The holiday season is upon us and on every side we're being encouraged to buy stuff and to give because the holidays are about giving. But what do you do if someone on your gift list is a traveler and, like me, lives out of his backpack. There's no sense in giving a bathrobe to...

A flower vending machine in Takayama, Japan. Photo: Kat Klay / Flickr Creative Commons With Black Friday upon us, shoppers are lining up in force to take advantage of discounts. What do you buy for a traveler, though? The New York Times came out with a shopping guide called, Holiday Gifts for a Globetrotter ....

It's once again winter holiday season, which means it's time to tout my books as stocking stuffers for the travel lovers on your Christmas list. The new twist this year is that you can order signed copies of either book from me directly -- just send an email to books [at] rolfpotts [dot] com for...

Malacca, Malaysia Early in 1988, a newlywed couple from the States was traveling in Malaysia. While in the ethnically diverse, historical treasure-trove of a town called Malacca (Melaka), they hired the services of a 60-year-old rickshaw driver named Peter Ong. Thanks to a simple act of thoughtfulness on their part, Peter remembers them still today....