When my first book, Vagabonding, hit bookstores early in 2003, it didn’t make many bestseller or Top-10 lists — though it did find an enthusiastic word-of-mouth following that has slowly grown in the two-plus decades since it first debuted.
This grassroots success has been so resonant that Vagabonding has, in the past ten years or so, landed on far more “best of” lists than it did when it first came out. Especially gratifying for me has been the fact that it often appears on these lists alongside travel books that inspired me when I was still dreaming of become a travel author — titles like William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways, John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley, Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust, and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
Below, in no particular order, are seven “best of” travel book (or life-advice book) lists on which Vagabonding has appeared in the past ten years.
1) The 21 greatest travel books of all time (Business Insider)
This 2016 list of “greatest travel books” also included books like Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia, Paul Theroux’s The Great Railway Bazaar, Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley, Ryszard Kapuscinski’sThe Shadow of the Sun, Jan Morris’s Venice, and Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Of Vagabonding, it noted: “If you’ve always dreamed of dropping everything to travel the world, this is the book to read before you do it.”
2) 15 Travel Books That Will Change The Way You See The World (Forbes)
This 2018 list included Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw, William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways, W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, Alain de Botton’s The Art of Travel, Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari, and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Of Vagabonding, it noted: “Anyone who’s thinking about traveling for longer than the average weeklong Christmas vacation has something to learn from this book, whether it’s how to budget while traveling or changing your entire mindset toward money in the first place.”
3) 17 Inspiring Travel Memoirs for Your Next Adventure (MSN.com)
This 2024 list included Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss, Frances Mayes’s Under the Tuscan Sun, and Robyn Davidson’s Tracks. Of Vagabonding, it noted: “Potts’ personal anecdotes and practical tips demystify the idea of extended travel, making it accessible to anyone with a sense of adventure. His philosophy of embracing the unknown and living simply resonates with those seeking a more meaningful and enriching travel experience.”
4) Nine Best How-To Books of All Time (The Week)
This 2018 list from The Week included Erin Bried’s How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew, Derek Fagerstrom’s Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know, Gerald Gross’s Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do, and Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Chef. Of Vagabonding, it noted: “Nearly everyone has had the fantasy of dropping everything and travelling the world. This book teaches you how to live out that dream. Vagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life – be it six weeks to two years – to discover and experience the world on your own terms.”
5) Books should be more than a backdrop, but if you must decorate (San Francisco Chronicle)
In 2022, Barbara Lane of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that, “in the spirit of guiding those desiring curatorial advice for designing their bookcases to impress others, I offer the following suggestions,” including Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust, Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs, Kate Harris’s Lands of Lost Borders, Mary Oliver’s Devotions, Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and my own book, Vagabonding.
6) 10 Must Read Books for Every Travel Lover (India Today)
This 2023 list, which also included Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Alex Garland’s The Beach, and Che Guevara’s Motorcycle Diaries, noted that Vagabonding “is full of useful tips and advice for anyone who wants to travel the world on a shoestring budget.”
7) Top 5 Books On Travel To Read (CEO World)
This 2019 list, which also included The Alchemist, A Woman Alone, The Art of Travel, and David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, noted of Vagabonding: “This book teaches you what exactly it takes for people to build a sustained life on the road and carry out non-stop. For all those planning trips longer than their Christmas vacation need to read and learn from this book about how to manage a budget with such extensive travels and even to change your outlook towards money and comfort in your life.”
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