The Vagabond's Way by Rolf Potts

The Vagabond's Way

by Rolf Potts

Thought-provoking reflections on the power of travel to transform our daily lives—from the iconoclastic travel writer, scholar, and author of Vagabonding

For readers who dream of travel, yearn to get back out on the road, or want to enrich a journey they’re currently on, The Vagabond’s Way explores and celebrates the life-altering essence of travel. Each day of the year features a one-page meditation on an aspect of the journey, anchored by words of wisdom from a variety of thinkers—from Stoic philosopher Seneca and poet Maya Angelou to Trappist monk Thomas Merton and Grover from Sesame Street.

Throughout the year, Rolf Potts embraces the ragged-edged, harder-to-quantify aspects of travel that inevitably change travelers' lives for the better, in unexpected ways. The book's various sections mirror the phases of a trip, including: 

• dreaming and planning the journey: “All life-affecting journeys—and the unexpected wonders they promise—become real the moment you decide they will happen.”
• embracing the rhythms of the journey: “The most poignant experiences on the road occur in those quiet moments when we recognize beauty in the ordinary.”
• finding richer travel experiences: “Developing an instinct to venture beyond the obvious on the road allows you to see places as mysteries to be investigated.”
• expanding your comfort zone: “No moment of instant gratification can compare to savoring an experience that has been earned by enduring the adversity that comes with it.” 

The Vagabond’s Way encourages you to sustain the mindset of a journey, even when you aren’t able to travel, and affirms that travel is as much a way of being as it is an act of movement.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

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Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Vagabond's Way is a thought provoking and gently written collection of meditations on life, travel, and personal philosophy collected and curated by Rolf Potts. Released 4th Oct 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 416 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The book is arranged thematically around the months of the year. Monthly themes are things like: Dreaming and planning the journey (Jan/Feb), Getting started on the road (March/Apr), and the extended journey (and journey home) (Nov/Dec). The short entries are given one per day and it works very well as a one-a-day post with an interesting point to think about. The writing is accessible and, at times, quite deep. There are thoughtful entries about purpose, lifestyle, growth, and time. 

I was most impressed over the fact that the author can ruminate on these things and never be trite or superficial. The layout and graphics are very understated. There aren't any illustrations. 

Four stars. Well written. This would make a good gift for oneself or others. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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