Rich Carriero was born in New Jersey. From childhood he developed a strong interest in history, literature and travel. Carriero visited Europe for the first time in 1995, beginning a life long fascination with the old world. He studied literature at Rutgers University and graduated in 2005.

In 2005 Carriero completed a solo backpacking trip across Europe. His travel writing began with travelogues written to family and friends. Rich moved to Istanbul in 2007 and began writing for Time Out Istanbul magazine. In two years his work with the magazine covered a range of topics from politics to restaurant reviews. His monthly column, Backward Glances, shed light on historical places, artifacts and events in Turkey.

In 2008 Rich Carriero contributed to Fodor's Turkey travel guide and authored the Istanbul chapter of Time Out Inc's "World's Greatest Cities." In 2009 he wrote for Owner's Perspective magazine as well as inflight periodicals Baltic Outlook and United Airlines' Hemispheres magazine. In late 2009, he joined Hurriyet Media's English language newspaper, Turkish Daily News and Economic Review. In addition to print media, Carriero is a regular contributor to both Associated Content and up-and-coming travel site, Trazzler.

In 2010 Rich was contracted by Executive Travel Magazine to write an Istanbul travel guide. In May Carriero returned to the United States and moved with his wife to Boulder, Colorado. The western United States is uncharted territory for Rich and he looks forward to sharing his western travel experience with his readers.