“One ironic anxiety of travel is that suddenly you’re living in ‘organic time’ and you’re not used to it.”  –Rolf Potts

In this “vagabonding audio companion” episode of Deviate, remixed from Aaron Millar’s Armchair Explorer podcast, Rolf talks about his earliest travel dreams, and what compelled him to finally take a vagabonding dream trip around North America by van in his early twenties (2:00 ); how travel expectations and planning are often at odds with the joy of what happens spontaneously on the road (8:30 ); the delightful surprises Rolf found on a recent trip to Sumatra and the Mentawai Islands (11:30 ); Rolf’s experiences in Myanmar, and the importance of seeing time, rather than possessions, as our most important form of wealth in life (22:00 ); Rolf’s early experiences in Southeast Asia, and his monthlong boat journey down the Mekong River (31:00 ); and how, at its best, travel teaches us to pay attention to life itself (35:00 ).

The Armchair Explorer podcast features adventure storytelling set to music and cinematic effects.

Notable Links:

• Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts (book)


• The Vagabond’s Way, by Rolf Potts (book)


• Souvenir, by Rolf Potts (book)


• Van Life before #VanLife (Deviate episode)


• Uinta Mountains (mountain range in Utah)


• Mardi Gras (annual celebration in New Orleans)


• Sumatra (island in Indonesia)


• “Travel in Sumatra is cheap and amazing” (dispatch)


• “Seeking crowds is better than crowd-sourcing” (dispatch)


• Mentawai Islands (archipelago in Indonesia)


• “Boredom is one of the greatest gifts of travel” (dispatch)


• Hornbill (tropical bird)


• Bessie Stringfield (20 century American motorcycle traveler)


• Bagan (UNESCO World Heritage Site in Myanmar)


• Mekong (river in Southeast Asia)


• “One Month on the Mekong,” by Rolf Potts (travel essay)


• Henry David Thoreau (American essayist and philosopher)

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.