Erika Bisbocci
Erika is an avid traveler and explorer of over ninety countries on six different continents. Since 2011, she has spent time studying Arabic in the Middle East, teaching English in Namibia and working as a flight attendant for a major US airline. When not traveling overseas, she loves exploring her own backyard in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
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Day Hike to Panorama Ridge from Vancouver
The Garibaldi Provincial Park in British Columbia is home to some of Canada’s most spectacular hikes. Draped in verdant forest, framed by towering peaks, and home to glistening lakes, it is a wonderland for lovers of the outdoors. The crown jewel of the provincial park is Garibaldi Lake—a brilliantly blue body of water surrounded by soaring snowcapped mountains. After seeing photos of Garibaldi Lake from the Panorama Ridge hike, Dan and I immediately knew we would have to make the trip to Canada. So on a warm sunny weekend in…
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Three Day Armenia Itinerary: Top Things to Do
Armenia is a beautiful sliver of land that lies in the shadow of legendary Mount Ararat. Though it is home to varied landscapes and beautiful Orthodox churches, the country is better known for its tragic history than for its wealth of tourist attractions. The Armenians haven’t had it easy. Over the centuries, their homeland has been continually chiseled away by the Ottomans, the Russians and the Persians. Even Mount Ararat—the country’s pride and joy—sits beyond Armenia’s border in Turkey. Yet despite its tumultuous history, Armenians are resilient. They are deeply…
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Svaneti Georgia: Hiking and Travel Guide
Isolated and wild, Svaneti Georgia is a land of enchantment that sits high in the Caucasus Mountains. Geographically cut off from the rest of the country and seemingly stuck in time, the little slice of heaven soars miles above the clouds. In Svaneti, picturesque settlements—characterized by their UNESCO-recognized Svan towers—lie sprinkled about dramatic mountains that are laced with hiking trails. It is the Georgia of glossy travel brochures, yet it is so inaccessible that very few travelers make their way to its doorstep. SVANETI REGION OF GEORGIA Svaneti is…
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Kazbegi: Gem of the Georgian Military Highway
A few years ago, I came across a photo of a mountaintop monastery in the Republic of Georgia. The monastery in the photo soared above the surrounding landscape, half hidden in a dense layer of fog. I remember being wowed by the picture and surprised that there was a whole region of the world sandwiched between Russia and the Middle East, that I’d never thought twice about visiting. I knew very little about Georgia at the time, but the small church piqued my curiosity. So in September–when the lowlands of…
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Georgia at a Glance: Two Days in Tbilisi and Sighnaghi
When I announced my intention to visit the small ex-Soviet nation of Georgia, I suppose it is understandable that many concluded I was off to explore the U.S state, rather than the country. Like nearby Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Republic of Georgia isn’t exactly the first place most Americans think of when planning their holidays. Nor is it the second. Nor the third. Some of the people I spoke with were surprised that I was willingly choosing to visit a country associated with uprisings and Soviet aggression. Others were altogether…
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Two Days in Baku and its Surroundings
With one foot toeing the Middle East and the other set firmly in Europe, Baku Azerbaijan is a fascinating city of contrasts. Our trusty Lonely Planet guide described Baku as “the architectural love child of Paris and Dubai…with plenty of Soviet genes floating half-hidden in the background.” And, after two days of soaking in Baku’s flashy skyscrapers, its cobbled streets and its drab concrete high-rises, we found the description to be perfectly apt. Baku is a true crossroads—culturally, geographically and architecturally—between East and West. The city’s historic core…
