On the under-appreciated reality of revelry, sex, and misadventure in travel

“Pretty much the second you step outside your front door, you have some basis for calling what you do ‘travel’” – Spud Hilton

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Spud talk about the “messy, fun, and naughty side of travel” (3:20); sex and travel (26:00); the overly reverent language we often use to talk about travel (37:00); and the death of the “Mile-High Club” (48:00).

Spud Hilton (@SpudHilton) is a travel expert, speaker, writer and host of the Inappropriate Traveler podcast.

Notable Links:

• Pico Iyer (travel writer)
• Paul Theroux (travel writer)
• Tim Cahill (travel writer)
• Jan Morris (travel writer)
• Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts (book)
• The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje (book)
• Rolf unpacks his very first vagabonding journey (Deviate podcast episode)
• Travel hookups with Flybrother Ernest White II (podcast episode)
• Nude in Hvar with Joel Riddell (podcast episode)
• Pam Mandel and Seattle’s secret piles of pot (podcast episode)
• AFAR (magazine)
• Experiential travel (form of tourism)
• The Atlanta Hotel (Bangkok)
• Stag party (pre-marriage ritual)
• Tinder (dating app)
• Grindr (dating app)
• French Quarter (New Orleans neighborhood)
• Mile high club (slang for airplane sex)
• “The Death of the Mile-High Club,” by Rolf Potts (article)
• Andrew McCarthy on how travel changed his life (Deviate podcast episode)
• Camino de Santiago (pilgrimage road)

This episode of Deviate is brought to you by Tortuga Backpacks, which set the standard for the best, most durable, organized, and comfortable travel backpacks. Tortuga products also include daypacks, duffels, and other travel accessories, which are all made with the traveler in mind and have been featured by Wirecutter, The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Business Insider, Carryology, and many other industry outlets.

This episode is also brought to you by AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. If you’ve ever planned a trip with multiple stops, you know that finding the right flights can be difficult. Between balancing travel logistics and cost, it often becomes impossible to build an itinerary that matches your travel goals.  AirTreks is a distributed travel company with employees working from all corners of the world to help with your flight planning, specializing in complex routes with up to 25 stops. The AirTreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, but can customize to fit your journey.

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.