Title Vagaboding
Author Rolf Potts
Year Published 2002
Kind of Book Travel/Philosophy
How strongly I recommend it 9/10
My Impressions Warning: this book will make you want to travel the world. This is a super inspiring look at world travel. It includes the mindset a world traveler should adopt as well as some practical tips and tricks for how to get er' done.
Date Read October 2016
Practical Takeaways
Stop spending money on things you don't need
Stop spending money on fashion
Stop buying things out of fear
Increase your personal options instead of your personal possessions
Loosen your grip on the so-called certainties of this world
Refuse to exile travel to some other seemingly more appropriate time in your life
Take control of your circumstances instead of passively waiting for them to decide your fate
Stop making excuses, start saving money, and begin to look at mops with the narcotic tingle of possibility
Be prepared to work if you want to vagabond
Make travel a discovery of your real life not an escape from your real life
Take some extended time to travel between jobs/gigs
Pay for your own travel, don't use someone else's money to travel the world (you won't appreciate it and you'll feel useless)
Include your vagabonding experience on your resume
Don't give up, move on
Travel safety tips www.Kevincoffey.com/safety_tips_index.htm
Just go (leaving is the hardest part)
Save what little money you possess to meet basic survival requirements, but spend your time lavishly
Get rid of the disease of "someday"
Simplify your possessions at home to save up travel money
Don't buy a bunch of travel accessories (just sturdy footware and a dependable backpack)
Cook at home instead of eating out
Stay home instead of going to bars and nightclubs
Don't let your possessions hold you back from leaving
Downsize what you already own
When you're abroad Instead of flights take locals buses and trains
When you're abroad Instead of hotels stay at hostels and guest houses
Don't prepare too much before traveling to a new place
Don't have a fixed plan when you're traveling -Lau-Tzu A good traveler has no fixed plan
Ask fellow travelers for word of mouth advice
Travel with one guidebook for
Pointers regarding language and customs
Data on climate
Advice on getting visas and changing money
Tips for staying safe and healthy
How to use local transport
Recommendations for lodging
Recommendations for food and entertainment
Don't require a good reason to travel anywhere, just go for whatever happens to get you there
Trace your ancestry to your motherland
Opt for a slow nuanced experience of one country or place over the hurried, superficial experience of 10 places
Don't book specifics in advance
Book a one way airplane ticket
Pack a dozen extra visa-shaped photos of yourself
Check the visa requirements of your initial destination before you leave
Always be able to go it alone while you're traveling even if you're with others and you don't think you'll need to
Pack as little as possible when you travel
Buy a small travel bag
What to pack
1.a guidebook
2.A pair of sandals
3.Standard hygeine items
4.Disposable ear plugs/sleep mask
5,A few changes of functional clothes
6.1 nice outfit
7.Sunglasses
8.A small flashlight
9.A day pack (for carrying smaller items)
10.An inexpensive camera
Don't overthink whether to go or not. Don't make a pro and con list (if you think about it too much you'll just end up staying home)
Don't live vicariously through others
Don't keep a 'things to do' list. Watch and listen to your environment
Don't decide in advance how long you'll stay in one place or another
Wander with open eyes and simple curiosity
If in doubt of what to do, just start walking through your new environment
Never check into a room without first asking if the electricity, water, and locks work
Take a hotel business card with you when you go out in case you forget where you're staying
Don't bother with reservations for hotels and guest houses
Pack your own TP for certain countries
Haggle everywhere except restaurants and buses
Buy souvenirs at the end of your trip
(Haggling) Let the merchant make the first offer. Then before making a counter offer ask them to make a second offer
Try to give as much as you take when you travel
Leave your shy side at home
Say 'yes' as much as possible when you're traveling
Follow your instincts instead of your plans
Take surprises in stride
In an unmetered taxi: Make sure you agree on a price beforehand
Avoid putting your bags in the trunk of a taxi
If you and your baggage only takes up one seat only pay one fair
Focus on the quality of your experience rather than the quantity
Have humility and humor when traveling
Learn how to say; "Hello", "please", "thank you", "yes", "no", "how much?" "Where is it?" "No problem", "hotel", "bus station", "restaurant", "toilet", "good", "bad", "beer"
Be respectful of your host's culture
Eat whatever your host serves you
Big Ideas
You have to travel for at least a couple of months to truly take you away from the current life you're leading
We spend the best part of our lives earning money to (maybe) enjoy it during the least valuable part of it
Quitting something does not me stopping your journey, but taking a step in a better direction
Leaving is the hardest part of world travel
Wanting little is the key to happiness
World travel is for everyone
You don't need a lot of money to travel the world
Most vagabonds are young because they don't have a bunch of possessions holding them down