Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer (Travelers' Tales Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: bones into the sea, press trips, Alice Springs, Phi Phi Leh, The Beach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This could be the first travel book ever to open with a discussion of the word postmodern, which Potts uses to mean placelessness, or dislocation as a result of travel. Many of these stories first appeared online, too, while Potts was “in the midst of a two-year vagabonding journey across Asia and Europe.” In fact, this could be the essence of postmodern travel writing: stories written in the field, filed electronically, and instantly available to readers anywhere. But even if you’re coming to these stories for the first time in the comfort of your own living room, you get a very vivid sense of what Potts experienced in such locales as Thailand (where he tried to infiltrate a Leonardo DiCaprio movie set), Vietnam, Turkey, and Cambodia. Potts is an enthusiastic traveler, eager to try new things and meet new people, and he’s an energetic writer, making sure he describes not only the sights of the places he visits but also the sounds, the smells, and the tastes. Armchair travelers will get an enormous kick out of this thoroughly entertaining book. --David Pitt

Review

"Potts is one of the best travel writers to emerge in the last decade.
Intrepid and thoughtful, he's a Paul Theroux for the backpacker
generation, and Marco Polo reflects this."
—San Francisco Chronicle

"This hilarious collection of stories provokes because Potts asks the
serious question of how to travel in a discovered world. ...If you aspire
to be a travel writer, read this book."
—The Guardian (U.K.)

"Potts isn't so much a travel reporter as a story teller. ...He's more
about getting under the skin of a place — detailing a cast of characters
that would either enthrall or scare the hell out of most travelers,
depending on where they come down on the trust-paranoia continuum."
—Orange County Register

"An equal mix of humor and enlightenment...Potts shows travelers and
would-be travelers the joy of immersing oneself in a foreign culture."
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Best Books of 2008"

"Potts, Internet raconteur and travel-advice sage, is the kind of guy you
wish the pubs had more of: well traveled, generous with funny stories,
eager to listen to yours. You feel envious that you weren't with him in
Cairo to share the convivial squalor of a backpacker hotel, or at an
Indian ashram to study Tantric sex, or even in the Libyan Desert, in the
dark, out of water and lost. And he's able to draw insights from all that
without draining the fun out of the conversation — difficult to carry off
in a pub or a book."
—The Washington Post

"Armchair travelers will get an enormous kick out of this thoroughly
entertaining book."
—Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932361618
• ISBN-13: 978-1932361612
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection, September 3, 2008

By	Xandernut "buffy fanatic" (mamaroneck, ny) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and riveting account of his personal travel experiences., August 31, 2008

By	Margaret Magovich "mmagsthebest" (Strongsville, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While Vagabonding is a practical guide book which challenges and inspires readers to travel the world and seek out unique experiences, I admit it left me curious about the authors own personal experiences. Potts' latest book is a candid, personal account of these experiences spanning across six continents. His portrayal of his life on the road is captivating with some stories that are hilarious, and others that are absolutely terrifying. The book is extremely motivating and well written, and has inspired me to pursue my own dreams of long term world travel. I strongly recommend this book to adventure seekers as it reminded me that "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."--Henry Miller

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining, September 26, 2008

By	Justin - See all my reviews

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.