Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

“...vagabonding has never been regulated by the fickle public definition of lifestyle...it has always been a private choice within a society that is constantly urging us to do otherwise. This is a book about living that choice.”

I’ve been waiting patiently to read this book. I first heard about it from Tim Ferriss. I bought it months ago. I waited for the right time to read it because I knew the second I was done I would want to jump on a plane.

Vagabonding is a life changing book. If you want to travel the world and explore as a traveler(not a tourist) this book is a must read. My pages are covered in highlights, quotes are circled, and the margins are filled with notes. This book is what I have been looking for to start my journey.

Vagabonding- (1) The act of leaving behind the orderly world to travel independently for an extended period of time. (2) A privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, awareness, simplicity, discovery, independence, realism, self-reliance, and the growth of the spirit. (3) A deliberate way of living that makes freedom to travel possible

This book includes resources on everything that you need to know about long-term travel. Jobs, volunteering, budgeting, general travel resources, cultural behavior, and so so much more. I cannot sum up everything that this book provide and so you must go read it for yourself to get all the nuggets of wisdom that Potts provides.

This book has changed me and has made me even more dedicated to my dreams. Below are some quotes that really affected me while reading.

“...the more we associate money with life, the more we convince ourselves that we’re too poor to buy our freedom.”

“If you think about it too much, you’ll just end up staying home and then someday you’ll be telling your grandchildren, “I always wanted to do that” instead of showing them photos of the trips you took and giving them advice where to go.” - Livinia Spalding

+ I will be honest this is one of my biggest fears

“Vagabonding is-at its best-a rediscovery of reality itself.”

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again — to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” -Pico Iyer

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive” -Joseph Campbell

Rolf Potts has created a book that will continue to inspire and change people.

Everyone needs a little push to do what they know they should and Vagabonding is that push.

Check out http://vagabonding.net/ for more resources