Ready...Set...Vacation! with Erik the Travel Guy

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Take our Little Rock, Arkansas Quiz

How much do you know about Little Rock, Arkansas? Take our mini-quiz and see how you rank.

Beyond Your Backyard - Little Rock Part II

The crew and I return to the capital of Arkansas in this episode of Beyond Your Backyard. Diversity in unique neighborhoods, a thriving downtown district, and outdoor recreation are all part of the fun.

Explore the United States!

National parks, small towns, big cities, beaches, forests, desserts, this country is big and diverse! Get out there and explore! 

Notes From The Road - Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have been in the news recently and these nasty little critters make for excellent news headlines. If you haven’t been the victim of bed bugs, then consider yourself lucky. I rank them on the “awful scale” somewhere in the neighborhood of lice and crabs.

Travel Tip - Western, Southern, and Eastern Caribbean Cruising

As you begin planning your next cruise, you may be wondering how the cruise industry groups destinations contained in a single itinerary. In the cruise industry, the Caribbean is commonly divided into three main regions: Western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, and Eastern Caribbean.

Vacation Merchandise - Luggage Tags

A finger lickin' good luggage tag!

Take our Carnival Horizon Quiz

How much do you know about the Carnival Horizon cruise ship? Take our mini-quiz and see how you rank.

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Erik Hastings Biography

Erik Hastings, a.k.a. "Erik the Travel Guy"

Erik “the Travel Guy” Hastings is an EMMY award-winning television personality who speaks directly to consumers who can't afford to "get their vacations wrong". He is the host and managing editor of three internationally syndicated television series; "Beyond Your Backyard", “Food for Thought” and “Cruise Food”.

Erik leads an incredibly talented team of industry pros and is the editorial driving force of his platform. While the travel industry directly supports millions of families worldwide, Erik believes travel makes the world a better place. Through exploration and discovery, he has learned that travel brings cultures together and he eagerly shares that spirit with his viewers.

In 2005, Erik launched his own production company that specialized in creating high-quality, low-cost travel videos for online distribution, which has added “world traveler” to his resume. This enterprise encapsulates all of Erik’s true joys by combining video production, writing, discovery, adventure, performing and interacting with fascinating people in some of the most inspiring and beautiful travel destinations in the world. Since inception, he has amassed an impressive client roster including Hertz, The Greenbrier Resort, CruiseOne, Carnival, Pinehurst, Iberostar, and countless official tourism bureaus throughout the world.

In 2017, Erik and his creative team began production on "Beyond Your Backyard", a new educational travel series for Blue Ridge PBS. The series debuted in April of 2018 on Blue Ridge PBS and other public broadcasting stations and quickly gained national attention and new affiliates. Today, the series is seen by millions of viewers nationwide. The series is syndicated by NETA and carried on the CREATE Channel. In its first season, the series was honored by the industry with two EMMY awards for the show and its host.

In 2022, Erik formed a new venture (4:55 AM Entertainment Co.) with his longtime friend and creative partner Jason Zumwalt. His new company produces two series: “Cruise Food” and “Food For Thought”.

Erik spends (on average) about 25 weeks on the road per year. When he's not traveling, he spends time with his two daughters in the New York City area.

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