Rolf Potts on Travel Tactics, Creating Time Wealth, and Lateral Thinking

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Rolf Potts on Travel Tactics, Creating Time Wealth, and Lateral Thinking

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“War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” - Rolf Potts

“If in doubt, just walk until your day becomes interesting.” - Rolf Potts

Rolf Potts is the author of Vagabonding (hear the audio book sample here), one of my favorite books of all-time. It was one of just two books (the other was Walden) that I carried with me around the world from 2004-2005. Those adventures led directly to The 4-Hour Workweek.

World travel doesn’t have to be a wealthy person’s sport. In this often hilarious conversation, Rolf and I dig deep into travel tactics, creating time wealth, “managing success,” and much more. It’s a fun romp through every imaginable topic, from business to poetry, and from Wall Street to psychedelics.

Enjoy!

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream it by clicking Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Download both as MP3 by right clicking here (Part 1, Part 2) and choosing “save as”.

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

This episode is also brought to you by ExOfficio, which I’ve personally used since 2005 or so. They make ultra-lightweight, quick drying, antimicrobial clothing for men and women. Here’s my own ultra-light packing list (scroll down for video), which went viral.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What are the most valuable lessons (or tricks) you’ve learned through travel? Please share your story in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes.

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Selected Links from the Episode

Part I

Build.org – If you’re an entrepreneur, check this out.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Wall Street – Charlie Sheen talks about riding a motorcycle across China as his “retirement”
BootsnAll.com – Community and support for travelers
VirtualTourist.com – One of the sites that inspired my early travels
Trippy.com – New travel site created by the founder of VirtualTourist.com (Here’s my profile)
CouchSurfing.org – Find community and great stays on the road
AirBnB.com – Great places to stay all over the world. Tired of hostels? This is a good choice.
Learn more about The Beginners Mind
The Freedom App – Get yourself off the Internets
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott

Part II

The Writers Toolkit Roy Peters Clark
To Show and To Tell by Phillip Lapate
Screenplay by Sid Field
Story by Robert McKee
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Marco Polo Didn’t Go There by Rolf Potts
Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog
Con Air
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (Download Audiobook for Free)

Connect with Rolf Potts:

RolfPotts.com
Vagabonding.net/resources
ParisWritingWorkshop.com
Twitter @RolfPotts

Show Notes

Part I

Converting travel fantasies into realities and the time-wealth principle [2:30]
Deconstructing and defining success, money, and freedom [12:00]
The time-strapped billionaire paradox [14:10]
Resources to fight the fears associated with world travel [25:09]
How new collaborative consumption technologies affect the long-term travel experience [29:00]
JP Morgan’s trip to Egypt, and what we can learn about business on the road [40:56]
Vacations and their effect on creative output [42:55]
When to leave the optimize-for-efficiency mindset behind [44:32]
Can you replicate travel benefits with a “staycation”? [51:37]
Exploring appreciation vs. achievement [54:08]
Rolf Potts’ writing process + “Swoopers” and “Bashers” [59:54]

Part II

The breakthrough for Potts in his writing: structure learned from screenwriting tomes [1:00]
Vagabonding and the therapeutic use of psychedelics [7:00]
The art of getting lost, and the benefits of getting lost [8:05]
What it’s like to teach writing in Paris, and who is a good fit for the class [16:15]
Thoughts on a mid-career Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) [22:13]
“Success management” and her champions: Dave Chapelle and John Hughes? [35:26]
Rapid-fire questions: Grizzly Man, Con Air, the love of poetry, and more [41:45]

People Mentioned

Part I

Henry David Thoreau
Ayn Rand
Anne Lamott
Kurt Vonnegut

Part II