Here's a curious trivia tidbit from U.S. history: In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took leave from their Europe-based diplomatic duties and traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit the home of William Shakespeare. Not much was recorded of the occasion, but one fact of their pilgrimage to the Bard's birthplace stands out: At some point...

As part of some tips for successful travel and freelance writing, I decided to interview Joe Henley . He is a Canadian freelance writer and death metal singer for Taiwanese band Revilement who has spent the past few years living in Taiwan, and will released his debut novel, “Sons of the Republic” , on American...

It’s an increasingly accepted as fact that, as a nation, we have allowed a work culture to develop where taking time off is seen a sign of disloyalty or lack of care, and where extended time off is more of a concept than a reality. It’s also a given that more and more data suggest...

“Of all the adventures and challenges that wait on the vagabonding road, the most difficult can be the act of coming home. On a certain level, coming home will be a drag because it signals the end of all the fun, freedom and serendipity that you enjoyed on the road. But on a less tangible...

Photo Credit: TeryKats via Compfight cc Perhaps I never would have met the Iranian had it not been for the influenza epidemic raging across Europe at the time. Because of the flu, Larnaca — a holiday beach town on the southern coast of Cyprus — was nearly empty of tourists. I was walking along the...

"Thus, travel compels you to discover your spiritual side by simple elimination: Without all the rituals, routines and possessions that give your life meaning at home, you're forced to look for meaning within yourself.... Indeed, if travel is a process that helps you "find yourself," it's because it leaves you with nothing to hide behind--...

This week I returned from a month and a half overseas working as a tour guide, helping to lead two different groups on an epic Best-of-Europe grand tour. The experience was a new one for me; after years of exploring the continent’s cobbled backstreets and ancient cities as a solo travel writer, I found myself...

"In retrospect I see that my stress wasn't the product of indecision; the conflict arose from my impossible desire to be in all those places at once. in knowing that so many destinations were cheaply accessible at that very moment, I suddenly feared that I would never again get the chance to see them. Travel,...

"In reality, travel is not a social contest, and vagabonding has never represented a caste on the tourist/traveler hierarchy. Depending upon circumstance, a sincere vagabonder could variously be called a traveler or a tourist, a pilgrim or a satyr, a victor or a victim, an individual seeker or a demographic trend. Indeed, the main conceit...

Should you ever travel to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, there's a good chance you'll meet Francisco in the city's humid, touristy colonial zone. Barefoot, emaciated, and filthy from sleeping in the street, Francisco looks far older than his 19 years, and his wavering gaze carries a look of hardened desperation. I...

As I was preparing to write this blog post, I thought of a problem that most, if not all writers, struggle with: coming up with something to write about. That's especially true in travel writing, where finding a good angle, or a “story”, is key to get the attention of an editor and an audience....

"The secret of adventure, then, is not to carefully seek it out but to travel in such a way that it finds you. To do this, you first need to overcome the protective habits of home and open yourself up to the unpredictability. As you begin to practice this openness, you'll quickly discover adventure in...

"Thus, the secret to interacting with people in foreign lands is not to fine-tune your sense of political correctness (which itself is a Western construct) but to fine tune your sense of humor.... And while humor might seem like a fairly contemporary way to deal with unfamiliar environments, it's actually a time-honored travel strategy... On...

Image credit Of all the throwaway lines I’ve fed into my travel-writing biography over the years, one creates the most fascination with readers. I am, according to a major American newspaper, “Jack Kerouac for the Internet Age.” This little quip, which appeared in USA Today when my book “Vagabonding” was first published in 2003 (and...

"If there's one key concept to remember amid the excitement of your first days on the road, it's this: Slow down. Just to underscore the importance of this concept, I'll state it again: SLOW . . . DOWN. For first time vagabonders, this can be one of the hardest travel lessons to grasp, since it...

Before you get to the right angle, you might find yourself stuck in a dangerous corner/ picture by Kit Yeng Chan The email you have been waiting for a long time has finally landed in your inbox. Fat, juicy, inviting bold caps lure your eyes in. It’s no matter of life or death, but if...

Sometimes I wonder if modern travel writing still has anything fresh to say, and I can't really find a satisfactory answer. This question became much more pressing after I discovered an American publisher who reprints old travel writing gems from early 20 th century’s Asia. I’m talking about DatAsia press , based in Florida. They...

An excerpt from Chapter Two: Earn Your Freedom: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel , by Rolf Potts "Vagabonding is about gaining the courage to loosen your grip on the so called certainties of the world. Vagabonding is about refusing to exile travel to some other, seemingly more appropriate, time...

I first read Vagabonding in 2006, when we were in the throes of planning what we expected to be a one year trip. I was devouring everything I could find for inspiration, looking for the tools I needed as we grappled with breaking free from a very "normal" American life and plunging into the unknown,...

Image credit I have a confession to make: I’m falling in love with Anthony Bourdain. After twelve years without a television to share my life with I discovered his shows when we were wandering in New Zealand. The food. The locations. His sass. I was smitten. Then, I began to read, you know he’s a...