Modern Gonzo - Robin Esrock - Travel Writer

Travel Channel, Everest & More

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:49:54 +0000

News this month:

1. My TV show Word Travels begins broadcasting across Europe (in multiple languages), New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere on Travel Channel. Here’s a preview and episode guide

2. Join in me on a trek to Mount Everest, and you could win a free trip to Maccu Piccu! Come November we’re embarking on a 23-day epic journey into the Himalayas to Everest Base Camp. It’s just what you need to recharge your batteries, and you can join from anywhere. Click here for more info:

3. New columns let you read about the World’s Spiciest Food, Confessions of a Cruise Virgin, 15 Things To Do Before You Die, and 6 Things to Do in Costa Rica

4. “This is the moment I’ve officially lost my mind!” Travel + Leisure feature my journey to Mount Huashan in their this story about the World’s Deadliest Hikes.

Find me on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or at an airport, somewhere…

Cheers and Beers,
Robin

Wildebeest and Flying Doctors

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:01:24 +0000

This week in East Africa, I discover two sides to a coin. The luxury, beauty and exotic wildlife of the ultimate safari, complete with butlers, five-star tents, and the migration of the wildebeest. In Nairobi, a different story, as I take to the air with the Flying Doctors, participating in a medical evacuation, and seeing the human cost of violence. This is Africa, and there is nowhere else like it.

Read the Report:
Check out the Pictures (they’re particularly good)

And you can catch the TV show on OLN/CityTV in Canada, and Travel Channel (worldwide) and Halogen TV (USA) in the fall. With more info at Word Travels.

IN OTHER NEWS

I took off to explore Prince Edward Island for Sympatico, and let me tell you, the place offers a helluva lot more than just Anne of Green Gables. Check out the hilarious videos (yes that is me getting drunk on a cookie) and read my stories about PEI Experiences, Cuisine, Natural Beauty, Nightlife, and Lobster Fishing

EVEREST IS WAITING: How do I convince you that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity knocking? By making a video with Matador’s Ian Mackenzie, which you can see here:
Join me for a three week trek in Nepal to Everest Base Camp. For more info, click here:

Here’s my list of the World’s Weirdest Hotels. And from Outpost Magazine, my misadventures in paragliding.

Here’s a profile of yours truly in Canadian Immigrant Magazine.

The past month, the Matador Travel Network sent me to Panama and Costa Rica to learn why some people manage to Break Free, while others just dream about. Along the way I met some truly inspirational people. That’s coming next. A big gonzo shoutout to South Africa for hosting a magnificent World Cup, and showing the world another side of Africa. It makes a former Sef-Efrican like me get goosebumps.

Viva the Vuvuzela!

Robin

A Gonzo Revolution in Cuba

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:27:16 +0000

Plenty of thoughts about this controversial island in the Caribbean, where tourists are herded into all-inclusive resorts while the songs of Revolution still echo in Havana. Saddled amongst a large group of journalists, the rum flows into the beating heart of change.

Read the Full Report
See the Photo Gallery

Cuba is a complicated country, going through a complicated time. If you’re planning on visiting, I’d highly suggest you read this first.

In Other News:

I’m going to Mount Everest, and you come too! This November, I’m leading a 3-week trek through Nepal to Everest Base Camp. There are just 14 spots available, the tour is highly rated, professional, and reasonably priced, plus you could win a free trip to do the Inca Trail to Maccu Piccu! Visit World Expeditions for more info.

Check out my photo gallery about my recent visit to Eastern China, and a Dos Equus inspired Itinerary for the Spring Traveller, courtesy Sympatico.ca

Here’s a TV interview I did with Breakfast TV about my Non Essential Travel Essentials (and see, there’s always a way to sneak in women urinating upright on breakfast television)

Here’s a couple interviews I did with the blogs Business Backpacker and Nomadic Chick. And if you’re interested in the technical side of my Youtube clips, here’s another one with the wonderfully named Starship Monkey.

Confessions of a Polo Virgin is my hilarious attempt at playing polo, and I suppose writing for an esteemed Polo magazine in Barbados.

My latest online Thrillseeker column in Outpost Magazine: Bullfighting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? You Betcha!

