Frequent Flyer - Mark Corcoran

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday March 15, 2008

Interview by David Scott

The Foreign Correspondent host looks for his body armour when he lands.

Q What was your first international trip?

A I had the travel bug at a very young age, ran off and joined the navy. In 1982 we went off into South-East Asia to exercise with the British. We landed in Singapore. Coming from the bush the thing that struck me was - for a 19-year-old - the smell and the sights, the sensory overload of an Asian city. From that moment I was hooked.

Q How important is travel to you?

A At the end of the year, the last thing I want to do is get on a plane. I have two small children and I'm married to a journalist, Helen Vatsikopoulos, who does a lot of travelling herself.

Q What do you do when you land in a new city?

A Make sure all the bags have arrived. We are quite often carrying body armour and large field medical kits. We might have 250 kilograms of gear. It's always a time of high anxiety. We meet with our fixer. I remember once we landed in Nigeria after navigating a mild tropical storm - the plane was hit by lightning. We had been fleeced by various officials, [then] gunfire breaks out at the cab rank outside and everyone dives over the barrier and takes cover. Some gangsters were trying to rob a car. We thought, "This is where we're going to live for the next three weeks - we're not even out of the airport".

Q Describe your recent travels.

A We realised the other day that we had never taken our kids bush, so we loaded up the car and headed west over the Blue Mountains and it was a journey back into my past. We visited my old boarding school at Bathurst and the town in which I grew up, Wellington, and had to go to a christening in Dubbo. It was one of the best holidays I've ever had. You sometimes forget what Australia has to offer.

Q Do you tire of travel?

A Yes but it's my job. There's usually a long plane ride between me and starting work. I tend to zen out on the planes. Being on a plane is actually the only time you're out of contact - things are pretty mad before you go and busy when you're there.

Q Do you have any tips for arriving fresh?

A Just go for it. Make the most of being on the plane.

Q Can you distinguish between leisure travel and business travel?

A With leisure travel I'm probably travelling with a quarter of the luggage and none of the stress.

Q Favourite destination?

A The most interesting places for a story are not necessarily where you'd want to go for a holiday. For work, the most interesting destinations are Iran and Afghanistan. For leisure, a beach anywhere.

Q Where would you like to be right now?

A Very happy to be here in Sydney.

Q Is there anywhere you'd never return to?

A Nigeria. We had a very unpleasant time there, got arrested and threatened.

Foreign Correspondent airs at 9.30pm Tuesdays on ABC1.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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