Rolf Potts

Rolf Potts

Travel Writer, Essayist, Adventurer, Teacher

Rolf Potts

  • About
    • Bio
    • Interviews
    • Newsletter signup
  • Contact
  • Writing
    • Essays & Travel Stories
    • Dispatches
    • Travel Writer Profiles
    • No Baggage Challenge
    • Vagablogging
  • Books
    • The Vagabond’s Way
    • Vagabonding
    • Souvenir
    • Marco Polo Didn’t Go There
    • The Geto Boys (33 1/3)
    • The Misadventures of Wenamun
    • La déchirante histoire de l’homme qui inventa le livre de poche
    • Audiobooks
    • Anthologies
    • Introductions & Forewords
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Classes
  • Blog
    • Updates
    • Books
    • Poetry
    • Film, TV, Theater
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Writing Craft
  • Podcast
Dispatches Cambodia

Song of the broken road

May 18, 1999

For adventurers headed overland to Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s Route 6 is Disneyland gone bad.

Read More
Film, TV, Theater, Essays & Stories

A spy on “The Beach”

May 4, 1999

Our correspondent reports from behind the scenes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s new movie.

Read More
Dispatches Thailand

Getting stoned with Mr. X

April 20, 1999

Rolf wanders in search of an Indiana Jones adventure in Thailand’s gem country.

Read More
Dispatches Thailand

Penny Pinched

April 6, 1999

In the first installment of “Vagabonding,” Rolf pays through the nose for his penny-pinching ways.

Read More
Dispatches Korea

Korea’s no-man’s land

February 3, 1999

Rolf describes a visit to Korea’s DMZ, one of the planet’s oddest tourist attractions, where visitors can pick up everything from propaganda to perfume.

Read More
Film, TV, Theater, Books, Essays & Stories, Travel

Storming “The Beach”

January 30, 1999

When he tries to infiltrate a movie set on a heavily guarded Thai island, Rolf embarks on a rollicking post-modern travel adventure, somewhat starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Read More
Essays & Stories Korea

Man bites dog

October 28, 1998

Koreans and Americans both love dogs — they just have a different way of showing it.

Read More
Dispatches, Travel

Letter from Pusan: The party’s over

September 24, 1998

Rolf describes the heady rise and wistful fall of expat life in South Korea.

Read More
Poetry, Essays & Stories

Staring Off Into Space is an Investment in the Soul

September 1, 1998

Poetry: “Looking at a steer and / imagining balls is not / nearly so hard as / looking at balls and / imagining a bull.”

Read More
Essays & Stories, Travel

A look back at the Korean presidential election of 1997

June 24, 1998

Political commentary: Dissident politician Kim Dae-jung was not (as Time declared upon his inauguration) “Destiny’s Choice” to lead Korea into the new millennium, but the beneficiary of mudslinging, opportunism and circumstantial luck amid a wacky 1997 election season.

Read More
Dispatches, Travel Korea

Ignorants abroad

June 22, 1998

An American expatriate weathers the slings and arrows of learning another language.

Read More
Page 51 of 68« First«...102030...4950515253...60...»Last »

Sign up for news

Sign up for News

Get updates from Rolf about his books, podcast, appearances and more.

We use Elastic Email as our marketing automation service. By submitting this form, you agree that the information you provide will be transferred to Elastic Email for processing in accordance with their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Vagabonding Trip Planner

Books by Rolf

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

Podcast: Deviate with Rolf

  • Before Sunrise (redo): Screenwriter Kim Krizan on what led up to the classic travel-romance movie May 20, 2025
  • Before Sunrise: Screenwriter Kim Krizan on what led up to the classic 1995 travel-romance movie May 16, 2025
  • Mars on Earth: The world’s driest desert, and what travelers might find when they go there May 6, 2025
  • Why a chapter about “slum tourism” was edited out of The Vagabond’s Way (with Chloe Cooper Jones) April 1, 2025
  • Long-term travel 101: Matt Kepnes on how to slow down and save money on an extended global journey March 25, 2025

Recent Blog Posts

  • A list of “best of” lists where Vagabonding landed on the list (South Asia edition) June 5, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Kathleen Hughes May 29, 2025
  • Here’s why the first paper copy of Vagabonding is in a display case in Bangkok’s Atlanta Hotel May 22, 2025
  • On travel writing, writing classes, community, mentorship, and how travel fosters creativity May 8, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Dustin Grinnell May 1, 2025
  • An audio book-club podcast companion to Rolf’s 2022 book “The Vagabond’s Way” April 24, 2025

Travel Writer Interviews

  • Travel Writer: Kathleen Hughes May 29, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Dustin Grinnell May 1, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Blake Boles April 3, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Tania Romanov March 1, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Lucas Peters February 1, 2025
  • Travel Writer: Pier Nirandara January 1, 2025

Books

The Vagabond’s Way

The Vagabond’s Way

Lands of Lost Borders

Tools of Titans

The 33 1/3 B-sides

Vagabonding

Souvenir

Marco Polo Didn’t Go There

The Misadventures of Wenamun

The Geto Boys (33 1/3)

Recent Podcasts

Before Sunrise (redo): Screenwriter Kim Krizan on what led up to the classic travel-romance movie

Before Sunrise: Screenwriter Kim Krizan on what led up to the classic 1995 travel-romance movie

Mars on Earth: The world’s driest desert, and what travelers might find when they go there

Why a chapter about “slum tourism” was edited out of The Vagabond’s Way (with Chloe Cooper Jones)

Long-term travel 101: Matt Kepnes on how to slow down and save money on an extended global journey

Travel memoir lab: On blending travel narrative with a broader memoiristic life-narrative

How a journey on the Hippie Trail changed Rick Steves’ life (and influenced Rolf’s travels too)

A travel writers’ Super Bowl special: Pico Iyer and Rolf discuss NFL football from the global perspective

Pico Iyer on how solitude, stillness, and silence play an essential counterbalance to the traveling life

Life changing travel experiences: Memories of traveling to Syria, 25 years on (with Ari Shaffir)

Travel Writers

Travel Writer: Kathleen Hughes

Travel Writer: Dustin Grinnell

Travel Writer: Blake Boles

Travel Writer: Tania Romanov

Travel Writer: Lucas Peters

Travel Writer: Pier Nirandara

Travel Writer: Troy Nahumko

Travel Writer: Laura Kiniry

Travel Writer: Rosie Bell

Travel Writer: James Michael Dorsey