“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.