Rolf Potts's Blog, page 115

When you travel, you find yourself alone in a different way

"When you travel, you find yourself

Alone in a different way,

More attentive now

To the self you bring along.

Your more subtle eye watching

You abroad; and how what meets you

Touches that part of the heart

That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune

To the timbre in some voice,

Opening in conversation

You want to take in

To where your longing

Has pressed hard enough

Inward, on some unsaid dark,

To create a crystal of insight

You could not have known

You needed

To illuminate

Your way."

–John O'Donohue, "For the Traveler" (2008)

Special November 2011 fares for multi-stop tickets on BootsnAll

Deciding and planning a RTW trip is quite the difficult process. Traveling on a RTW trip is much different than going on a one or two week vacation, and there are things all travelers need to consider before taking off. As someone who has traveled RTW, one of the questions I get most has to do with packing.

I wrote an article recently on BootsnAll outlining the entire process of packing for a RTW trip, including specific men's and women's packing lists. There is also a more generic downloadable packing list which includes clothes and gear for men and women, plus suggested toiletries, first aid, and tech packing lists. Most people make the mistake of bringing way too much on their RTW trips, making getting around a hindrance. The best tip I can give you for packing is to realize that you can buy pretty much anything on the road than you can at home, so forget all those just in case items you were planning on bringing.

No matter what stage of the RTW process you're in, it's important to always keep an eye on RTW plane ticket fares. BootsnAll has monthly deals that can take you all over the world, so be sure to check out the following deals, which are good through November 30, 2011:

Circle the Atlantic: New York – Bogota – Rio de Janeiro – Paris – Madrid – New York from US$1189 plus taxes
6 Continent Zig Zag: Los Angeles – San Jose (Costa Rica) – Quito – Lima – Santiago -OVERLAND – Buenos Aires – Amsterdam – London – Johannesburg – Bombay / Mumbai – Delhi – Bangkok – OVERLAND – Singapore – Bali (Denpasar) – Perth – OVERLAND – Brisbane – Nadi (Fiji) – Los Angeles  from US$3894 plus taxes
The Wayfarer: New York – Hong Kong – Delhi – Chennai / Madras – OVERLAND – Bombay / Mumbai – Cairo – Istanbul – OVERLAND – Athens – Munich – Rome – New York from US$1575 plus taxes

 

If you are looking for something a little different in your round the world trip, then start planning your trip of a lifetime with our RTW trip planner And don't forget to sign up for BootsnAll's RTW newsletter, delivering special deals, RTW trip planning advice, and resources via email every single month.

Upcoming movie: One day on Earth

Here's an exciting film for vagabonders: it's about 7 billion people, 24 hours, and one planet.  Check out the trailer:

From the official description:

ONE DAY ON EARTH creates a picture of humanity by recording a 24-hour period throughout every country in the world. We explore a greater diversity of perspectives than ever seen before on screen. We follow characters and events that evolve throughout the day, interspersed with expansive global montages that explore the progression of life from birth, to death, to birth again. In the end, despite unprecedented challenges and tragedies throughout the world, we are reminded that every day we are alive there is hope and a choice to see a better future together.

Documentaries like this are notoriously tough to pull off.  Moving that much equipment around, dealing with foreign bureaucracy, etc.  The filmmakers hit upon an elegant solution: crowdsourcing.  They opened the film to submissions from participants from all over the globe.  One upshot of this method is that it adds a local perspective to the production.

On their website http://www.onedayonearth.org, the founders say that one of the founding principles was to use this film as a "time capsule."  If a picture is a worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth?

What do you think?  Have you seen similar documentaries that you would recommend watching?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Most travel involves depending on the kindness of strangers

"Most travel, and certainly the rewarding kind, involves depending on the kindness of strangers, putting yourself into the hands of people you don't know and trusting them with your life."

