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Robin Esrock

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Robin Esrock (/ˈɛzrɒk/ EZ-rok;[1] born 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa)[2] is a travel writer, bestselling author[3] and international television personality. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Esrock has written articles for major international publications, including the Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, Gulf News, South China Morning Post, Cape Town Argus, Sydney Morning Herald, Vancouver Sun,[4] Dallas Morning News and the Toronto Star.

Esrock was a regular columnist for the Globe & Mail, MSN, the Vancouver Sun and Outpost Magazine.[5] Other publication credits include Canadian Geographic, Mental Floss, Red Bull's The Red Bulletin and National Geographic.

Esrock is co-host of the 40-part TV series Word Travels. Filmed in 36 countries, Word Travels follows the lives of two working travel writers. Word Travels is broadcast on Travel Channel International, National Geographic Adventure in Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Europe, OutsideTV and HalogenTV in the US, and on OLN, F/X and City in Canada. It also aired on streaming service Amazon Prime Video[6]and Tubi.[7] Esrock met his co-host and fellow travel writer Julia Dimon while backpacking in Köyceğiz, Turkey. Esrock is also the co-creator, co-developer, associate producer and co-writer of Word Travels. In 2012, production commenced on the OLN TV series Get Stuffed, based on an original idea by Esrock.

Prior to his career as a travel writer, Esrock worked in the music industry for SL Feldman & Associates. His career shift was the result of a bike accident that left him with a broken kneecap and a $20,000 insurance settlement. Using this money, he backpacked around the world, writing a column for the Vancouver Sun and maintaining his website.[8][9]

Esrock has reportedly travelled to over 110 countries on seven continents.[10] He is also a public speaker, has hosted various online magazine shows and appeared as a regular travel expert on Vancouver's Breakfast Television. Esrock has also been featured as a travel expert in Forbes Travel, Travel + Leisure, and interviewed in several Canadian and Australian media outlets. In 2013, he won the Destination Canada award for Best Online Video at the Go Media Marketplace Awards in Winnipeg.

In March 2012, Esrock was master of ceremonies at the 108th Annual Explorer's Club Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.[11] Esrock presented awards to Explorer's Club members including palaeontologist Philip J. Currie, marine toxicologist Susan Shaw, and biologist Richard Ellis. Esrock also spoke about the lessons of travel at TEDx Vancouver, selected by Yahoo as one of TED's top travel talks.[12]

In 2013, Esrock released his book The Great Canadian Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences, published by Dundurn Press. The book became the number one selling Canadian travel and Canadian history title on Amazon.ca.[13] In 2015, he published five follow-up books in the Bucket List series.[14] Esrock has cited Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo journalism as major influences in his writing, and sports the gonzo fist tattoo on left leg.[15]

In 2015. Esrock was named one of Gear Junkie's Outdoor Ambassadors, a list of adventurers, inventors and athletes from the past 110 years who made a difference.[16] The list also includes Ernest Shackleton, Eddie Bauer, Robert Baden-Powell, GoPro inventor Nick Woodman and Steve Irwin.

In 2016, HarperCollins published Esrock's The Great Global Bucket List in North America, and Affirm Press published it in Australia.[17] The book follows Esrock's adventures to 75 countries in search of extraordinary experiences.[18] With positive reviews, Travel+Leisure called Esrock the King of the Bucket List.[19] It entered the Toronto Star Non-Fiction Bestseller List at Number 9.[20]

In 2017 Dundurn Press published a second edition of The Great Canadian Bucket List, which entered the Toronto Star Canadian non-fiction book chart at number 5.[21] Esrock also became a Fellow of The Royal Canadian Geographic Society.[22] As a brand ambassador, Robin has worked with Ford,[23] Intercontinental Hotels Group,[24] Jetstar,[25] and Great Canadian Trails. Esrock frequently appears on CBC Radio as a travel expert.[26][27]

In 2018, Esrock travelled across Australia to write The Great Australian Bucket List, which was published by Affirm Press.[28] Esrock was profiled on ABC Morning News,[29] 9News[30] and wrote about his adventures for the Melbourne Herald Sun,[31] and other publications.[32] The Great Australian Bucket List was long-listed for the Australian Indie Book Awards.[33]

In 2019, Affirm Press published Esrock's book about family travel in Australia, 75 Places to Take the Kids (Before They Don't Want to Go).[34] The book received positive coverage in Australian media.[35] Returning to Canada, he continued to write for various publications [36][37]and be profiled in major media.[38][39]

In 2021, Esrock began writing a bi-weekly column for Canadian Geographic.[40] He also became a Royal Canadian Geographic Travel Ambassador.[41]

In 2023, Esrock was nominated by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada as its Travel Media Professional of the Year.[42] Esrock also won a First Place Award from the Society of American Travel Writers.[43]

He lives in Vancouver,[44] British Columbia.

