Rolf Potts: Vagabonding

“Vagabonding is an attitude—a friendly interest in people, places, and things that makes a person an explorer in the truest, most vivid sense of the word. Vagabonding is not a lifestyle, nor is it a trend. It’s just an uncommon way of looking at life—a value adjustment from which action naturally follows. And, as much as anything, vagabonding is about time—our only real commodity—and how we choose to use it.”― Rolf Potts, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel || Point Clear, AL ||

While we can't travel right now, we can take on an attitude of openness that comes from traveling, and keep our minds open to the new things that still are coming are way right now, despite our best efforts to not see them.

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Local Travel Ideas

Beyond thankful for a fantastic week long visit from the man, the myth, the legend himself, UK (Uncle Kevin). Somehow we always find ways to keep ourselves entertained. More importantly, you can thank him for not having to sleep on cardboard boxes for sheets in the guest room when you come to visit in Monterey, because the man knows how to put his touch (just a pinch of southern charm) on a new place.

Oh and did I say we both love wine?

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A Journey is a Person in Itself

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us." - John Steinbeck || Seaside, CA ||

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Travel and Measuring Up

If there's anything I've learned about travel, never fall into the trap of legalism. It's never about how many stamps you have on your passport, or what you think you have to do based on what your friends told you they did, what matters is how you travel, and the process you go through during your travels.

Travel speaks to all of us in different ways.

It shows us things about ourselves that we've buried deep, and other things that we never knew were there.

So If we keep focusing on our so called "metrics" of how much we travel, instead of the process of how we lived during our travels, then we become victims to our own devices.

Next time you travel, try focusing on how you spend your time with yourself, I mean really dig deep there and see what's inside.

Then have faith, because the rest will work itself out.

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Top Ten Travel Moments of 2019!

Everyone always wants to know my favorite place to travel to.

Instead of giving you the typical “Top 10 Places to Travel to in 2020” I’m going to give you my 10 favorite travel moments of 2019 as a starting point, and let you figure out what the places are that you want to travel to.

Hopefully these moments give you a little glimpse into the pure joy and gratitude I had in making these moments and some of the people I got to make them with.

Also, I hope they inspire you to create you’re own breakthrough moments in 2020 that can alter your world view and change the course of your life.

I also thought it would be fun to instead of list them from 1-10, out them in reverse order, with my favorite moment last.

SO! Without further adieu, here they are, my top 10 travel moments of 2019:

10) Sipping wine in a wine cellar in Alsace 🇫🇷 at a 300 year old winery while admiring a 100 year old oak barrel used in the Paris World Fair, that’s still in service.

9) Soaking it all up during the wine festival season in Germany 🇩🇪.

8) Linking up with the Grace’s for a 12 hours and drinking all the Tuscan wine in Siena

7) Wandering the banner strewn streets of Müenster

6) Relaxing and having a cocktail on the beach on the French Riviera

5) Attending an Italian Opera at the Teatro La Fenice

4) Touring the streets of Brussels, and learning the art of Belgian Waffles and Chocolates

3) Climbing a mountain in the Swiss alps

2) Watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco

1) Playing Golf in Scotland

Going to these places and making these moments absolutely changed my perspective and gave me a greater appreciation for things I just take for granted in everyday life. I hope you make moments in 2020 that change the way you think.

Safe travels to all in the new year!

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New Month, New Year, New Decade

Had such a great holiday week enjoying family time in the desert.

There's something about this place, almost like an oasis, that helps you rest and feel ready to take on the next challenge when you leave.

It's also a bit of a paradox, seeing mountains covered in snow as the backdrop for palm trees.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

As this chapter comes to a close, spending a week in a place as beautiful as Palm Springs is the perfect way to end it.

Now it's time to get back to work, as a new set of mountains to climb are upon us!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Safe travels to all this week as we all move into a new month, new year and new decade! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Live in the Present

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” - Henry David Thoreau || Joshua Tree National Park, CA, USA ||

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Texas Hill Country

You don’t really appreciate a place until you’ve spent a significant amount of time there, and then leave it and spend as much time away from it.

When we are gone, I think we find ourselves thinking about those one or two places that always put us in the best mood, where the sun is always shining, and we instantly feel better when we arrive in those places.

For me, that’s the Texas hill country.

When I’m gone, and I’m thinking about places I wish I was, my thoughts always find their way back to this countryside.

It’s gives me a place to go, when things aren’t what I want them to be or easy around me. . And gives me something to look forward to.

I don’t know if you feel the same way as I do about the, but I hope these photos show why I love the Texas Hill Country.

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There are No Foreign Lands

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign” – Robert Louis Stevenson || Fidra Island, North Berwick, Scotland || .

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Traveling is a Brutality

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” -Cesare Pavese || Stuttgart, Germany at dawn ||

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Exploring Shenandoah National Park

Had a great weekend watching everything turn amber, orange and red in Shenandoah National Park while learning from the pros Francisco J Martinez  and Keegan Dunlap. Mini-treks like these in the land of the free are some of my favorites.

Adventures are always waiting for you, you just have to start.

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Travel: Worlds Largest Weinfest

World’s largest Weinfest! Another tick off the bucket list.

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In Search of Grand Cru

Constantly in search of Grand Cru.

In French wine making, they have this term.

It’s called Grand Cru.

Only the best vines, planted in the best locations, with the best soil, with steep elevation, that get the best sunlight and produce the best grapes can be called Grand Cru.

There’s something to be taken from this concept, excellence.

The French realized early on that only the best conditions will produce the best grapes

I think we can use the same logic in our own lives.

