Traveling solo opens up new possibilities in a place (with Stephanie Rosenbloom)

“When you’re not sitting across from someone, you’re sitting across from the whole world.” –Stephanie Rosenbloom

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Stephanie talk about the rewards of traveling alone, and how to mix solo and companion travel within a single trip (2:00); how going alone makes you more receptive to museums, restaurants, and walking in a new play (11:00); how to better savor your travel experiences while they’re happening (21:00); certifying versus savoring experiences, and how to balance travel as an external act with a more spiritual internal process (31:00); and strategies for savoring solo travel experiences (46:00).

Stephanie Rosenbloom (@stephronyt) is a travel writer for The New York Times, where she has been a reporter for more than a decade, and the author of the book, Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude. For more about Stephanie, check out http://www.stephanierosenbloom.com.

Notable Links:

• The Vagabond’s Way, by Rolf Potts (travel book)
• On Karawa (Japanese conceptual artist)
• Flâneur (urban stroller in France)
• The Marais (district in Paris)
• The Motorcycle Diaries, by Ernesto Guevara (book)
• Thích Nhất Hạnh (Buddhist monk and author)
• Savoring, by Fred B. Bryant (book)
• Uffizi (art museum in Florence, Italy)
• The Birth of Venus (painting by Botticelli)
• LiveTrekker (route-tracking app)
• Souvenir, by Rolf Potts (book)
• Busking (street performance)
• Evernote (task-management app)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.