Vagabonding audio companion: Time Wealth and the spiritual texture of travel

“Getting in touch with reality is literally the essence of spiritual life.” – Rolf Potts

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf remixes his interview from the Far Out Podcast, by Julie-Roxane and Alasdair. They discuss “Time Wealth,” and vagabonding as a philosophy for life (3:00); sifting through mediated information, versus getting local information on the road, and “reality” as the essence of spirituality (13:00); appreciation versus achievement, embracing the possibility of travel, and how you get smarter about travel the more you travel (24:00); seeking to have an “option-rich” life, the freedom that comes with not having preconceptions about where to go or what to do, and the joy of being surprised on the road (46:00); travel as a way to find out what you value and love in life (58:00); and the importance of slowing down, on the road and in life (1:03:00).

Julie-Roxane and Alasdair (Instagram: @thefaroutcouple) are travelers, entrepreneurs, guides, coaches, and co-hosts of the Far Out Podcast, where they chronicle their adventures in unconventional living. For more about Julie-Roxane and Alasdair, check out https://www.jrkrikorian.com and https://alasdairplambeck.com.

Notable Links:

• John Muir (naturalist)
• Stoicism (school of Hellenistic philosophy)
• Platonic idealism (philosophical doctrine of ideas)
• Rolf on the Tim Ferris Show (podcast episode)
• The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen (book)
• Henry David Thoreau (philosopher)
• Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (poetry collection)
• Situationist International (French avant-garde movement)
• Dérive (experimental urban behavior)
• The best hostel ever, in Cairo (Deviate episode)
• Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer (book)
• Falling Upward, by Richard Rohr (book)
• Antonio Machado (Spanish poet)
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig (book)
• Paris Writing Workshops (Rolf’s summer writing classes)

This episode of Deviate is brought to you by Tortuga Backpacks, which set the standard for the best, most durable, organized, and comfortable travel backpacks. Tortuga products also include daypacks, duffels, and other travel accessories, which are all made with the traveler in mind and have been featured by Wirecutter, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Business Insider, Carryology, and many other industry outlets.

This episode is also brought to you by AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. AirTreks is a distributed travel company with employees working from all corners of the world to help with your flight planning, specializing in complex routes with up to 25 stops. The AirTreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, but can customize to fit your journey.

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.