Directionless

Sometimes you feel like you’re at the mercy of train or bus timetables or, if you’re driving, scarily numbered streets or terrifying directions.  Even with a GPS to help pinpoint your location, you may not know where you are or where you want to go.

So enjoy it!

Here is a short reading list (beyond Vagabonding, of course, which I still consider the very best reference for nomadism, and I’m not just saying that ’cause I work here) of books about getting lost:

• “Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad,” by Dave Fox (haven’t read it, but looks intriguing)
• “A Field Guide to Getting Lost,” by Rebecca Solnit (very lyrical and “literary”, but a fun exploration of beauty in the everyday)
• “Getting Out: Your Guide to Leaving America,” by Mark Ehrman (excellent planning guide for the part that comes before getting lost…)
• “Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer,” by Chuck Thompson (this is probably one of the funniest books about travel writing I’ve ever read, so is more anecdotal than how-to, but well worth a read and I wanted to cram it in here.)
• Vanishing Point (a fascinating and supremely useful guide to disappearing in America — changing your identity and fading into the background)