This collection of rollicking travel tales is from a young writer "USA Today" has called "Jack Kerouac for the Internet Age." Potts documents his funniest and most hair-raising trips, from getting stranded in the Libyan desert without water to learning the secrets of Tantric sex in a dubious Indian ashram.
Marco Polo Didn't Go There
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`Marco Polo Didn't Go There, collects together 20 of his wildest stories on the "vibrant, often contradictory experience of what it's like to travel in a post-modern world...with its wonderful stories and honest insights...is the best - and most quirky - post-modern travel-writing text book available on either side of the Atlantic.'
-- The Guardian
-- The Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By Naomi
Format:Paperback
This is an insightful behind-the-scenes look at the construction of good travel writing piece. In many cases the omissions from the story are just as interesting as the bits that made it in. Definitely recommend this book.
By Nick
Format:Paperback
Rolf Potts travel memories are a great reminder of what travelling in today's world is really like. A lot of inexperienced travellers tend to have false expectations of what the world is really like and how far you have to go to seek "real adventure".
As an experienced travellers myself I recognised a lot of what Potts talked about in his book. Especially the reflections after each short-story provided some humorous and interesting insight.
I'd recommend this book to experienced travellers who'd like to share experiences and to people preparing for their first big "travel", just to get their expectations in line.
As the book is a collection of short-stories it is well suited for "casual reading". As there is no over-arcing plot it is easy to lay down for a while.
As an experienced travellers myself I recognised a lot of what Potts talked about in his book. Especially the reflections after each short-story provided some humorous and interesting insight.
I'd recommend this book to experienced travellers who'd like to share experiences and to people preparing for their first big "travel", just to get their expectations in line.
As the book is a collection of short-stories it is well suited for "casual reading". As there is no over-arcing plot it is easy to lay down for a while.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
20 reviews
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent collection
3 Sep 2008
By Xandernut
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Rolf Potts is one of the many travel writers to begin his career via the
Internet via Salon, and the book is a collection of his earliest from Salon.com to his recent works from magazines and literary journals. Most of his stories are available elsewhere, so the true draw of this book is the commentaries, which add humor, insight, and occasionally share his frustrations on both the topics and people in the stories, as well as the craft of professional travel writing. The essays themselves run from the humorous ("Storming the Beach") to the painful ("Death of an Adventure Traveler"). The stories explore both sights and sounds of his wanderings and the nature of travel itself, such as the comparison of travelers versus tourists and the business of travel and people's expectations therein. Armchair wanders will love the book, and those who dream of writing about travel for a living will find the book very useful as well as entertaining.
Internet via Salon, and the book is a collection of his earliest from Salon.com to his recent works from magazines and literary journals. Most of his stories are available elsewhere, so the true draw of this book is the commentaries, which add humor, insight, and occasionally share his frustrations on both the topics and people in the stories, as well as the craft of professional travel writing. The essays themselves run from the humorous ("Storming the Beach") to the painful ("Death of an Adventure Traveler"). The stories explore both sights and sounds of his wanderings and the nature of travel itself, such as the comparison of travelers versus tourists and the business of travel and people's expectations therein. Armchair wanders will love the book, and those who dream of writing about travel for a living will find the book very useful as well as entertaining.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly entertaining
26 Sep 2008
By Justin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Rolf's other book, Vagabonding, is a must-have guide for anyone interested in travel, regardless of age, intended destination, length of trip, or particular travel philosophy. It's been like a travel bible to me, passing it on to friends and family young and old to help explain why it is I enjoy travel so much, and hoping they catch the bug too.
So it was with great interest I picked up Rolf's second book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There. First, this book is different from Vagabonding -- it's not really a practical travel guide. It's a collection of stories from Rolf's career as a travel writer. I had read many of them before, as they appeared in popular travel magazines and websites in the past, but what makes this book unique is his end notes on each story. They act as a portal into the life of a travel writer, filling in the gaps between the paragraphs, and telling the stories that didn't fit into the story.
If you have any interest in travel, becoming a travel writer yourself, or maybe even just learning how a travel writer travels and writes, pick up this book. It's funny, enlightening, and highly entertaining.
So it was with great interest I picked up Rolf's second book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There. First, this book is different from Vagabonding -- it's not really a practical travel guide. It's a collection of stories from Rolf's career as a travel writer. I had read many of them before, as they appeared in popular travel magazines and websites in the past, but what makes this book unique is his end notes on each story. They act as a portal into the life of a travel writer, filling in the gaps between the paragraphs, and telling the stories that didn't fit into the story.
If you have any interest in travel, becoming a travel writer yourself, or maybe even just learning how a travel writer travels and writes, pick up this book. It's funny, enlightening, and highly entertaining.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding!
13 Oct 2008
By Gsp
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Already one of my favourite books! The stories are great in and of themselves, but the unique commentary feature really makes this book standout! Well done again Rolf!!!
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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