What does it really mean to give yourself permission — to travel, to write, to call a place home?

Rolf Potts has spent decades asking that question. A fourth-generation Kansan from Wichita, Rolf is one of the most recognized travel writers working today and the author of Vagabonding, a book that has quietly changed the way a generation thinks about long-term travel. But this conversation goes beyond passport stamps. We talk about how growing up with two schoolteacher parents shaped the way Rolf sees the world, why he thinks curiosity is the most underrated skill a writer can have, and how he's channeling a lifetime of storytelling into something deeply Kansan — a short film and a feature-length documentary called Kansas Never Plays Itself.

Highlights

Rolf's parents were both schoolteachers, and he credits them with instilling the curiosity that drives his travel writing and storytelling
His first and best-known book, Vagabonding, was essentially a letter to his teenage self about giving yourself permission to travel — without waiting for retirement or the "right" circumstances
He taught English in Korea in the 1990s and entered Europe for the first time via the Trans-Siberian Railway — traveling through 40–50 countries before ever visiting Paris
Rolf distinguishes between guidebook writing and the kind of literary travel writing he practices — a blend of personal memoir and reported journalism
He has interviewed one travel writer per month on his website, rolfpotts.com, for 25 years
He and his wife, actress Kiki, co-wrote and co-executive produced a short film shot almost entirely on their property in Kansas
His documentary Kansas Never Plays Itself explores how Kansas is misrepresented — or simply absent — in cinema, drawing on the work of filmmakers like Gordon Parks
His advice to Kansans: stop apologizing for where you're from. Authenticity is a superpower

Chapters

0:00 — New Mugs

1:05 — Meet Rolf Potts

2:32 — Curiosity From Teachers

3:55 — Travel Bug and Vagabonding

5:15 — Finding a Writing Life

6:17 — What Travel Writing Is

9:00 — Offbeat Destinations

12:10 — Travel as Education

13:54 — Planning vs. Spontaneity

17:13 — Meeting Kiki in Kansas

19:37 — Screenwriting Origins

22:21 — Making a Kansas Short Film

27:24 — Kansas Never Plays Itself

33:12 — Place and Storytelling

35:53 — Rehumanizing Place Stories

37:22 — Kansas as a Destination

38:55 — Authentic, Not Apologetic

40:42 — Wrap Up and Links

42:02 — Post-Show Reflections

43:26 — Two Truths and a Lie

1:00:54 — Final Goodbye

Resources Mentioned

rolfpotts.com — Rolf's website, home to 25+ years of travel writing interviews, books, social media links, and more
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts — Amazon
Kansas Never Plays Itself — https://youtu.be/ra70AoXqHLQ?si=q5BQCyGuaVNMnnq3
Paris Writing Workshops — pariswritingworkshop.com — the summer writing program Rolf teaches
Energy Green Grandpa (YouTube) — George Potts, Rolf's father, and his channel about sustainable energy: https://energygreengrandpa.com/

Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com!

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net