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
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
An African School for the Deaf
By Breana JohnsonThere are only two schools exclusively for the Deaf in Burundi (the other, also founded by my husband’s family, is five hours away). Without the chance to go to school and learn sign language, these kids would never have the chance to learn any language at all, a situation that … Read more
Africa Accessible Experiences
5 Places to See Dinosaur Fossils in the U.S.
By Breana JohnsonOn your next trip, bring natural history to life with a dinosaur encounter! The U.S. offers many attractions where you can view dinosaur fossils—or even participate in a dino dig.
United States Accessible Experiences History
Attractions on Arizona Tribal Land (That Aren’t Casinos)
By Breana JohnsonLooking for family-friendly attractions in Arizona? Support Native economy, experience culture, and have fun by visiting these destinations.
United States Family Travel Indigenous
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
Three Desert Gardens to Visit near Phoenix
By Breana JohnsonWhen you think “Phoenix,” you probably picture a city surrounded by desolate wilderness. Tourists rarely arrive with a list of gardens on their itinerary. However, you may be surprised to learn that the Valley of the Sun offers many gorgeous garden experiences!
United States Nature & Outdoors
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
Superstition Mountain Museum: Where Fact and Fiction Meet
By Breana Johnson…if you find your way east of Phoenix and approach the small town of Apache Junction, the city lights melt away and the mountains rise to meet you. As cacti replace streetlights and horses replace sports cars, you might wonder if you’ve stepped back into the Wild West.
United States Off the Beaten Path History
How to Experience Train Tourism and Become a Railfan
By Breana JohnsonWhile many of these train activities are rooted in nostalgia, there are still plenty of modern-day travelers who not only enjoy trains as a means of transport but also the object of entire vacations.
United States Family Travel Rail & Road Travel
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
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
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
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 JohnsonThe Caribbean was recently hit hard by hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria. Organizations and individuals from the around the world have been pouring resources into rescue and rebuilding efforts. But it’s going to take more than disaster relief to get Caribbean communities back on their feet. It’s going to take … Read more
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel
St. Catharine’s, Ontario: Experiencing the Impact of Harriet Tubman
By Breana JohnsonAs the small congregation of the Salem Chapel streams into the church dressed to the nines and illuminated with bright smiles for all passersby, our Caribbean little league team gathers around a bust of Harriet Tubman.
Canada Off the Beaten Path History
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.
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.
Caribbean and Atlantic Volunteer Travel Social Responsibility
What It’s Like to be an Expat Wife
By Breana Johnsonfter throwing myself from this comfortable middle-class life into the world of expat living, I realized that as hard as it can be, I would never want to change it. Here’s what it’s like to be a third culture wife.
United States Insights