“The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home -- and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.”

It means taking an extended time-out from your normal life to travel the world on your own terms. Vagabonds work only to travel. They travel solely for the sake of traveling, and therefore earning money is part of their mission to earn the freedom to do just that.So vagabonding doesn’t start with picking a departure date at the travel agent or arriving at the check-in counter at the airport. It starts with saving money, poring over maps, figuring out your destination and your why, and finally stopping to make excuses and putting off your journey.

Vagabonding

<ul><li>Avoid bringing expensive or irreplaceable items </li><li>Don’t brag about the wealth you do have </li><li>Keep cash in discreet places like a money belt, a sock, or a hidden pocket. Be wary of public distractions and dense crowds. This is where pickpockets tend to operate</li><li>When staying at a hotel or guesthouse, keep your extra cash in the safe</li><li>Be wary of pushy new “friends” who insist on giving you free shopping or sightseeing tours.</li></ul>

Crime and Scams

<ul><li>If in doubt about what to do in a place, just start walking through your new environment</li><li>Don’t make too many arrangements at once as it stunts your spontaneity. Only make advance reservations for one trip at a time</li><li>Wash your own clothes with shampoo.</li><li>Rooms are easy to find so don’t bother with reservations. Exceptions: local festivals, high tourist season, or when you’re arriving at night</li><li>Never check into a room without asking to see it first</li><li>Don’t put your bags into the trunk of a taxi, as this is often used as a bargaining chip by dodgy taxi drivers</li><li>Pre-trip immunizations are vital.</li></ul>

Life on The Road

Vagabonding revolves around the people you meet on the road — and the attitude you take into these encounters can make or break your entire travel experience.<ul><li>To know how to conscientiously spend money on the road, watch what the locals do.</li><li>Be sure to carry photos of yourself, your hometown, and your family to show to people on the road.</li></ul>

The People You Meet On The Road 

<ul><li>Speak slowly, simply, and clearly</li><li>Be patient and try to figure out mispronounced words from the context of what is being said</li><li>Compliment anyone brave (and helpful) enough to try his or her English on you</li><li>Develop a knack for cross-cultural small talk</li><li>Commit a few words and phrases of the local language to memory.</li></ul>

Bridge The “Language Gap”

“The simple willingness to improvise is more vital, in the long run, than research.”

<ul><li>Let go of your pre-trip stereotypes and exchange two-dimensional expectations for living people, living places, and living life.</li><li>Fall into a nightly ritual of partying and you might overlook the subtlety of places, stunt your travel creativity, and trap yourself in the patterns of home.</li><li>Creativity is particularly important after you’ve been on the road for a long time, because inevitably you’ll fall into a kind of road routine.</li></ul>

Vagabonding Is A Rediscovery Of Reality Itself

“Work is when you confront the problems you might otherwise be tempted to run away from.”

It means negotiating with your employer for special sabbaticals and long-term leaves of absence.

Constructive Quitting

Our relationship with money makes us see travel as a luxury, which is why we think of “a vacation” just like we think of a new car or an expensive TV – it costs a ton of money and is a one-time thing.But tightly packed, stressful, calculated flat fee holiday cruises with a fixed budget provide none of the rich experiences travel is really about. If you think there might be a vagabond inside you, the first thing that’ll have to change is your relationship with money.

Change Your Relationship With Money

<ul><li>Stop expansion. Don’t add any new possessions to your life</li><li>Rein in your routine. Live more humbly and invest the difference into your travel fund</li><li>Reduce clutter. Downsize what you already own (and sell it to make extra money).</li></ul>The goal of preparation is not knowing exactly where you’ll go but being confident nonetheless that you’ll get there. Your attitude is more important than your itinerary.

Simplify Your Life For Vagabonding

<ul><li>If you can cook it, boil it, or peel it, you can eat it — otherwise, forget it</li><li>Look for establishments with lots of customers and healthy-looking employees</li><li>When ordering meat, make sure it’s well cooked. Be wary of milk, “beef”, leafy salads, and shellfish</li><li>Avoid non-purified water (ice included) and make sure your bottled water is sealed</li><li>Keep in mind that a restaurant’s food isn’t necessarily healthy (or clean, or tasty) merely because the place has an English-language menu and serves up pizza, club sandwiches, or an “American” breakfast.</li></ul>

Food

<ul><li>Returning home can be weird. Everything will look like it did but feel completely different at the same time.</li><li>It’s hard for friends to relate to your travel experiences because they don’t share the values that took you out on the road in the first place. So remember to keep your stories short and save the best bits for yourself.</li><li>Hitting the road to get travel out of your system rarely works, so the best remedy upon returning home is to make travel a part of your system.</li></ul>

Coming Home

Dreaming of working from anywhere? Here are the key things you need to know about starting your digital nomad journey

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How To Become A Digital Nomad

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit.

A complete guide to the vagabond approach to travel espouses taking time off from one's normal routine--for weeks to years--to discover the wonders of the world for oneself, explaining how to plan and prepare for travel, simplify one's lifestyle and adapt to life on the road, handle travel adversity, and finally, reassimilate to ordinary life. Original. 15,000 first printing.

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Money & Investments

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • With a new foreword by Tim Ferriss • “Vagabonding easily remains in my top-10 list of life-changing books. Why? Because one incredible trip, especially a long-term trip, can change your life forever. And Vagabonding teaches you how to travel (and think), not just for one trip, but for the rest of your life.”—Tim Ferriss, from the foreword There’s nothing like vagabonding: taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. In this one-of-a-kind handbook, veteran travel writer Rolf Potts explains how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Now completely revised and updated, Vagabonding is an accessible and inspiring guide to • financing your travel time • determining your destination • adjusting to life on the road • working and volunteering overseas • handling travel adversity • re-assimilating back into ordinary life Updated for our ever-changing world, Vagabonding is an indispensable guide for the modern traveler.

ROLF POTTS

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