Blogger Erik McLaughlin

Introducing Erik McLaughlin, Gadling’s newest blogger.

Where was your Photo taken: Athens, Greece at the Acropoly. This was my first trip to Greece and was an amazing trip! Any trip to Greece is amazing. I had the privilege of being shown Athens by a very nice local girl I met in England…We got married a few years (and continents) later.

Where do you live now: Chicago, Illinois but Tucson, Arizona is home.

Scariest Airline Flown: A good overall airline, but on a United Flight from Paris, we had some trouble. Just leaving the gate, to taxi the runway, there was a strong smell of smoke in the cabin. We headed back to the terminal and waited a few hours, in the plane. Finally we began to back out, again. This time the cabin filled with black smoke and some people got a little nervous. A little rapid exit and some firefighters later…We ended up staying the night in the Paris airport and taking another plane, the next day. Since then, I have always been kind of a “knuckler” when I fly.

Favorite City/Place/Country: Greek Islands for relaxing and Vegas for excitement

Most Remote Corner of the Globe Visited: I really like hiking/trail running/biking so I seem to find myself pretty far from the main roads, some times. Probably the furthest I have been, into the wilderness, was about 3-4 days of hiking. It seemed the most remote in British Columbia.

Favorite Guidebook Series: Not really a series, but it is on volume number five: Robert Young Pelton’s World’s Most Dangerous Places. Of course, Lonely Planet, too.

Have you ever had an Unexpected Layover and what did you Do
: A self-induced lay-over occurred when we missed our train from Edinburgh, Scotland back to Cambridge, England. The train was on time, we were not. There was some great Scottish Whiskey involved and we missed the train. Fortunately, it gave us another evening to spend exploring Edinburgh!

Favorite Music while Traveling
: Sublime, Bob Marley, Green Day, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sade, Bad Religion and Sheryl Crow seem to get the most playtime.

Favorite Foreign Dish or Food? Souvlakis in Greece! Also, anything Mexican. Although it is not too foreign, anymore.