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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Hiking the W Trek in Torres del Paine
The craggy peaks of Torres del Paine National Park dominate the landscape of Chilean Patagonia. They soar toward the sky like outstretched fingers, concealing glistening lakes, transparent rivers and a host of wildlife in their shadow. Adventure lovers from around the world flock to Patagonia during South America’s summer months in order to experience some of raw nature at its finest. The region is a backpacker’s wonderland and and an adventure-lover’s playground. Hiking is the best way to explore Patagonia. As a result, trails criss-cross the landscape and bring travelers…
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Viewing the Northern Lights in Fairbanks, Alaska
In mid-December, as the Northern Hemisphere approached its shortest and darkest day of the year, Dan and I chose to travel to an unlikely Destination: Fairbanks, Alaska. The reason? To see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. I’d always dreamed of witnessing the world’s greatest light display with my own eyes. And with the ability to fly standby on a moment’s notice due to my airline job, chasing the northern lights in Fairbanks Alaska was both feasible and fairly economical. The flexibility of flying standby allowed Dan…
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Driving around Babeldaob: Palau’s Largest Island
Babeldaob is the largest island in Palau and home to tiny Ngerulmud, Palau’s capital city. Beautiful rolling hills blanket this dense, forested island. Despite being Palau’s largest island and only a stone’s throw away from Koror (the country’s largest city), Babeldaob is underdeveloped, sparsely populated and often relegated to an afterthought in visits to the country. After consecutive excursions to Jellyfish Lake and the South Rock Islands, Melissa and I spent our final day in Palau exploring Babeldaob, the archipelago’s largest island. Since joining a day tour to the island would…
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Snorkeling Tour of Palau’s Rock Islands
Housing everything from untouched coral gardens to docile reef sharks and from manta rays to WWII shipwrecks, the small Micronesian nation of Palau consistently tops the list of best dive sites in the world. I’d had my heart set on visiting Palau since I first saw video footage of the country’s underwater sanctuaries and pristine seas a few years ago. The only problem was, I’ve always been too afraid to go scuba diving. Throughout my travels, there have been many times in which I’ve had the opportunity to strap an oxygen tank to my back…
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Day Trip to Jellyfish Lake in Palau
Imagine floating in a real life lava lamp, surrounded by millions of gelatinous golden orbs that drift gently through the water. These orbs swirl effortlessly around you, in search of sunlight. They swarm around your fingertips, brush up against your body, and coast right in front of your incredulous eyes. It might sound like a dream, but such a place exists on the tiny uninhabited island of Eil Malk in Palau. It’s called Jellyfish Lake. And it’s extraordinary. JELLYFISH LAKE IN PALAU: AN OVERVIEW Jellyfish Lake lies amidst Palau’s…
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How to Spend 24 Hours in Tokyo
With a population of nearly 40 million and over 6,000 residents packed into each square kilometer, Tokyo—the world’s largest city—is teeming with people. Crowds are everywhere in Tokyo—crossing the streets in hoards, packing udon houses to the brim and swarming in and out of metro stations at all hours of the day and night. And yet, though the city is nearly bursting at the seams, the metros are punctual, the streets are spotless and the city runs like a well-oiled machine. Even Tokyo’s residents seem to move about the city…