References

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  1. ^ "Speaker Reel | Robin Esrock". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  2. ^ South African Robin Esrock Documents His Travels for Networks All Over the World, Canadian Immigrant Archived 2015-01-14 at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Immigrant, August 29, 2011.
  3. ^ Labrador Included in Bestselling Book Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Radio, August 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "Former Sun Columnist Travels to TV Screen" Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine. Vancouver Sun February 9, 2008.
  5. ^ "Interview with Renowned Travel Writer and Vancouverite Robin Esrock" Archived 2015-01-14 at the Wayback Machine. Inside Vancouver, October 11, 2013.
  6. ^ "Prime Video: Word Travels - the Truth Behind the Byline". www.primevideo.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  7. ^ "Word Travels". Tubi. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  8. ^ "Make a cocktail from a chunk of Newfoundland iceberg and more Canadian bucket list-worthy adventures" Archived 2015-01-18 at archive.today. National Post, October 24, 2013.
  9. ^ Pottinger, Dave (2019-01-19). "Meet Robin Esrock author of The Great Canadian Bucket List". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  10. ^ "Forget Paris: Go to Winnipeg, says author who has visited more than 110 countries". November 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "Robin Esrock: The Mystery of the Explorer's Club". Matador Network. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  12. ^ "5 TED Talks That Will Make You a Better Traveler". www.yahoo.com. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  13. ^ What's on your bucket list? Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine St. Albert Gazette, February 14, 2014.
  14. ^ The Great Canadian Prairies Bucket List: One-of-a-Kind Travel Experiences: Robin Esrock: 9781459730496: Books - Amazon.ca. ASIN 1459730496.
  15. ^ "Gonzo with the Wind" Archived 2015-01-14 at the Wayback Machine. City Life Magazine, December 1, 2013.
  16. ^ 110 Outdoor Ambassadors Archived 2015-01-24 at the Wayback Machine. The Gear Junkie, January 19, 2014.'.
  17. ^ "The Great Global Bucket List - Robin Esrock - Paperback". HarperCollins Canada. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  18. ^ "Adventure Traveler? Book Gives 'Global Bucket List'". GearJunkie. 2016-10-20. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  19. ^ "Five Hair-Raising Adventures with Robin Esrock, King of the Bucket List". Travel + Leisure. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  20. ^ "Bestsellers | The Star". thestar.com. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  21. ^ "Toronto Star bestsellers for the week ending July 7 | The Star". thestar.com. 7 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  22. ^ "Fellows Journal April/May 2018 - The Royal Canadian Geographical Society". www.rcgs.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  23. ^ "Top 5 Lessons in Life and Travel From Robin Esrock and Ford of Canada". Twenty York Street. 2015-05-13. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  24. ^ "25 must-do activities on IHG®'s Great Canadian Bucket List". IHG Travel Blog. 2018-05-09. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  25. ^ "On the Great Australian Bucket List". On the Great Australian Bucket List. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  26. ^ Skinner, RJ (September 27, 2018). "If you've never crossed something off of your Bucket List, here's how to start". CBC. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  27. ^ "Where and how to travel when the loonie is as low as it is". CBC. January 22, 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  28. ^ Esrock, Robin (2018-08-20). "The Great Australian Bucket List". Affirm Press. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  29. ^ "Great Barrier Reef to Uluru: Tourist seeks to compile Australian travel bucket list". ABC News. 2017-12-18. Archived from the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  30. ^ "The places on this Canadian's Australian bucket list". www.9news.com.au. 23 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  31. ^ "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories". myaccount.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  32. ^ Maynard, Amy (2018-10-19). "Famed writer praises the Caves in his latest book". Naracoorte Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  33. ^ "Longlist Announced for the 2019 Indie Book Awards". Indie Book Awards. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  34. ^ Esrock, Robin (2019-08-27). 75 Must-See Places to Take the Kids (before they don't want to go. Affirm Press. ISBN 978-1-925712-84-1.
  35. ^ "The best day ever, every day: Six months on the road with my kids". ABC News. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  36. ^ "Today's Parent: The highs and (deep dark) lows of travelling with two small kids". September 1, 2022.
  37. ^ Esrock, Robin (March 1, 2021). "The Great Canadian Bucket List: 25 One-of-a-Kind Adventures in the Great White North". Reader's Digest Canada. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  38. ^ "Meet Robin Esrock author of The Great Canadian Bucket List". Jan 19, 2019.
  39. ^ "Forget Paris: Go to Winnipeg, says author who has visited more than 110 countries". November 8, 2019.
  40. ^ "Robin Esrock | Canadian Geographic". canadiangeographic.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  41. ^ "RCGS Ambassador: Robin Esrock". canadiangeographic.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  42. ^ "2023 Canadian Tourism Awards Winners - Tourism Industry Association of Canada". tiac-aitc.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  43. ^ "SATW Canadian Chapter Announces 2023 Awards". SATW. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  44. ^ "An Interview with Robin Esrock, Renowned Travel Writer and Vancouverite (Free Book Giveaway!)". Inside Vancouver. 2013-10-11. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
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