If we want to produce our own best grapes, we need things like a lot of sunlight (good vibes), established roots in good soil (the environments we choose to put ourselves in), and changes in our elevations (constantly pushing ourselves to new levels).

Yea sure, you can make ok grapes with all the basic elements and a little sunlight. But once you go to make the wine, it’s not going to taste as good as it could be.

We can choose to seek out those conditions that are going to produce Grand Cru grapes in our lives.

And just like the wine, I’d be willing to bet when we produce Grand Cru in our lives, it tastes pretty good!

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Travel: Scotland

This is my “Go walkabout in the Scottish highlands and slay some Loch Ness Monsters, but be ready to hit the Links with the boyz” loadout.

Versatility and multi-functionality can not be overstated for every piece of clothing and gear.

This is my 5th trip flying solo with just the carryon backpack.

I’ve come a long way in choosing what goes in, but somehow I still find myself cramming stuff in and having to press down on the top to make everything fit. Anyone feel me on that?!

I think I naturally gravitate towards the mindset of “I have this much space, must fill it” instead of determining what I actually need and then finding the appropriate bag for it to fit in. Needless to say, looking forward to breathing some crisp Scottish air this weekend, hitting the links, and tasting some Scotch.

Just wanted to give a huge Thank You to my good friend Billy and his wife Nicola for showing me a Royal Weekend in Scotland. These are my favorite kind of adventures

P.S. Try the Haggis, it’s fantastic!

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Travel: Barcelona

Different kinds of adventures require different kinds of load outs.

This is my sit back on the beach, watch the waves crash, and ponder life’s deep questions during the day, and eat tapas, and flamenco all night loadout.

Remember, less is more, otherwise how are you going to fit all those cheeses and Jamón Ibérico in your bag on the flight home?!

This is España

Sailing into the week, Barcelona on my mind.

Decided to get my PhD in Paella in Barcelona last weekend.

Paella is all about bringing in the right flavors, and using high quality ingredients to bring out the best in the dish. . It’s a local specialty, in that it always uses local products, wherever in the world you find them making Paella, which gives it its authentic taste.

The most important ingredient is people.

Paella is cooked and served in a traditional pan, that allows for sharing family style.

That’s what makes good Paella, great Paella.

Looking forward to making some Paella back in the states for some of my favorite people!

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Travel History: Bastogne, 101st Airborne Museum

Continually do I find myself reevaluating the gravity of the world wars that shook Europe.

My ability to comprehend how these wars completely and literally shook a continent is limited for not having to endure these times.

But walking through these places, and seeing what our greatest generation saw many years ago continues to be hallowing.

Visiting the 101st Airborne Museum in Bastogne was one of those moments where I grew to respect the eerieness of some of these places.

It gave me a greater appreciation for the heaviness of what transpired in Bastogne and during the Battle of the Bulge.

If you’re familiar with Band of Brothers By Stephen E. Ambrose, then you may recall Bastogne, where the elements of the 101st endured a long winter.

They were given one simple task, hold Bastogne.

They repelled attack after attack, underwent bombing after bombing, and stayed true to their mission. . Bastogne was never retaken by the Germans .

Getting a slight glimpse into the lens that the 101st endured in Bastogne reaffirms my gratefulness for the greatest generation and what they endured.

I’ll leave you with this parting thought: On 22 December 1944, four German emissaries approached the American front lines with white flags demanding surrender. To which Brigadier General McAuliffe simply replied “NUTS”!

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Be a Craftsman of Life

Dove into the world of craft foods in countries #23 and #24 this past weekend, Belgium and Luxembourg!

Around every corner was an opportunity to expand the palate.

The Belgians are craftsmen in every sense of the word. From crafting of their chocolates to their waffles, even their pommes frites (aka French fries, don’t worry I used to not be in the know, trust me, ignorance is bliss my friend), they use precision in everything they produce.

We don’t have to be chocolatiers or Belgian waffle makers to be craftsmen.

We get to choose what we want to become the best in the world at, and if we keep persisting, and continue to hone our craft we too can become craftsmen.

Seek out some true craftsmen in your travels this week!

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Canyoneering in the Alps!

Throwing it back today to canyoneering in the Alps!

What is canyoneering you ask? Basically a combination of rappelling, jumping, climbing, sliding, swimming and spelunking.

Do more stuff that excites you. This was just plain fun.

Want to see what canyoneering all entails? Check out the video and watch me stumble through the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland.

Luckily they got all my canyon clumsiness on the GoPro…

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Travel: Weinfest

“But do you have the meats?”

“Yea. I got the meats. I got all the meats.” .

Over the past 10 days I embarked on a culinary, enological and cultural adventure: Weinfest!

Everyday was a chance to try some fastidiously crafted Rieslings, Blanc de Noirs, Sekts, and a few other German specialties.

Thankful I got plugged into an awesome crew here that could show me the ropes, help me navigate the wine selections, and steer me away from the soggy schnitzels.

It also made me super grateful for being able to find people in new places that you can connect with.

I don’t know where you look for what you seek to find, but I’ve found if you invest in the people and experiences around you you’ll be amazed what you find around the corner.

Good food, great wine, and awesome people are what good times are made of. .

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Travel: Switzerland

Ready for adventure…

Country #22! Switzerland.

In between looking for the best chocolates and cheeses, may have ran across a dwarf or two (fun fact, the Alps were inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien when he was envisioning the mystic mountains among other places in the LOTR world, nerding out just a little bit...).

Tonight, we feast (on cheese, chocolate and wine, not necessarily in that order).

Tomorrow, we climb!

SUP? Come here often? These are my stretchy pants

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