Word Travels Season 3 is coming to a close in Canada, but you can watch full episodes online! or tune in Sunday nights on OLN at 7pm & 11pm PT/10pm ET. Other episodes re-run weekends on CityTV Saturdays at midnight, 5pm & 6:30pm ET / 2pm & 3:30pm PT

You can also watch me on National Geographic and Nat Geo Adventure in 40 countries including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, throughout the Middle East and Australia. Season 3 will be starting soon all around the world on The Travel Channel, including South Africa, Scandinavia, Asia, Germany, and the UK!

It’s going to be a busy June. For I’ll spend a week exploring Prince Edward Island (expect plenty of video!) and then I’ll be heading off to Costa Rica and Panama. Yes Creedence, I am what you might call a Fortunate Son.

Travel safe,
Robin

Crocodiles, Carnivals, and Other News

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:14:35 +0000

The months are whizzing by as fast as the career of last year’s American Idol, so before it’s too late, this month’s report takes us to Brazil for my adventures in the world’s largest wetland, along the coast on a beach-fuelled road trip, and into the VIP balconies and Black Tie Ball of Carnaval. It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s beautiful, it’s Brazil.

Read the Story
Experience the Images
Watch the Video

IN OTHER NEWS:

Catch my “Confessions of a Travel Writer” on Saturday, April 24th at the Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show, taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre. I’ll be talking at 1:15pm, and then you can walk around and get inspired by over 300 vendors exhibiting travel and outdoorsy-goodness.

My Thrillseeker columns from Outpost Magazine are now available online. Like the time I got set on fire in Taiwan, or did that crazy death hike in China!

Read about my investigation into the 10 Best Restaurants in Vegas, or watch my Vegas Youtube clip from a week where sleep was little and the bling was much!

New episodes of Word Travels airs in Canada on OLN, Sundays at 7pm and 11pm PT/10pm ET. You can also catch us on CityTV on Saturdays at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET and Sundays at 12:30pm PT / 3:30pm ET. In Asia, you can also now see our episodes on National Geographic’s main channel!
Read my Behind the Scenes stories and blog at www.wordtravels.tv.

In November, I’ll be embarking on a three week journey to Mount Everest. And this time, you’ll be able to join me! World Expeditions are offering a special departure to join my group on the adventure of a lifetime. Space is limited! Details to follow, but email me if you’re interested.

A shout out to my friend Sean Aiken, who has just released a book in Canada and the USA about his One Week Job project, in which he worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks seeking his passion. Among the many lessons he learned: It’s never too late to follow your dreams.

With a stubborn volcano causing havoc for Europe, it’s a reminder how much we’ve come to rely on air travel. Perhaps we are taking our ability to hop on a plane and go virtually anywhere for granted. To which I say: If you’ve always wanted to go somewhere exotic, what are you waiting for? Money comes and goes, but time has a habit of running out.

Be Inspired!
Robin

Esrock Surfs Barbados

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:26:17 +0000

This Month’s Adventure: Barbados

Into the West Indies we go, aboard submarines and supersonic jets, playing polo (with the Queen’s approval), cooking up barracuda ceviche after attempting to kitesurf turquoise waves with a genuine Bajan legend. I might suck at watersports, but when it comes to island adventure, Esrock says “Yes Please!”
Read the Story
See the Photos

Esrocking the World:

New columns from Sympatico,ca
- In the last 3 years, I’ve had the opportunity to stay in some of the world’s best hotels.. Not cheap, but free to look.
- The Vancouver Olympics have come and gone. But if you’re ever visiting the city, or are hosting anyone who is, here’s my handy neighborhood guide.
- Last word on Rio’s Carnaval: A Photo Gallery from inside the Samabadrome

Outpost Magazine
My Thrillseeker columns are now posted online. You can now read about:
The time I sandboarded off an active volcano
The time I went canyoneering in Costa Rica

Esrock Speaks
Catch me live discussing “Confessions of a Travel Writer” at the Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show in Vancouver, April 24/25. Mantracker will also be there. Mantracker. Even Chuck Norris quivers when he hears the name:

Youtube
- Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. Here’s my Youtube take as I discover wildlife, waterfalls, and some incredible underwater adventures (trust me).
- And you know what they say…what goes on in Vegas, stays on Youtube.

