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December 27, 2004

Help me send Vagabonding vagabonding...

This blog may be somewhat silent in coming days, since I'll be in New Orleans for the New Year holiday -- but before I sign off, I want to give away five copies of Vagabonding to interested parties.

The only catch is that those of you who receive these copies of Vagabonding cannot keep them. Rather, I'd like you to release them into the "wild" at various locations around the globe. Then, you and I both can track the progress of these books as they travel their way from person to person around the world -- hopefully informing and inspiring people along the way.

The concept for this kind of global book exchange comes from the BookCrossing.com website, where one can register one's favorite books, then leave them in public places for other readers to discover at random. Progress of a given book is tracked through an online journal at BookCrossing.com. Since Vagabonding is itself about actualizing the serendipity of travel, I figured it'd be fun to send a few copies of the book off on fateful journeys around the world, in the hopes the book will be discovered by people who would never otherwise know about it. As the BookCrossing website says, "it's a fascinating exercise in fate, karma, or whatever you want to call the chain of events that can occur between two or more lives and one piece of literature."

Since Vagabonding has been well-publicized in the United States and Canada, I don't want to "release" all the registered copies of the book in North America alone. Thus, if you are headed to Europe, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, or Latin America in 2005, send me an email letting me know where you might plan to leave a copy of my book. If it sounds like a promising destination, I'll send you a registered copy of the book that you can leave for the rest of the world to find.

I'm interested to see how this project goes, and I will occasionally report on the progress of the "vagabonding" copies of Vagabonding on this blog. Drop me a line if you're interested in receiving a "catch-and-release" copy!

Posted by Rolf on December 27, 2004 09:36 AM
Comments

I would be so utterly thrilled if you sent a copy to Blazdell. The man i s all over.

Posted by: Annette on December 27, 2004 02:01 AM

Hey Rolf, I'm all for it! :) I'm traveling to Egypt in a month and could release your book in.. let's say Dahab? Nice article you did on that place, btw.

Posted by: Mark on December 27, 2004 04:58 PM

Rolf,

I am--of course--still in Korea, and would gladly send it on its way, starting out in Daegu.

If that sounds good to you, great. However, if you want to send it someplace a little more off the beaten path in Asia, that might be good too, eh?

Posted by: Aaron on December 27, 2004 07:26 PM

Rolf,

Haven't a clue where I'll be in 2005. One things for sure, I'm in Germany now and would be honored to receive one of those coveted copies…

Thanks.

Katreen

Posted by: Katreen Hardt on December 28, 2004 08:42 AM

Rolf,
I'm in Buffalo, NY now...two great hostels here. I'll be heading to the Adriatic, later this year...this is as good a place as any to spread the good word!

Later,

David

Posted by: David on December 28, 2004 12:13 PM

Thanks, guys! Let me get back to you in a week or so, when I've settled in New Orleans. I welcome more queries as well...

Posted by: Rolf on December 29, 2004 08:00 AM

I'd love to help - I'm doing a 10 month RTW beginning in Feb. I could leave it... somewhere.
Ray

Posted by: Ray Grieselhuber on December 29, 2004 01:32 PM

I've got three IT guys in the offices next to mine who are fascinated by the travel relics strategically placed around my office. They are constantly dropping by to ask travel questions. One of them is actually on his first solo backpacking trip this week.
I'd like to give them a copy of your book so they can read and answer all those questions themselves.

Posted by: Adam on December 30, 2004 11:30 AM

Oops.. just read the part about 'not in North America'... what I meant was, I'd like a copy to send to one of the Chinese scholars I've taught this past year who became fascinated with the concept of backpacking during our numerous conversations about travel and trips through my photo albums.

Posted by: Adam on December 30, 2004 11:35 AM

I'm off to Costa Rica in two weeks. I'd be happy to drop one off there.

Posted by: Kari on December 30, 2004 06:06 PM

Hey Rolf,
Your philosophies in Vagabonding have been a source of great inspiration to me in my own travels, and travelers across the globe certainly deserve to benefit from it too. I'll be in Prague and Amsterdam for a fortnight, beginning Jan. 27th. I would be more than happy to start some books off there!

*It wouldn't be the first time I've passed along your book, either -- I was in Sweden in July as a volunteer, and I passed my copy along to a friend who was just beginning his own year-long vagabonding adventure. It was to him as Virgil was to Dante. Last I heard, he spent Christmas in Dahab and New Year's in Amman! Thanks from us both.

Cheers,
L.D.

Posted by: L.D. on January 1, 2005 02:18 PM

Rolf,

On Jan. 27, I'm off to Rio for Carnaval before settling in Buenos Aires. Superexcited about the trek and would love to read and pass on your book on your own adventures!

Ryan Keller
St. Louis, MO

Posted by: Ryan K on January 6, 2005 06:16 PM
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