Rolf Potts

Rolf Potts

Travel Writer, Essayist, Adventurer, Teacher

Rolf Potts

  • About
    • Bio
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  • Contact
  • Writing
    • Essays & Travel Stories
    • Dispatches
    • Travel Writer Profiles
    • No Baggage Challenge
    • Vagablogging
  • Books
    • Vagabonding
    • The Vagabond’s Way
    • Souvenir
    • Marco Polo Didn’t Go There
    • The Geto Boys (33 1/3)
    • Audiobooks
    • Anthologies
    • Introductions & Forewords
    • The Misadventures of Wenamun (comic)
  • Videos
    • Kansas Never Plays Itself
    • TV / Film
    • Travel dispatches
    • Lectures
    • Video Interviews
  • Events
  • Classes
  • Blog
    • Updates
    • Books
    • Poetry
    • Film, TV, Theater
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Writing Craft
  • Podcast
Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Thailand

The Same River Twice: Bangkok in Three Acts

September 24, 2010

Back in Thailand after a seven-year absence, Rolf revisits the Khao San Road backpacker scene, eats insects in Chinatown, and tests his no-baggage wardrobe in an upscale nightclub.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel South Africa

Justin’s elephant-poop cold remedy

September 21, 2010

Stuck with a cold in an isolated corner of South Africa’s Welgevonden Game Preserve, Rolf’s cameraman Justin comes face to face with an unusual bush cure.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel South Africa

Hanging with the animal paparazzi in South Africa

September 16, 2010

Near Kruger National Park, Rolf discovers that the “Big Five” safari animals aren’t nearly so exciting as the creatures one finds by happenstance.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Egypt

An Egyptian straight-razor shave (in 21 easy steps)

September 10, 2010

Looking to trim his beard amidst a luggage-free journey, Rolf stumbles into the most detail-intensive barbershop-shave of his life.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Egypt

Embracing my inner tourist at Giza

September 8, 2010

Near Giza, Rolf discovers that the vendor culture that surrounds the Pyramids is nearly as interesting (and historically rooted) as the Pyramids themselves.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Morocco

In Fes: Walk until the day becomes interesting

September 3, 2010

In the twisting alleyways of a Moroccan medina, Rolf does away with pre-planning and follows his instincts.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Morocco

The wrong town in Morocco

September 1, 2010

Not long after mispronouncing the town of “Chefchaouen” to his Moroccan taxi driver, Rolf goes on to discover the accidental charms of a town called “Tetouan.”

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel Spain

Tapas for ignoramuses

August 29, 2010

Rolf explores the streets of central Madrid through seven drinks and nine dishes.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel France

Rolling retro-style in Paris

August 25, 2010

Three days into his round-the-world no-baggage journey, Rolf explores Paris from the back of vintage Citroën 2CV.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel England

19 London clichés in less than four hours

August 23, 2010

In transit between New York and Paris, Rolf tries to make the most of a three-and-a-half hour London layover.

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Dispatches, No Baggage Challenge, Travel U.S.A.

Why Rolf is Traveling Around the World With No Luggage

August 19, 2010

From his home in rural Kansas, Rolf lays out the reasons why he wanted to circumnavigate the globe without so much as a fanny pack or a man-purse.

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Books by Rolf

  • Souvenir (Object Lessons) book cover
  • The Geto Boys cover

Podcast: Deviate with Rolf

  • Best of Travel: Paul Theroux on the necessary obstacles of meaningful journeys August 4, 2026
  • The geography of sports movies (with Chuck Klosterman and Michael Weinreb) July 3, 2026
  • Designing a creative life on your own terms (with Cedar Van Tassel) June 2, 2026
  • What movies (do and don’t) show us about places before we travel there May 5, 2026
  • Exploring the idiosyncrasies of male friendship, with Andrew McCarthy April 8, 2026

Recent Blog Posts

  • MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League (foreword, by Rolf Potts) August 13, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Brendan Shanahan August 1, 2026
  • “Jane Room Superman,” by Rolf Potts (1998) July 23, 2026
  • I used a $35 thrift-store desk for 20 years (and then took it back to the thrift store) July 9, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Angie Chuang July 1, 2026
  • 6 thoughts on avoiding unnecessary exposition in a screenplay June 25, 2026

Travel Writer Interviews

  • Travel Writer: Brendan Shanahan August 1, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Angie Chuang July 1, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Perry Garfinkel June 1, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Caroline Van Hemert May 1, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Rachel Rudwall April 2, 2026
  • Travel Writer: Erin Levi February 26, 2026

Books

Vagabonding

Vagabonding

The Vagabond’s Way

The Vagabond’s Way

Souvenir

Tools of Titans

Kansas Matters

The 33 1/3 B-sides

Souvenir

50 Ways of Looking at Nostalgia

Recent Podcasts

Best of Travel: Paul Theroux on the necessary obstacles of meaningful journeys

The geography of sports movies (with Chuck Klosterman and Michael Weinreb)

Designing a creative life on your own terms (with Cedar Van Tassel)

What movies (do and don’t) show us about places before we travel there

Exploring the idiosyncrasies of male friendship, with Andrew McCarthy

Debunking the mythology of BEFORE SUNRISE, with co-writer Kim Krizan (in Paris)

Super Bowl special: Why football kind of matters, with Chuck Klosterman (kind of)

Time is your truest form of wealth (and travel helps you embrace your riches)

Kansas Never Plays Itself: How movies lie when they take us places

Traveling as a writer, and awkward book-tour experiences, with Anthony Doerr (from 2012)

Travel Writers

Travel Writer: Brendan Shanahan

Travel Writer: Angie Chuang

Travel Writer: Perry Garfinkel

Travel Writer: Caroline Van Hemert

Travel Writer: Rachel Rudwall

Travel Writer: Erin Levi

Travel Writer: Jen Rose Smith

Travel Writer: Natalie Compton

Travel Writer: Mark Orwoll

Travel Writer: I have been interviewing one writer a month for the past 25 years