Breana Johnson
Breana Johnson is an American expat living on the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten. She surfs, snorkels, and spearfishes when she’s not tutoring local kids or writing. If she could have any job title in the world, it would be Professional Hummus Taste Tester. For now, she’s settling for freelance travel writer. You can catch up on Breana’s adventures at her blog, www.3rdCultureWife.com. PODCAST FEATURE Listen to Breana on St. Maarten Travels that Transformed Lives
Articles by Breana Johnson
Heartbeat of Detroit
By Breana JohnsonI didn’t know a single thing about Detroit when I moved here a year ago. Most people plan where they want to move but when your spouse is in medical school, you don’t always have the luxury of choice or time.
United States Insights History
Experience the Beauty of Buffalo Park, Arizona
By Breana JohnsonIt’s a sunny summer morning at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s top ski destination, rises into the sky to the north, the tip of Mount Humphreys sharp against the clear blue expanse.
United States Family Travel
The water that brings life to the Arizona desert
By Breana JohnsonAlthough I’ve lived in Phoenix, Arizona for twenty years of my life, there are still times I wonder why on earth someone thought it would be a good idea to build a city in the middle of a desert with no water source.
United States Off the Beaten Path
Taste the Local Lifestyle with Agritourism
By Breana JohnsonI bend to reach under a blueberry bush, knowing the juiciest berries are hiding underneath, where all the other pickers have missed them.
The World Agritourism Lifestyle Food & Drink Sustainability
The Island of Saba: Looking to the Future, Embracing the Past
By Breana JohnsonIt’s easy to imagine what Saba must have looked like two hundred years ago. Aside from the medical school and the single narrow ribbon of road, the island hasn’t changed much.
Caribbean and Atlantic Adventure Off the Beaten Path
Arcosanti: An Experiment in the Arizona Desert
By Breana JohnsonOut of view, built into the hill above, rises Arcosanti, a prototype of arcology. Arcology, a concept coined by Soleri himself by combining “architecture” and “ecology,” is the idea that architecture can be in harmony with the landscape.
United States Architecture Sustainability
Teaching Children to Appreciate Diversity
By Breana JohnsonThe best way to travel with the intent of exploring diversity is to ditch the touristy places. Sometimes, tourist attractions bring people from all over the world — the Grand Canyon or Disneyland, for example.
The World Family Travel Insights The Arts Social Responsibility
Traveling with a Disability: An Archeologist’s Experience
By Breana JohnsonSand and summits may present challenges to people with physical disabilities, but exploring the globe is still an important (and enjoyable) part of life.
The World Accessible Experiences
Five Books about Travel (That You Probably Haven’t Read Yet)
By Breana JohnsonIn fact, we can do what armchair travelers have been doing for centuries: find a good book and let it transport us to the sights, sounds and smells of somewhere far away.
The World Literature & Music
January 12: National Shop for Travel Day
By Breana JohnsonIf you’re itching to get out of town, you’re not alone in your wanderlust. Maybe that’s why National Shop for Travel Day – a day dedicated to (you guessed it) shopping for your upcoming adventures – may very well gain quite a bit of traction this year.
United States Events & Festivals
Mysteries of the Superstition Wilderness
By Breana Johnson“Are you sure this is the right way?” My husband, Ben, stopped me and took a critical look at the map.
United States Nature & Outdoors
Peace in Burundi
By Breana Johnson“Look, there’s a bullet hole here.” My husband points out a circular indentation in the wall of his childhood home at the Kigobe Mission Station in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Africa History
Why You Should Go to the Bahamas Right Now
By Breana JohnsonI sat at the edge of the little fishing boat, peering down into the clear Bahamian sea to spot my husband. Under the water, I could make out his shape as he took careful aim with his Hawaiian sling.
Caribbean and Atlantic Social Responsibility
Voluntourism: When Helping can Hurt
By Breana JohnsonVoluntourism can be a benefit to communities, but if done improperly, it can actually be more harmful than helpful.
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel Social Responsibility
Protecting Pottery and the Past
By Breana JohnsonAgua Fria National Monument protects nearly 500 ancient Native American homes within four distinct settlements.
United States History The Arts
The Bittersweet Experience of Repatriation
By Breana JohnsonBecoming an expat in Sint Maarten was hard, with culture shock taking the wind out of my sails for days at a time at the beginning. It
United States Insights
East Coast History Road Trip
By Breana JohnsonBenjamin Franklin gestured dramatically toward the moldering gravestone of the Revolutionary War soldier. “And then,” he proclaimed, pausing for effect, “He killed ‘im dead!”.
United States History
Books for Nomads: Little Free Libraries
By Breana JohnsonI don’t need to keep my voice down to use this library. I don’t need a library card, and I don’t even need to go inside. Actually, I can’t go inside, because the building, elevated to eye-level by a sturdy post, is only about 18 inches wide— big enough to … Read more
The World Literature & Music
Roadside Stops between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
By Breana JohnsonThe route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas may be a heavily traveled highway, but it’s still a long strip of road through the desert of the American Southwest.
United States Off the Beaten Path
Sint Maarten: A Youth Program Reaches Out After Hurricane Irma
By Breana JohnsonSeptember 2, 2017, was a calm and sunny Saturday on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. In a small cluster of brightly painted shipping containers, a group of children gathered to play games, read books, and toss around a baseball. It was just another normal weekend at the Player … Read more
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel Social Responsibility
A Burundian Lesson in Hospitality
By Breana JohnsonIt’s evening in the small African nation of Burundi, and the waning sun throws shadows over the city of Bujumbura. In the old Land Rover, we bump and jostle our way through the crowded dirt roads of the capital. Before we left the mission station where my husband’s family lives, … Read more
Africa Off the Beaten Path Social Responsibility
Exploring Arizona’s Ancient Native Dwellings
By Breana JohnsonI squint my eyes, trying to blur out the gaps in the mud walls and the crumbling walkway below it. What was it like to live here? Did the landscape look the same a thousand years ago? I try to imagine animals and kids running around under the canopy of … Read more
United States History
The Caribbean: This Season’s Top Destination for the Conscientious Traveler
By Breana JohnsonAs a conscientious traveler, you probably think about where your money goes after you spend it. Who and what does your spending benefit? Lately, travel practices like “voluntourism,” and booking green hotels have become hugely popular. Additionally, many travelers to third-world countries prefer to spend on locally-based companies rather than … Read more
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel
A Trip to Burundi
By Breana JohnsonAsk any average Westerner, and they likely won’t be able to point out Burundi on the map. Although this tiny country is virtually ignored when it comes to East African tourism, that’s no reason why it shouldn’t be on your travel bucket list. What makes it special? Read on and … Read more
Africa Off the Beaten Path Food & Drink
36 Hours in Phoenix
By Breana JohnsonPhoenix is one of the most interesting cities in the United States. Competing with Philadelphia for bragging rights as the 5th largest city in the States, it is large enough to encompass as much art, culture, sports, and humanity as anyone could ask for. Although there is more to do … Read more
United States Food & Drink
Volunteer travel opportunities in Haiti
By Breana JohnsonAs Haiti once again sizes up the massive post-disaster cleanup ahead of them, many of us who missed Hurricane Matthew are anxious to learn how we can help. The best way to get in there and make a difference is to go to the Caribbean and volunteer. Here are several … Read more
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel Social Responsibility
What It’s Like to be an Expat Wife
By Breana JohnsonI like to call myself a “third culture wife,” which is my short way of saying that I married into an expat family. Unlike the rest of the Johnsons, I was born and raised in the same state. I never moved international borders, and I certainly never had to speak … Read more
United States Insights