned to slow down and experience the pleasures of his travel destination (11:03)

Time wealth: spending your money in a way that makes your life more fulfilling and improves your travel (12:45)

Dangers of having arbitrary goals for net worth (16:27)

Making your money, income, and interests a more active part of your life (19:43)

How to figure out what you want (20:51)

Basic building block themes that affect the way Rolf lives his life (26:26)

Strategies to employ when immersing yourself in a new place (29:19)

Attitudes and rituals born of travel (34:08)

Taking part in immersive cultural experiences close to home (35:44)

How traveling with children can lead to new and unique experiences (37:37)

Tips for families traveling with children (39:18)

Slow travel: experience more by doing less (41:20)

Participating in a home swap to be more authentically immersed while slow traveling (42:24)

Creating memorable moments (47:24)

Creating and checking items off a bucket list (48:02)

Encountering unique experiences without having to travel halfway around the world (50:26)

Lessons learned from traveling without baggage (54:01)

Rolf Potts’ go-to travel items (57:09)

Traveling without the distraction of technology (58:13)

Cost-saving travel tips (1:02:57)

“Flâneuring” your way through a city (1:06:00)

Where to find Rolf Potts online (1:08:22)

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