–Paul Theroux, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2008)

Vagabonding Case Study: Conrad and Louisa

Conrad Ferrel & Louisa Lungu

ferrungu.blogspot.com

Age: Conrad – 31; Louisa – 30

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta – Canada

Quote: "Anyone can vagabond and travel – as long as you are committed to spending/saving money for life experiences and not material goods, vagabonding is very possible."



How did you find out about Vagabonding, and how did you find it useful?

Tim Ferris mentioned the case study on one of his blog posts – we are big fans of Tim Ferris and fans of the 4 Hour Work Week. The 4 Hour Work Week and Vagabonding really appeal to the two of us.  We are very independent and want to take advantage of this life we live and live it to the fullest. It is inspiring to see people do exactly what we want to do with our lives – great motivation!

What is your job or source of travel funding for this journey?

We spent the last year saving our hard earned dollars to fund this trip.  We don't spend money on anything but travel and travel related expenses… and rock climbing and yoga or course.  Fortunately, we had jobs that allowed us to save enough to ensure that working is an option and not a requirement while traveling.

Do you plan to work on the road?

We hope to work for the Summer Olympics in London, England this coming summer 2012.  We are also volunteering in throughout our travels to give back to the less fortunate.

What was the reaction of your friends/family/colleagues as you planned your trip?

We are both leaving well paying and well respected jobs – most people our age are shocked that (1) we can afford it and (2) that we are actually going to travel for year and not work.  The lesson here is that anyone can vagabond and travel – as long as you are committed to spending/saving money for life experiences and not material goods, vagabonding is very possible.

Our family is very supportive as they understand that we love to travel and experience life.  They are envious and wish they could have done this sort of thing when they were our age.

Any tips or lessons learned from the travel-preparation process?

Ensure that all visitor visas are in place and in order before leaving.  This takes a lot of research and each nationality has different rules.

How long do you hope to spend on the road?

We plan to be gone 12 months starting Nov 9, 2011

Which destinations do you hope to visit?

China, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Combodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Africa, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Europe – to name a few.

Which experiences are you most looking forward to?

We are really looking forward to living by our rules and living in the moment.  Today's society lives in the past and future and never really thinks about what is going in the present moment.  We are also looking forward to meeting new and different cultures and the wonderful people that make our experiences that much more special.

What are you packing for the journey?

We are going to pack minimal.  Out largest item is a tent and a few camping supplies to ensure we can save money by camping instead of paying for hostels or hotels.  If there is one things I have learnt from traveling is that if you don't have it you can probably buy it…

Do you have any worries or concerns about the journey?

We are both veteran travelers and traveled many places in our lives.  Our only concern is safety while in Africa – however, things happen and if they do we will live with it.

How can we best follow your adventures?

Our blog!

Website: ferrungu.blogspot.com

Are you a Vagabonding reader planning, in the middle of, or returning from a journey? Would you like your travel blog or website to be featured on Vagabonding Case Studies? If so, drop us a line at casestudies@vagabonding.net and tell us a little about yourself.

Travelers have a way of being judgmental about other travelers

"Our incessant commentary on others gives insights into the tourist or vacation mode of consumption. "Those other tourists" come to represent a commodified, fragmented tourism. Here we find a model of tourism as consumption, with vacationers moving along the shelves of the tourist supermarket, falling for today's special offers, the well-advertised, the cheap, the easily digested, the standardized items of tourist experiences. The commentator sees himself or herself in other terms, not as a consumer but as a producer of experiences… What is it that makes some people define some experiences as shallow or rich, meaningful or meaningless, sublime moments of personal bliss or just another prepackaged item from the tourist industry? And how do we project our own interpretations of what happens in others' lives?"

–Orvar Lofgren, On Holiday: A History of Vacationing (1999)

Reading habits for better travel blogging

A shelf of books. Photo: Ian Wilson / Flickr

Without exception, every traveler I've met has been an avid reader.  Makes sense, as a keener interest in information and stories complement a curiosity to see the world. The natural next step is to pick up our keyboards and write stories of our own, in travel blogs.

