Rolf Potts funded his earliest vagabonding experiences by working as a landscaper and an ESL teacher. He now writes about independent travel forNational Geographic Adventure,and his travel essays have appeared inSalon,Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler,andBest American Travel Writing 2000,and on National Public Radio.
Timothy Ferriss is an American author and public speaker. In 2007, he published The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, which was a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. Ferriss grew up in East Hampton, NY and graduated from St. Paul's School. He received a degree in Neuroscience and East Asian Studies from Princeton University. Before the release of the 4HWW, Ferriss was an unknown. He marketed the book heavily through bloggers with whom he created personal relationships. He has since been praised for this technique. He has also taken the position that technology such as email, instant messaging and internet-enabled PDAs complicate… life rather than simplify it. His teachings fit under the umbrella of what he calls "Lifestyle Design," which he positions as an alternative to the "deferred-life" career path where one would work a 9 to 5 job until retirement in their 60s.