{"id":254,"date":"2025-03-18T15:15:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T15:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/?p=254"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:12:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:12:49","slug":"a-curated-list-of-mark-orwolls-travel-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/?p=254","title":{"rendered":"A Curated List of Mark Orwoll’s Travel and Culture Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Interview with Travel Writer Mark Orwoll: The Rolf Potts Interview<\/a> (rolfpotts.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit New York, Where America\u2019s First Major Battles for Independence Were Waged<\/a> <\/em>(East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Joys of a Man Shed: This Is Why There Will Always Be an England<\/em><\/a> (Mark Orwoll Is at It Again)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Capital of Bourbon is a Little-Known Southern Town \u2014 and It’s Being Compared to Napa<\/em><\/a> (Smart Luxury\/Sherman’s Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Real Story on Dominica Is Bush Rum. Lots of Bush Rum. For, um, Medicinal Purposes<\/em><\/a> (Highbrow Magazine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review: Thanks to George Clooney, \u2018Jay Kelly\u2019 Presents a Thoughtworthy Portrait of an Empty Suit<\/a><\/em> (Highbrow Magazine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Caribbean’s “Nature Island,” Dominica is the region’s biggest secret\u2014but not for long<\/a> <\/em>(Fodor’s Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Review: Super Sleuth Benoit Blanc Returns in Sharp and Lively \u2018Knives Out \u2013 Wake Up Dead Man’<\/a><\/em> (Highbrow Magzine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, This Island’s Name Means Rat’s Nest<\/a> <\/em>(Mark Orwoll Is at It Again)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re Pronouncing It Wrong: Why the Caribbean’s Best-Kept Secret Isn’t What You Think<\/em><\/a> (Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highway Stops, Then and Now\u2014From Stuckey\u2019s and HoJo\u2019s to Dinosaurs in the Desert<\/em>\u00a0<\/a> (East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkommen in Texas Hill Country<\/a> <\/em>(East-West News Service)
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gentle Art of Doing Nothing Isn’t Easy in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos<\/a> <\/em>(Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slipping into Africa by the Backdoor: A Cruise on the Swan Hellenic Diana<\/a> <\/em> (Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Little Nudity Among Friends in an Austrian Sauna<\/em><\/a> (Perceptive Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Excerpt from Mark Orwoll\u2019s New Travel Memoir, \u201cJust One Little Hitch\u201d<\/em><\/a> (Everett Potter’s Travel Report)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review: Marriott Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort<\/em><\/a> (TravelAge West)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aruba I Do<\/em><\/a> (Slate Magazine)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goodbye to La Mirada, My Childhood Home<\/em><\/a> (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mortality and the Devil’s Pool: His Wife Suggested He Take a Long Hike; Facing a Milestone Birthday, He Drove across Africa Instead<\/a> <\/em>(East\/West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Tannat, Dear. I Have an Albari\u00f1o. Uruguay’s National Red May Soon Be Joined by a National White<\/a> <\/em>(The Alcohol Professor)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A NIght Out in Albuquerque with Malachy McCourt, Professional Irishman<\/em><\/a> (Perceptive Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review: Audley’s Self-Drive Tour through Namibia<\/a> <\/em>(TravelAge West)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Full Sail in the Canary Islands on the Mega-Yacht Sea Cloud Spirit <\/em><\/a>(Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the Rails: America’s Oldest Narrow-Gauge Railroad Is Back from the Brink of Doom\u2014for a Second Time<\/em><\/a> (Saturday Evening Post)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying in This Abandoned Company Town Feels Eerily Like an Episode of The Twilight Zone<\/a> <\/em>(Fodor’s Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Remote Island of Madeira, off the Coast of Africa, Is Portugal with a Twist\u2014on a Plate (and in a Glass)<\/em><\/a> (Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Scenic Train Trips Through West Virginia Have Spectacular Mountain Views and Fine Dining on the Rails<\/em><\/a> (Travel + Leisure)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Scenic 30-hour Overnight Train Through Turkey Feels Like the Orient Express \u2014 but Costs Less Than $40<\/a> <\/em>(Travel + Leisure) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Chinese Food Became as American as Apple Pie<\/a> <\/em>(East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antarctica: Penguins and Polar Plunges on a Luxury Cruise at the End of the World<\/em><\/a> (Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 Tips for Your First Cruise to Antarctica<\/a> <\/em>(Go World Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature, History and Storybook Villages Fill New York’s Hudson River Valley<\/a> <\/em>(East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vienna\u2019s New Offbeat Hotel: Luxury, History, and Monkey Lamps at the Leo Grand<\/em><\/a> (Everett Potter’s Travel Report)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dreaming of Your Next Caribbean Escape? Sharks and Stingrays Are Waiting at This Private Island Belize Resort<\/em><\/a> (Travel + Leisure)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Is What It’s Like To Have Dinner with a Count and Countess at Their Castle Deep in the Austrian Alps<\/a><\/em> (Everett Potter’s Travel Report)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring Ecuador on the Yacht Kontiki Wayra<\/a> <\/em>(Travel Weekly)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austria’s Alps Adapt Traditions To Meet the Relentless Advance of Climate Change<\/em><\/a> <\/em>(East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Lament for the End of Europe’s Night