Mark Orwoll on Muck Rack

Mark Orwoll

(Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year Silver Award - 2025)
  • Freelance Travel Writer, Freelance
  • None, Freelance Journalist
  • None, FREELANCE (HIGHBROW MAGAZINE)
New York
As seen in: LinkedIn, Yahoo Life, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, Slate, Substack, Traveller, Audible Blog, The Culture Trip, Condé Nast Traveler and
Covers:  Travel, food and drink, trains, international destinations, adventure, cruising, offbeat places, outdoors, cities, and the things that make a destination weird.
Doesn't Cover: Interviews (except in context of a travelogue), cosmetics, fashion, news updates, reprinting a slideshow you wrote for your client. I'm an individual journalist, so don't have a set group of readers.
Writer of travel. Person of Interest. Notorious waterfront character.

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Mark Orwoll’s Biography

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Mark Orwoll has more than 40 years as a travel writer and editor, and 600-plus broadcast appearances as a travel expert on national and international media outlets, including more than 75 times on NBC's TODAY, both in New York and on location. He earned a Silver Award in the 2025 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year awards sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers. A published author (Just One Little Hitch, a travel memoir, Pleasant Villain Press; Cross Purposes. Pleasant Villa…

Mark Orwoll’s Journalist Portfolio

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Insider View: Where I Was When War Broke Out in the Middle East

Insider View: Where I Was When War Broke Out in the Middle East

Key Points AI-assisted summary Despite rising tensions and recent preemptive attack on Iran by Israel and the…

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The Long Road from Jerusalem

The Long Road from Jerusalem

A note to the readers: Mark Orwoll was on assignment in Jerusalem when the United States and Israel attacked …

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They Say It's the Worst, Dumbest Trend for Married People. I Did It-and It Was an Absolute Thrill...

They Say It's the Worst, Dumbest Trend for Married People. I Did It-and It Was an Absolute Thrill...

My friends all had the same reaction: "Vow renewal? In Aruba? For God's sake, man, why?!"

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Opinion: Goodbye to La Mirada, my childhood home

Opinion: Goodbye to La Mirada, my childhood home

A lot has changed in the Los Angeles suburb since my family first moved there in 1955. Now we've just sold th…

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Mortality and the Devil's Pool - Travel & Cultural Analysis From Around the World | East-West New...

Mortality and the Devil's Pool - Travel & Cultural Analysis From Around the World | East-West New...

A journey through Africa's Namibia offers both the luxury of safari camps and the Devil Pool's apparent dange…

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This Scenic 30-hour Overnight Train Through Turkey Feels Like the Orient Express - but Costs Less...

This Scenic 30-hour Overnight Train Through Turkey Feels Like the Orient Express - but Costs Less...

"You could almost say that where the Orient Express ends, the Eastern Express begins," writes a seasoned trav…

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Articles

New Film ‘The Breadwinner’ Is Sweet -- Diabetically So

|
By Mark Orwoll
| Highbrow Magazine Verified
Get your insulin shot before you watch this super-saccharine (but occasionally enjoyable) movie. The Breadwinner 1 star (out of 4) Starring Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani, and Will Forte Language: English Running time: 95 minutes Available: In theaters, May 29, 2026 I’m a father, and proud of it. When anything goes wrong, I instantly go into Dad mode: “Don’t worry! I got this. Everything’s gonna be fine.
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Osnabrück May Be the Most Overlooked, Under-Appreciated City in Germany

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By Mark Orwoll
| Highbrow Magazine Verified
Ornate shops line Krahnstrasse, Osnabrück's main pedestrian path in the Old Town. I can think of three reasons why you ended up in Osnabrück, Germany: 1) Your car broke down on highway B68. 2) You confused it with Osterberg. (Sorry, mate, that’s in Bavaria, 350 miles south.) 3) You read up on the place and realized it’s one of the more intriguing (and overlooked) cities in Germany. History Buff Alert: The Treaty of Westphalia was signed here in 1648.
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If You Want Straight-Up Action Without Logic, 'In the Grey' Is Just the Ticket

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By Mark Orwoll
| Highbrow Magazine Verified
In the Grey (Black Bear) 2.5 stars (out of 4) Director: Guy Ritchie Starring: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiva González, Carlos Bardem, Michael Vu, Fisher Stevens, and Rosamund Pike. Available in theaters Why are we loyal to a person, a cause, an idea? A complex concept, to be sure, especially for such a simplistic time-killer as In the Grey, the latest release from director Guy Ritchie.
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See all 165 licensed articles (170 Total)

Interview

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Have you ever used a typewriter?

I started on a manual, graduated to an IBM Selectric.

How is social media changing news?

Readers are increasingly less likely to consider the source of their news, and believe any headline they come across, no matter how dubious.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Tintin.

Awards

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Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year

2025 - Silver Award

The Lowell Thomas Awards, named for the pioneering travel journalist, are sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers and judged by independent journalists and educators. The Travel Writer of the Year category is based on a body of work submitted by the entrants.

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2023 - Long-Form Narrative

Bronze Award. Long-Form Narrative. "Austria’s Alps Adapt Traditions to Meet the Relentless Advance of Climate Change," East-West News Service

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2022 - Cruises

Bronze Award. Cruises. "Forward with Onward." Porthole Cruise & Travel

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Society of American Travel Writers (East)

2020 - Cruise

2nd Place. Cruise. "On a Myanmar River Cruise, a Rare Chance to meet Burmese Monks," Condé Nast Traveler

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2020 - Adventure

Gold Award. Adventure. “Hunting for Landmines in Cambodia: ‘If You See A Bomb, Don’t Touch It,'" Matador Network

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2020 - Cultural Travel

Honorable Mention. Cultural Travel. Mark Orwoll, “On A Myanmar River Cruise, A Rare Chance To Interact with Burmese Monks,“ Condé Nast Traveler

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2020 - Eco, Environmental or Volunteer Travel

Silver Award, Eco, Environmental or Volunteer Travel, “Hunting for Landmines in Cambodia: ‘If You See A Bomb, Don’t Touch It’," Matador Network

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Society of American Travel Writers (East)

2019 - Magazine Article

2nd Place. Magazine Article. "Into the Howling Wilderness," Hemispheres.

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North American Travel Journalists Assn.

2019 - Cruises

Silver Award. Cruises. "Experiencing the Andaman Sea in a Tall Ship Under Full Sail,” Map Happy

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