One of the reasons I created my Deviate podcast was to occasionally explore cultural and intellectual themes that go beyond the travel issues I typically write about. Since I’ve been intrigued with sports since my preschool days on a summertime swim-team (and, later in my youth, soccer teams and running clubs) in Wichita, many Deviate…
Native American football star John Levi takes on the 1927 New York Giants
Travel writer Tony Perrottet on the idiosyncrasies of ancient Roman tourists.
The grateful acre was created when God created the Earth. The grateful acre was grateful to wake up one day and realize that it was an acre. God smiled upon it and the grateful acre was grateful. It was grateful when dirt appeared upon it. Even though the dirt made the acre feel heavier, the…
“Easy beauty” versus “difficult beauty,” and how it affects the way we see things on the road.
As 2023 gets underway, I’ve resolved to be less “virtually present” on social media, and more emotionally present in my own life. Hence, it’s unlikely I’ll be adding many new posts to my Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook accounts in the coming months. Lowering one’s social-media profile might seem like a peculiar choice in 2023, given…
Author Eric Weiner on the joys of slowing down and being open to uncertainty on the road
My newest book, The Vagabond’s Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery and the Art of Travel, debuted in October, with a series of virtual and live events in places like New York, Kansas, and San Francisco. Early praise for the book came from The New York Times, which noted: “Rolf Potts, the author who inspired wanderlust…
Filmmaker and anthropologist Pegi Vail on global traveler culture
My book The Vagabond’s Way has a mini-chapter entitled “The Definition of ‘Traveler’ is Broad (and Vibrant),” which examines the notion that “middle-class folks from industrialized countries aren’t the only people taking journeys.” I allude to a number of situations that illustrate this (based on travel experiences in India, Mexico, Laos, and Sumatra), but the…
There is something curiously ephemeral about theater: Actors bring a specific world alive onstage for a few weeks or months, then that world vanishes when the play finishes its run. Kristen Bush’s extraordinary presence and stamina as “Emma” in Duncan Macmillan’s dark addiction-recovery drama People, Places and Things at DC’s Studio Theatre was lauded by…
