In a time when adventure travel is equated to helicopter-drop-off-high-altitude skiing, deep bush walking safaris or polar bear watching in the Arctic, we wanted to know if it is still possible to have great, life changing adventures on a shoestring. Few are better equipped to answer this question than Rolf Potts, the traveller and writer who has been called “the Jack Kerouac of the Internet Age”.

Right after university Potts saved up money working as a landscaper and spent eight months travelling around North America. This trip was the start of a life on the road and a successful career writing about independent travel for the likes of National Geographic Adventure and the New York Times Magazine.

In 2003 Potts published Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel where he gives inspirational insights and practical tips on how to make your dream journey viable and fulfilling. Vagabonding, along with the author’s website vwww.vagabonding.net, is a must-read for anyone thinking about hitting the road for longer than the usual two-week window. Today, he tell us why and how long-term travelling on a shoestring can be as, and possibly more, fulfilling than, let’s say, seeing Antarctica from an icebreaker.

How do you define adventure?

The definition of adventure can be very broad. Sometimes adventure is seen as the physical act of getting to a place that is geographically isolated, hard to reach. But I like to define adventure as an experience that takes you out of your comfort zone. An adventure where everything is planned for you is not really an adventure.

For example, an arranged camel trek in Rajasthan can be an interesting and fun experience but, because all is scheduled in advance, it is not much of an adventure when compared to taking a bus to some city in Rajasthan and just letting things happen. So, I guess the definition of adventure for me is related to the unexpected, and that can be something that happens even in your neighbourhood, if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

Can you give us an example from when you started travelling which, at the time, felt like a huge adventure?

Yes, during a trip to India I ended up arriving too late and missing the unmissable Kumbh Mela Festival in Allahabad. With the festival over, I had no other plans and was open to whatever might come along. I ended up being invited to weddings and people’s homes and meeting all sorts of interesting personalities. I had very simple, but unusual experiences that might not have happened if I had come to the festival in a more structured and organised way.

Do you ever get bored after an extended time on the road? Do you ever have the feeling of repeated experiences, just in different places?

It is an easy situation to get into and an easy situation to get out of. Sometimes travel can seem a bit stale and dull; what was a fresh experience three months ago loses its novelty and quickly puts you back into your comfort zone.

The classic example is found in the backpackers’ circuit and hostel scene, which is too often equated to independent travel and can indeed, be very exciting when you first get into it. Although I have nothing against hanging out with travellers from all kinds of nationalities, some people spend an entire gap year and never leave this little bubble. But, unless you leave this comfort zone and give yourself the opportunity to find more independent and authentic experiences, you might get a bit bored with it. After all, travel should be a departure from the home routine of hanging out with the same people in the same places.

The easy rule to avoid boredom is to try something different. For example, to challenge yourself to interact only with local people for a week; maybe move to a place that is so far way from the backpacker circuit that you cannot fall back into it. Taking interest and learning a bit of the local language also helps.