Rolf Potts on getting off the tourist trail

“Strangely, few people (even Lonely Planet-clutching “independent” travelers) think to stray from the accepted travel routes. It’s almost as if the tourist trail has become some kind of science fiction force-field — a web of attractions, amenities and infrastructure from which only intrepid heroes can escape.”
–Rolf Potts, Vagabonding (2003)