That’s this month’s update. Next report comes from Egypt, where I dirt bike in the Sinai (not quite as my people did 4000 years ago).

Wander safe,
Robin

Shamans and Guinea Pigs in Ecuador

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:37:25 +0000

It’s folly to spend just one week in a country as diverse as Ecuador, but what the hell! Shamans and guinea pigs, iguanas, bus parties, 300-year old haciendas, volcanic craters - I don’t get to the Galapagos, but between Otavalo, Quito and Gauyaquil, there’s plenty to keep me busy.

Read the Adventure (we all enjoy a good story)
Check out the Photos (evidence of the shenanigans)

News in my World

We’re coming to the end of the Winter Olympics, but whether you live in Vancouver or not, here’s a handy guide to the city I put together for the Vancouver Sun, and also a neat breakdown of Vancouver’s neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, at sympatico,ca, I investigate the connection between travel and tattoos, look at new travel trends, and pick new exotic getaways for lovers.

Carnaval in Brazil was an absolute spectacle, attracting three times as many people as the Winter Olympics. While you wait for the full Modern Gonzo report, read my article published last week in the National Post and Vancouver Sun.

Still in Brazil, here’s a fantastic photo essay in which I give you 10 Reasons To Love Brazil (as if you needed 10 reasons!).

The third and final season of Word Travels debuts in Canada on OLN on Sunday, 10pm. DON’T miss this fantastic new HD video of what you can expect this season. Or visit the website for more clips and info.

…and finally, catch me this weekend in Toronto, as guest speaker at the Outdoor Adventure Show. I’ll be talking on Saturday at 11:45am, and again at 2pm. Also Sunday at 2pm.

Next up: Inside the Sambadrome of Carnaval, the world’s largest wetlands, and some magic caves and rivers in Brazil.

Yours in motion,
Robin

Science Fiction in Star City

robin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:47:53 +0000

Returning to Russia, I get an exclusive glimpse into the reality of modern space travel, visiting the Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, poking my head into real-life rocket ships. From the Moscow Metro to the streets of St Petersburg, the Great Bear once again presents it challenges, but there is truly nowhere else on earth quite like it.

Vee Hav Vays of Making You Read
There’s Borscht on my Photo Gallery

More from my World

- Check out my kick-ass new video demo, filmed in over 25 countries!
- My latest Sympatico.ca travel columns looks at the value of experiential gifts, and I pick out 8 of the Best Winter Getaways (whenever you can get away from Winter, that’s probably best no?)
- My latest Thrillseeker column in Outpost magazine has me running with the bulls in the Azores.
- Catch me in Word Travels, weekends on CityTV and OLN in Canada, or Nat Geo Adventure in Australia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, most of Asia and North Africa too. In Canada, you can watch full episodes online by visiting oln.ca and clicking on the Word Travels tab.
- Save the Date: I’ll be a guest speaker at the 2010 Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show, on February 27/28 in Toronto, and April 4 in Vancouver.

I’m currently en-route to Brazil, where I’ll be spending the next month exploring Rio state, catching up with the bugs in the Pantanal, meeting new and old friends, and going bananas at my first ever Carnival. Don’t worry, I’ll write, photograph and Youtube over your ticket.

travel safe,
Robin

Sweet As New Zealand’s South Island

robin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:41:36 +0000

Sweet As. It’s Kiwi slang, and I return to the South Island to find out what it means. Is it the wine, food, and dolphins in Marlborough? Or the extreme gonzo action of canyon swinging, bungy jumping and skydiving in Queenstown? From mansions to car eating parrots, join me on a road trip on the South Island, where we always aim for possums.

READ the REPORT:
SEE the GALLERY:
or
WATCH the HD MOVIES: The Road Trip / Extreme Gonzo Action

Meanwhile:
- Matador Travel Network’s Portrait of a Travel Writer features a familiar face, although I’m not sure about that beard…
- Westworld Magazine call me the Father of Modern Journey-ism, in this terrific profile that starts off with: “I Hate Robin Esrock.” Me too! Flip to page 19.
- It is Better to go All Inclusive, or Travel on your Own? What are the Sporting Events to See Before you Die? Check out my new columns on Sympatico.ca
- Yes, that’s me sledding down an active volcano for my Thrillseeker column in the latest issue of Outpost Magazine.
- Catch me in Word Travels on CityTV and OLN in Canada, or Nat Geo Adventure in Australia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, most of Asia and North Africa too! In Canada, you can finally watch full episodes online by visiting oln.ca and clicking on the Word Travels tab!