The website Travelllll.com had a post titled, Good Travel Blogging: Seven Ways to Read Better.  There is a good mix of advice.  The writer recommends where to find good articles for inspiration, how to read with a critical eye, and more.

My favorite is tip No. 1: Read #longform. Following @longreads on Twitter has been a revelation.  The articles there are found through a crowdsourcing process. Fellow reading addicts submit their favorite stories by marking them with the hashtag #longreads.  Then the main editor tweets out his selections from @longreads.  I'd recommend following both the Twitter account and the hashtag so you don't miss a story.

Taking that step further, an awesome website for long-form journalism is Byliner.  It's a social network where people can find and share the best reads on the Internet.  The site is so addictive for inveterate readers that it should come with a warning.

What do you read to inspire your blogging?  Please share your advice in the comments.

Ibn Battuta on how locals can help protect travelers

"I saw a crocodile in this part of the Niger, close to the bank; it looked just like a small boat. One day I went down to the river to satisfy a need, and lo, one of the blacks came and stood between me and the river. I was amazed at such a lack of manners and decency on his part, and spoke of it to someone or another. He answered, 'His purpose in doing that was solely to protect you from the crocodile. By placing himself between you and it.'"

–Ibn Battuta, Travels (1355)

"Getting off the beaten path" is as much about expectations as places

"'Getting off the beaten path' is still a negotiation (even if a contrarian one) with the pre-formed idea of a place, rather than with the place itself. And soon enough, it becomes incorporated into the approved, expected experience: witness the advertisements for SUVs and sporting gear that now use that phrase as a slogan. Indeed, the presumption of location-aware technologies is that place can be a sort of consumer artifact, a packaged item in a showroom awaiting evaluation and purchase."

–Ari N. Schulman, "GPS and the End of the Road," New Atlantis, Spring 2011

RTW Travel – How to Plan Your Itinerary

There are so many different steps to a RTW trip that it's sometimes difficult to know where to begin. First you have to get through that first stage of actually making the decision to go. Finding inspiration shouldn't be terribly difficult in this technological age we live in, but actually taking that plunge is a whole different story.

But once you decide that a RTW trip is right for you, where do you go next? Where's the best place to get started? How do you sift through all the information out there to begin planning your trip of a lifetime?

The folks at BootsnAll have been hard at work these last few months developing the most comprehensive RTW travel guide around, and the massive planning section is at the forefront. This guide takes potential RTW travelers through all the necessary steps of planning a RTW trip. If you're overwhelmed by the thoughts of planning a long-term trip, then start at the beginning of the guide. You can read it like a book or jump around to the articles that interest you most.

Where Do I Begin Planning a RTW Trip gets you started by getting you to ask yourself all the right questions. Starting there, they take you through all pertinent steps of planning a RTW trip. If you like to read things in sequential order, you can click on the red button at the bottom right corner of each page for the next article in the series.

There are 23 articles in the planning section alone, which covers all you need to know. They answer the big questions, like how to save money for a trip like this and what to consider when making the decision to buy RTW plane ticket or point to point tickets. They even look at the nitty gritty of planning an epic trip like this. No one likes to think about things like immunizations and what to do with all your stuff while you're gone, but both are necessary steps when planning a RTW trip.

If you're in the process of planning a trip around the world, be sure to check out BootsnAll for all your RTW travel needs. They have been working hard at developing the most helpful guide around, and they are always looking for feedback regarding their content.

Are you going on a Vagabonding trip or planning one now? If so, I'd like to talk to you and get your opinion on the vagabonding planning process and our RTW Travel Guide. If that describes you, contact the RTW Wednesday column writer, Adam Seper, at adam@bootsnall.com.

For more RTW travel information, including RTW ticket deals, be sure to sign up for their newsletter.