Trains<\/a> <\/em>(Town & Country)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunting for Landmines in Cambodia: If You See A Bomb, Don\u2019t Touch It<\/a><\/em> (Matador Network<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Days on the Mekong:<\/a> <\/a>How the Saddest River in Asia Made Me Smile<\/a><\/em> (Fodor’s Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thundering Herd: The Great Bison Round-up of Custer State Park<\/a><\/em> (Saturday Evening Post<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Road Through America Has More Cultural Intersections Than Divided Highway<\/a><\/em> (East-West News Service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 Reasons Why (European) Georgia Should Be on Your Mind<\/em><\/a> (Jetsetter)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel Enters the Wine Business<\/a><\/em> (Hemispheres)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 Ships That Prove River Cruising Can Be Luxurious<\/a><\/em> (Robb Report)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Wife Wants A Japanese Bidet<\/a><\/em> (Saturday Evening Post)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forward with the Onward<\/a><\/em> (Porthole Cruise and Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a Myanmar River Cruise, a Rare Chance to Interact with Burmese Monks<\/a><\/em> (Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 24-Hour Food Tour of Valencia<\/a><\/em> (Frommer’s)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidden Midtown Manhattan<\/a><\/em> (AARP)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Amazon : Into the Howling Wilderness<\/a><\/em> (Hemispheres)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Backpacker Central, Cambodia’s Siem Reap Is Going Upmarket<\/a><\/em> (Sydney Morning Herald)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was Moses a CIA Agent?<\/a><\/em> (San Diego Reader)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s Have a Drink at Jimmy’s! <\/a><\/em>(Offbeat Travel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiencing the Andaman Sea on a Tall Ship under Full Sail<\/a><\/em> (Maphappy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Maarten\/St. Martin Hurricane Update<\/a><\/em> (TravelAge West)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring Baltic Sea Nations on the Viking Jupiter<\/a> (Travel Weekly)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 European Night Trains That Recall the Romance of the Rails<\/a><\/em> (Town & Country)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Madrid Caf\u00e9 That Will Make You Fall in Love with Churros and Chocolate<\/a><\/em> (The Daily Meal)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Books by Mark Orwoll<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just One Little Hitch<\/strong><\/em><\/a> (Pleasant Villain Press, 2024) is the tale of the making of a journalist. The year was 1976. The ass end of the hippie era. Adrift in college, Mark Orwoll drops out in favor of the hitchhiker’s road through Europe, the U.K., and Morocco. Along the way, he hangs out with Beat Generation poets, gets dosed on acid at an illegal rock festival, loses everything he owns to thieves, and decidedly does NOT learn how to ride a camel. He would also find his calling in life\u2014at 4 p.m. on July 17, 1976, over a beer on the terrace of the Caf\u00e9 Select in Montparnasse. Harps, trumpets, and cathedralesque sunbeams may have been involved.

“Hilarious and revealing… So fun!”
\u2014Samantha Brown, PBS host, Samantha Brown\u2019s Places To Love<\/em>

“The humor of David Sedaris, the storytelling wit of Bill Bryson, and an ounce of Anthony Bourdain\u2019s snark…”
\u2014David Farley, An Irreverent Curiosity<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cross Purposes<\/strong><\/a><\/em> (Pleasant Villain Press, 2023) is a classic thriller about a plot to steal the Shroud of Turin at the beginning of World War II. Brilliant but disgraced history professor Scott Crossman is invited to travel to Los Angeles, and then Europe, to join a group of misfit researchers charged with authenticating\u2014or not\u2014the Shroud. Played out against a background of international intrigue, Cross Purposes<\/em> leaves the reader breathless\u2014and curious to know more about the controversial relic. If it’s a fake, why has no one proven it so in more than 2,000 years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Wayne Speaks: The Ultimate John Wayne Quote Book<\/strong><\/a><\/em> (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021) was a labor of love for the author, who watched every John Wayne film in consecutive order\u2014twice\u2014in order to select the best quotes from John Wayne’s 50-year film career. The book also includes an introduction to Wayne and his movies, capsule reviews of the actor’s 173 films, and lists of Duke’s finest roles. Brian Downes, executive director of the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum, called it, “A virtual Bible of the actor’s most memorable movie lines. This book is a thorough delight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e-Travel<\/a><\/em> <\/strong>(Macmillan, 1999) was published at the dawn of the modern Internet era, when everyone was still finding their way through the World Wide Web. In 1999, Macmillan launched a series of books (subtitled “SAMS Teach Yourself Today”) on an array of subjects, with guidance on how to learn about the topics on the Web. Macmillan approached Mark Orwoll to write the book on travel, based on “Smart Traveler,” his daily online column for Travel + Leisure<\/em>. e-Travel<\/em> was later translated into Hebrew and Greek, but Orwoll never saw an extra nickel in royalties. Hmm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview with Travel Writer Mark Orwoll: The Rolf Potts Interview (rolfpotts.com) Visit New York, Where America\u2019s First Major Battles for Independence Were Waged (East-West News Service) The Joys of a Man Shed: This Is Why There Will Always Be an England (Mark Orwoll Is at It Again) The World Capital of Bourbon is a Little-Known … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “A Curated List of Mark Orwoll’s Travel and Culture Writing”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions\/284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markorwoll.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}