It’s going to be a very big 2010, and I’m opening it with a cracker at the Carnival in Brazil. Wherever you find yourself this festive season, travel safe, open your heart, and relish the world we have.

Robin

Helsinki, Lapland & the Midnight Sun

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:46:34 +0000

Trying to do Helsinki on just 20 euros a day is a roller coaster, but things really get hot when I look into the living tradition of sauna. In Lapland, I avoid Santa’s lap on the Arctic Circle, but do meet huskies, reindeer, and giant mosquitoes, buzzing about beneath the glare of the midnight sun.

Read the Story / Check out the Photos

My latest columns from Sympatico:
The World’s Creepiest Places (just in time for Halloween)
Different Ways to See a City:

Word Travels

- Canadians can now watch Season 2 of Word Travels online! Visit OLN’s website, click on the Word Travels tab at the top right of the screen, and select your episode. No more “I don’t have cable excuses!” Sorry non-Canadians, we’re working on it!
- We’ve officially wrapped principle filming for season 3 of Word Travels! In Canada, you’ll be able to watch the new episodes in March 2010, on Nat Geo Adventure later.
- Tonic, the place where good news lives, discovered Modern Gonzo and the People Chain

In Other News

- I’ve signed on to speak at the 2010 Outdoor Adventure Show in Toronto, February 28, and Vancouver in May. New adventures, new surprises, same old schmuck at the microphone.
- You may notice the Matador Travel Writing University ads on my website. For those interested in learning about my job, how it works, how to pitch, how to write, travel and get paid, I endorse these folks because they know their stuff, got great reviews on the course, and I personally know they’re 100% legit, and 100% at the forefront of the future of travel writing.

Next Report: From Russia, with love, where I boldly visit the heart of Space Tourism
Next Journey: November in New Zealand, where I hit the South Island to investigate if it’s possible to bungee, skydive, balloon, jet boat and spelunk in style. Glamping’s never been so good.

Peace…. earthlings, Peace.

Blindfolded and Bullfighting in Portugal

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:52:28 +0000

A Tail of Two Parts? First I head to Terceira, an emerald island in the Azores, for the main summer festivities, and a lot of angry charging bulls. Then I fly back over the North Atlantic to Lisbon, the San Francisco of Europe, to investigate alternative city tours, including a remarkable sightseeing walking tour that offers no sight at all.

Travel without moving with the full REPORT
Check out the photos in the GALLERY

IN OTHER NEWS

My latest columns from the always fascinating Sympatico
The 5 Biggest Fears of Modern Travel
Where to Find the World’s Best Coffee
Virtual road rage with the World’s Worst Traffic

Word Travels
Word Travels is now being broadcast in Canada nationwide on CityTV. You’ll still find us on OLN, but with CityTV on basic cable, it means we’re seen by hundreds of thousands of new viewers for the show!. Catch us each weekend.
Nat Geo Adventure airs the 3rd episode of Season 2 around the world this week.
You’ll find me diving in the Philippines.
Read Behind the Scenes stories on our website, and here’s a short clip of me getting
my butt kicked from our Mexico episode!

Hairy Boiled Spiders?
Here’s my fun interview about the World’s Grossest Food on Breakfast TV
Here’s an article about Going Tribal in Ethiopia from the Toronto Star.
My good mate Val has launched a hop on-hop off bus in South America. He took great care of me in Central America, I’m sure his Green Toad Bus will do the same for you.
Any teens out there? There’s a great profile about me in the latest Faze Magazine, Canada’s #1 Teen Mag.

Sharp Sharp
I got a new Gonzo Hat! The last one barely survived 51 countries, glowing with Chernobyl dust and warped by distance. It now abides in the Museum of Modern Gonzo (ie, my storage locker). Thanks to Edie Hats for my Stetson Explorer - may it also go the distance!

Next up: A wee bit of a rollercoaster in Finland! Stick around for the ride!

Robin