Advice: Travel has a way of slowing you down, of waking you up, of pulling you up out of your daily routines and seeing life in a new way. This new way of looking at the world need not end when you resume your life at home.
St. Petersburg, Vampire-Style
Suffering from jet-lag amid a dead-of-winter magazine assignment, Rolf’s inability to sleep leads him into a series of after-hours dive-bars, where a coterie of young Russians teaches him the philosophical joys of getting to know a city by night.
Update: Fall 2009
Toward the end of each year I usually post a round-up of my travel highlights from the previous 12 months. This year I’ve been diligent enough with updates that I don’t feel I have many new 2009 details to share. Hence, I’ll just share a few images from some of my favorite (photographable) moments this year:…
Where no Travel Writer has Gone Before
In a five-part series, Rolf Potts joins Trekkies aboard a “Star Trek” theme cruise to Bermuda.
Where no Travel Writer has Gone Before (Video)
A video teaser for Rolf’s “Star Trek” fan-cruise series. Original music by Rolfe Kent and Meredith Meyer; edited by Mike Marlett.
Rolf’s Advice From Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing
Nearly five years ago my old mentor Don George approached me with some interview questions for a book on travel writing he was putting together for Lonely Planet. My Q&A appeared on pp. 35-38 of Travel Writing, which hit bookstores worldwide in early 2005. With Travel Writing going into a second edition this year, I…
Update: Winter/Spring/Summer 2009
Friends and vagabonders, Last fall saw the debut of my second book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, and I spent three months on tour promoting it in various North American cities, including New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. In addition to the great feedback I got from audiences…
Around the world on shoestring
In an essay about the merits of global budget travel, Rolf uses his experiences with a group of Cuban bagpipers to illustrate how wandering on the cheap can lead to the kind of unexpected encounters that make a journey memorable.
Che: The Ronald McDonald of Revolution
Commentary: “In Cuba, Guevara’s ubiquitous image appears to fill the role of both Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald — a sainted martyr of unwavering purity who also happens to promote a standardized (if not particularly nutritious) political menu.” An analysis of Che’s legacy in light of Steven Soderbergh’s 2009 movie biopic.
Update: Winter 2009
Before we get too far into 2009, I should probably try to sum up some of my travel-writing highlights from last year. Interestingly, my two most prominent happenings in recent months — the release of my second book and my TV hosting debut on the Travel Channel — weren’t even on my radar at the…
Mister Universe
What makes someone want to be the world’s most traveled man? Rolf reports from from the back-roads of East Africa.