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Mark Johanson on Muck Rack

Mark Johanson

Verified
(He/Him)
Santiago
As seen in: Bottom Line, CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International, CNN Travel, MSN, MSN Canada, MSN Money Canada, Revista Época, UOL and
Covers:  travel, sustainability, design, adventure, environment, world heritage, airports, arts, culture, ecotourism, outdoors, work-life balance, latin america, south america, emerging destinations
Author of Mars on Earth (Oct ‘24) | Freelancer @NatGeoTravel @TravelLeisure @FoodandWine @LonelyPlanet covering travel, food, design & nature in Latam & beyond
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Mark Johanson’s Journalist Portfolio

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Seriously Down Under

Seriously Down Under

Newsweek — Coober Pedy is unlike anywhere else on Earth: The majority of its citizens live in underground dugouts chopped out of the red dirt to escape the inhospitable heat that bakes the outback's rear end. The mines here produce more than 80 percent of the world's opals, and since the discovery of the precious stone about a hundred years ago the town has filled with bug-eyed miners and slimy gem-cutters. And with the discovery of shale oil below the opals this past January, it may also be the site of what has been called the most important energy find in 50 years.
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The people who create their own 'countries'

The people who create their own 'countries'

CNN — (CNN) -- Scotland will next month decide in a referendum whether it wants to go it alone as an independent country and split away from the United Kingdom. But for some, it doesn't take a vote involving millions of people to start a nation. Earth is dotted with dozens of self-proclaimed kings, emperors, presidents and princesses presiding over a quirky collection of homemade empires known as "micronations." Many claim their own borders and laws, fashion their own currency and regalia and boast a growing number of "citizens" from around the world.
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What Happens When Work Is No Longer A Place?

What Happens When Work Is No Longer A Place?

International Business Times — BALI, Indonesia -- It was exactly six months ago when Merav Knafo packed the contents of her life into a storage garage in Encinitas, Calif., and hopped a flight to Bali. She doesn't know when she'll see those possessions again or even where she'll be a few months from now. It's not that Knafo has "checked out of life," as she put it, but that she's found a different way to live it -- a way she says most of us are too afraid to try.
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The Bones That Forever Changed Australia's History

The Bones That Forever Changed Australia's History

International Business Times — This is a story about bones. About what can and can't be explained by them, and the tales we choose for them to tell. It spans more than 50,000 years, but it begins like it ends, in a remote corner of the red-rubbled Australian Outback some 700 kilometers (435 miles) west of Sydney known as Lake Mungo.
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A permanent vacation

A permanent vacation

BBC — Ever take a holiday that you wished would never end? Imagine if you went on vacation and loved it so much you never came back, or decided to move there a few years down the road. If it sounds like a hopeless pipe dream, it doesn’t have to be.
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Rotorua: Let Off Steam

Rotorua: Let Off Steam

Jetstar Inflight Magazine — A visit to NZ's geothermal wonderland of Waimangu and Wai-O-Tapu is a head-spinning trip - like stepping into a painting where the artist's palette is truly psychedelic, and the full force of Mother Nature is right in your face.
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The Race That Stops A Nation

The Race That Stops A Nation

International Business Times — The United States has its Kentucky Derby and England its Royal Ascot, but what happens at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse each November is of another caliber altogether.
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Hey There, Traveler: Are You Experienced?

Hey There, Traveler: Are You Experienced?

International Business Times — "Not too many people open up a package of rocket launchers addressed to them," Steve Genna says about five minutes after we meet. Of course, he tells me this because that's exactly what he did this morning; he opened up a box of rocket launchers and placed them in a dark basement in New York's fashion-crazed SoHo neighborhood.
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Bali's Bid to Become a Bitcoin-Friendly Vacation Destination

Bali's Bid to Become a Bitcoin-Friendly Vacation Destination

skift.com — Bali is a destination renowned for its stunning surf beaches, flowery Hindu rituals and Eat, Pray, Love-inspired getaways, but if local numismatists have their way, the Indonesian island could soon be known for something else: Bitcoin.
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The $43M Plan To Put Indigenous Faces At An Australian Icon

The $43M Plan To Put Indigenous Faces At An Australian Icon

International Business Times — It's the second of three rainy days in the Australian Outback as I sit in front of Anangu elder Rene Kulitja, learning about her dot-painting technique through an interpreter. Such a torrent is rare in these parts, and it means that the rusty, red monolith off in the distance, the iconic Ayers Rock, has turned into a freestanding Niagara Falls. It also means Rene has transformed into a shivering sack of blankets huddled on the floor.
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20 Places To See Before You Die

20 Places To See Before You Die

International Business Times — Three weeks ago, we asked International Business Times readers to vote for the places they most wanted to see before they died. Hundreds of ticked boxes later, we're back with the top 20 responses to our poll, which make up an alluring collection of ancient wonders, modern marvels and natural landmarks, in addition to a few amusing surprises along the way. Now, without any further ado, we bring you the ultimate global bucket list:
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What Happened To The Hippie Trail? The Legacy Of The Asia Overland Route

What Happened To The Hippie Trail? The Legacy Of The Asia Overland Route

International Business Times — Ken Klein left Philadelphia in 1973 with the $800 he'd saved from his bar mitzvah. He wanted to see the world but ran out of money in Istanbul and went back to the United States to work in telephone sales with the goal of raising $5,000 and buying a one-way ticket back to Europe. A year later, at the age of 24, he set out east from Istanbul along the overland route through Asia. Five years later, still in Asia, he proposed to his Dutch traveling companion, Marjon. They wed on Jan. 1, 1979, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Australia's Curious Obsession With DIY Nations

Australia's Curious Obsession With DIY Nations

International Business Times — THE EMPIRE OF ATLANTIUM -- George Cruickshank is not your average emperor. His royal residence lacks electricity or running water, his kingdom has more kangaroos than humans, and though he enjoys leaderly luxuries like an afternoon champagne, he prefers it cheap and pink.
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From Attack Survivor To Shark Advocate: The Curious Case Of Rodney Fox

From Attack Survivor To Shark Advocate: The Curious Case Of Rodney Fox

International Business Times — Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions ADELAIDE, Australia -- There's a moment in everyone's life when suddenly, with unflinching clarity, you realize that nothing will ever be the same again. For 73-year-old Rodney Fox, that epiphany came with a thud on Dec. 8, 1963, the day he endured one of the worst nonfatal shark attacks in history.
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This Guy Just Won The 'Best Job In The World'

This Guy Just Won The 'Best Job In The World'

International Business Times — Mark Johanson is the travel editor at the International Business Times. He has traveled to and written about more than 30 nations and territories on every continent except... Continue Reading
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Your Perfect Weekend In Brisbane, Australia

Your Perfect Weekend In Brisbane, Australia

International Business Times — The 1988 World's Fair may have put Brisbane, Australia, on the map, but 25 years later, the city is finally ready to come into its own.
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Dear World, This Is America, Please Come Visit (And Please Bring Your Wallet)

Dear World, This Is America, Please Come Visit (And Please Bring Your Wallet)

International Business Times — If you call them, they will come. That's what the U.S. government is betting on with its first-ever national tourism campaign from Brand USA.
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