Robin Esrock is a Vancouver-based travel writer and co-host of the 40-part TV series Word Travels (OLN/CITY-TV). After backpacking the world for a year in 2005, Robin’s blog posts led to articles in more than a dozen major newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, South China Morning Post and Sydney Morning Herald. He has visited more than 100 countries on six continents - and has never lost his hat. You can find him at www.robinesrock.com.
Top 10 places to kiss 2011 goodbye
Get your party on in Rio or New York. For romance, head to Paris. But if it’s quiet contemplation you seek, check in to a desert lodge and spa in Chile, Robin Esrock suggests
Kauai: An island made for Hollywood
Bodysurfing, paddleboating, snorkelling, hiking – with Kauai’s action-packed days, visitors are exhausted by sunset
Explore the world’s creepiest places - if you dare
From the Bone Church in the Czech Republic to the crooked trees of Alticane, Sask.
After dozens of countries, I was still wowed by Iceland
With powerful geysers, active volcanoes and strange rock formations, Iceland manages to exceed expectations
Finland’s saunas are smoking hot
In traditional log-wood smoke saunas, temperatures can climb to over 120 C
Getting a taste of Mexico’s Tequila Route
Travel to this UNESCO World Heritage Site to drink from the private cellar of the country’s old distillery - or chug some homemade brews
Exploring the pass-through province
Feel the river spray zip lining over Grand Falls, take in a Dali masterpiece but don’t leave New Brunswick without trying the fries
Shanghai to St. Petersburg: The longest train ride I’ll ever take
The meals were awful, the border crossings interminable, but the experience? Unforgettable
Run with the bulls – a bit more safely – in Portugal
In Terceira, part of the Azores, the bulls are held back by long ropes. But that doesn't make it any less scary and thrilling
Why Italy has it all - from fast cars to slow food
In the Emilia-Romagna countryside sample true balsamic vinegar, roar around mountain roads in a Lamborghini and dream about a new set of wheels in the Ferrari museum
