Vagabonding
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a book about the benefits of long-term world travel. Potts dives into the preparation, journey, and aftermath of the vagabonding experience using his own experience along with stories from other travelers. After every section, there is a list of resources and links to dive further into every topic.
The book includes many inspiring quotes, but this one stood out the most for summarizing the vagabonding experience of an American:
Many American-born travelers who make nostalgic pilgrimages ‘back’ to places…usually get a vivid lesson just how American they are.”
What did you like about the book?
Journeying through a 6-month vagabonding trip myself, I liked how the book had many reminders of the preparations I made for this trip. The book summarized the main key points I found through different sources online. Rereading them was reassurance that the events to come would turn out for the better. Some of the points Potts made include planning just enough and focusing on safety first.
I also liked how the book discusses going with the flow and challenging your mindset on the road. Two points that stood out were how to always laugh and putting your American customer service mindset behind you. These two stood out the most because they were reminders that everyone views the world differently, which we’ll talk about later, so you shouldn’t take things too seriously with odd situations and service.
Within every section, there is also a vagabonding profile that highlights travelers throughout history. These short segments were a beneficial add-on as they changed the writer’s voice a bit to include other vagabonders.
What did you wish could be better?
The storytelling for every lesson was something underwhelming throughout the book. Yes, there were important lessons and great reminders, but the supporting detail was underwhelming.
The books and resources at the end also felt like a dump of information rather than an add-on of information. This part was something that I almost always skipped as there were too many links, books, and resources to dive into. If there were only one or two that tied into the text, then that would have been sufficient.
What did you learn?
The book contains a lot of rich information including write-ups of concepts, some sample stories, and books to read. My favorite part was how there were multiple profiles of previous vagabonders throughout history because it showed how vagabonding and exploration had a huge part both in history and now!
Lessons
Lesson 1: Everyone sees the world differently
From talking to different travelers to the locals you encounter, Potts discusses all the cultural knowledge you learn as you continue to meet people from all across the world. Coming from an American background, hospitality and providing for the customer were always highlighted in a business sense. In other places, these concepts aren’t taught in the same way, and are more focused on generosity and authenticity:
“Most cultures, after all, aren’t familiar with the rigorous American standards of customer service, and few people in the world make a fetish of personal ‘rights’ quite the way we do in the industrialized West.”
One example of this was when Potts highlighted how a traveler had a different experience between the Western and Eastern views of hospitality.
When a local sees a foreigner, they may see this person as someone honorable to host and share stories with so that they may share their teachings with others. The locals would invite the guest into their homes or restaurants for a more intimate experience. In contrast, Western culture may see this action as wanting something in return rather than a kind gesture.
Taking a step back to review this mindset shift took a bit of time and now as I continue to interact with people, I seek to learn more about what makes them conduct certain actions to learn about their culture and lead with humility before judging.
Vagabonding revolves around the people you meet on the road— and the attitude you take into these encounters can make or break your entire travel experience
Lesson 2: Just keep walking
Whenever you are in a new area, everything is new to you. You don’t know anything about the location except for what you researched. Potts dives into this concept and looks into how walking will allow you to find something whether it’s a street market, a nice restaurant, other people to talk to, or anything of the sort!
During this six-month trip in Bangkok, Thailand, I did the same thing and stumbled upon street food vendors, the Grand Palace, and a park that was never on my itinerary. The experience wouldn’t have come to fruition if I had stayed in one area. When in doubt, walk it out :)
Lesson 3: Slow Down
Potts discusses how the opportunity to travel lets you start on a blank slate. You have new people around you, you’re in a new culture, and you’re essentially a 5-year-old again discovering the world for the first time. You’re able to break old habits and develop new ones you have always wanted to pursue.
With all this change, he highlights many times to slow down.
When you’re in a rush for the next goal or destination, you lose sight of the things around you. The journey that got you here with every step. You’ll witness things out of this world and have a chance to grow your worldview that much more.
During my travels, this was a huge saying that popped up multiple times. In Chiang Mai during my first week, I was going on adventure after adventure for three days straight. I had no time to rest and capture the beautiful moments during every excursion. In the end, it led me to be fatigued upon my arrival to Pai. When in doubt, slow down whether that’s doing some meditation, taking care of yourself, or reading a book.
There is no rush. You make the experiences happen.
Lesson 4: Change your schedule up
Even on the road and traveling around, you’ll start to develop your rhythm to how things pan out. These are the best moments to put in something new. As an example, Potts talks about how if you’re solo traveling, seek to travel with a partner or a group for a bit of time. Let these moments happen, but having this change may lead to newfound experiences! Other ways of allowing these experiences to come in organically include teaching English, volunteering, or working at a hostel.
Taking these opportunities will immerse you in the culture itself and allow you to learn as much as you are teaching others.
Lesson 5: Rediscover what you already knew
Upon coming home, Potts talks about how you’ll be back in the same place, but you’ll have a chance to see it for the first time again. Your whole world will be entirely changed.
Coming back to the same place where you started will be refreshing, but you will start to miss the world you found before. You don’t need to travel to have that sense of wanderlust though. You can talk with your neighbors, strike up a conversation with others around you, or walk down a street you’ve never been through.
These new experiences will provide you with new life and discoveries in a familiar place and allow you to rediscover it once again as if you were a kid.
Who would I recommend this book to?
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a way to change up their current lifestyle and see travel as a potential avenue. Changing your environment provides a mixture of bonding with yourself and also discovering more about the world. This book does a phenomenal job of highlighting the main ideas and concepts to focus on as you enter your vagabonding travel experience.
Want to read the book?
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