I had been ‘planning’ to read Vagabonding for over a year now, but was hesitant to actually begin reading, worried it would follow suit with many of the other travel books I’ve read.  These books seem to push the opinions, biases, and prejudices of the author so forcefully upon you that it becomes difficult not to absorb some of these notions.  Vagabonding was a refreshing change.

I was immediately impressed by how clearly and effectively Potts explained the difficult subjective side of travel.  To address the situations that don’t lend themselves well to words he instead used examples of his experiences while traveling. 

He never takes a superior or bragging tone, but it quickly becomes clear that the author has traveled and experienced and incredible percentage of the world.  I found the advice he gave very practical and informative.  I especially liked that he took the time to address restlessness while traveling.  He explained that at different stages of travel you’re going to want different things out of it.  Maybe after a long haul of partying you need a few weeks just to wander and live humbly, or perhaps after a length of living in densely populated cities you may want to escape to the back-country.

Potts gives practical advice on how to prepare for travel and what to expect along the way.  This knowledge includes topics on dealing with different cultures, foreign customs, sickness while traveling, treating yourself to the occasional luxury, and many more relevant topics.  Aside from his own experiences and suggestions, at the end of most of his chapters he gives you a run-down of other relevant books/websites/organizations that can help give you more specific information, which I found really useful.

It’s hard not to get inspired to travel while reading Vagabonding.  I have to admit that after reading any lengthy section of the book I’d find myself online searching airfare to exotic destinations.  He spent a considerable amount of time talking about how inexpensive vagabonding the world actually is, and how it could easily be attainable for almost any budget.  My only real complaint is that I wish he would have given some more specific examples of costs while abroad.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking to break out of the traditional 9-5 grind and the all-inclusive resort style vacation scene.  Just be warned that there’s a good chance you’ll purchase a ticket to a far-away place before you finish reading!

Safe Travels.