ERIK THE TRAVEL GUY
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  • Home
    • Blog
    • Latest
  • TV
    • Beyond Your Backyard
    • Season 4
    • Season 3
    • Season 2
    • Season 1
    • How To Watch
  • Inspiration
    • Erik's YouTube Channel
    • The United States
    • National Parks
    • The Caribbean
    • Mexico
    • Canada
    • Europe
  • Vacation Hacks
    • How To Travel - COVID19
    • Paying for Your Vacation
    • Local Travel
    • RV Travel
    • Vacation Ecosystem >
      • Planning
      • Airlines
      • Cruising
      • Lodging
  • Insiders
  • Apparel & Merch.
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YOUR CART

Beyond Your Backyard NOW is the must-watch destination for all things travel, presented in a positive, informative and entertaining format.  Emmy-award winning host Erik The Travel Guy inspires viewers to plan and safely embark on their next adventure.  Each 30 minute episode reminds viewers that travel is rewarding and vital to a healthy lifestyle. Beyond Your Backyard NOW is an industry disruptor,  breaking today's mold of conventional (and often boring) travel “infotainment”.   During the current pandemic, Beyond Your Backyard NOW (currently available on YouTube) includes relevant information pertaining to the health crisis and its impact on travel. ​
etg / byb in depth infoRMATION

ETG YouTube Channel
Good New Travel
In this uncertain times, we believe promoting what's good in travel is a GOOD thing! Twice per week, Erik and the team present headlines within the vacation ecosystem to remind viewers that the promise of tomorrow's travel is on the horizon. 

Emotive Storytelling, Facts, Headliner Guests and Fun

When we say “all things travel”, we mean it! The editorial formula is designed to inspire viewers to travel when its safe to do so. International and around the corner destinations, travel hacks and how to’s, vacation giveaways, contests, humor, insightful first-hand accounts, editorial opinion and fact-based information along with real-time deals are all a part of every episode. Each episode features “travel newsmakers” with real-time information about their area of expertise. The content speaks directly to viewers who are concerned about safety and/or can’t afford to get their next vacation wrong. 

Turning It Upside Down
Beyond Your Backyard NOW is NEW! The format has never before been seen in the travel and tourism industry. Millions of hours of travel programming is available to viewers online and on television. Most travel programming is a glorified printed travel brochure. Not here. Consumers need practical travel advice they can apply when traveling especially during (or after) this health crisis. This series shows the places and experiences as they truly are and gives viewers the tools to make their own decisions on their terms. 

LIVE-To-TAPE and On-Demand
Episodes (in their entirety) are distributed across the Erik the Travel Guy digital platform (including YouTube.com) on Monday at 4:00 pm ET. Each episode is shot in “real time” within 12 hours of its designated distribution date and time. 

The format is family-friendly (with a little edge) and designed to seamlessly integrate sponsor messaging while staying true to our core editorial values. Each segment is also distributed for VOD viewing on select social platforms (YouTube, Instagram, EriktheTravelGuy.com and Facebook). 

Customized Sponsor Programs
All Beyond Your Backyard NOW sponsor programs are a combination of editorial and advertising. They are all customized based on the sponsors business goals, marketing and pr goals, along with allocated budget. 

Much like television or radio advertising, we believe consistently, frequency and honesty (i.e. truth in advertising) are the three essential elements to successful Beyond Your Backyard NOW marketing programs. Our programs are unique as they always include meaningful editorial content.

A Natural, Honest Spokesperson For Travel

Erik the Travel Guy's approachable and honest persona continues to gain attention from national media outlets, top travel brands and his entertainment industry peers. In 2019, Erik and his team won two EMMYS for excellence in television programming. Erik recently appeared on "The Dr Oz Show" to share helpful travel advice. Erik speaks at conferences, appears as a guest on radio and television and has been quoted in numerous local and national publications. In short, guest-bookers count on Erik to deliver reliable, honest travel information to their audiences. Travel brands such as Carnival Cruise Line trust Erik to accurately align their brand with his. 

Why Erik? Why THIS Guy?

Erik Hastings (aka Erik the Travel Guy) has an impressive career in content creation. From stage to TV to radio, Erik has always made people laugh. He's worked for (and with) prestigious media brands such as The Walt Disney Company, WABC Radio, HBO and many others. In 2006, he merged his 20+ years of experience into the Travel and Tourism industry and immediately was hooked. Today, he is committed to producing meaningful, entertaining and honest travel content in the hopes of inspiring his audience to travel. Over time, he has learned that travel is more than just "fun in the sun", Erik the Travel Guy believes travel is good for the soul and an ideal way to learn more about ourselves through culture immersion.  

Custom Production / B Roll

Our sponsors enjoy OWNERSHIP of the content we create together. Produced IP can be licensed in perpetuity and custom IP is always "restriction-free" to use.

​Custom production is NOT the core of our business but it is a critical piece of the puzzle to provide even more value for a sponsor's spend. Erik's talented production team are experienced in capturing authentic imagery for sponsors. B Roll, short form video, television episodes, location shoots and studio set ups are all in our portfolio.  

Feed the social beast! Erik's creative team supply partners with high quality HD B Roll 
  • Organized by subject matter
  • HD
  • Duration varies based on scope of agreement
  • Destination ownership in perpetuity
  • Delivered via Dropbox or hard drive

Example shown is watermarked and exported for easy-viewing on YouTube. 

Erik's Audience - Who They Are & Where They Live 

Erik's platform speaks directly to consumers who are educated, married (some with children) and have discretionary income for travel. The core of his audience are a group of individuals whom are "influencers" in their circle of friends and family. Erik's media supplies reliable and honest information from which they make travel decisions. 
  • 60% of his audience lives East of the Mississippi River
  • 62%/38% Male/Female Split
  • 61% are between the ages of 25-44 (YouTube metrics)
  • 16% are between the ages of 45-54 (YouTube metrics)
  • 15% are between the ages of 18-24 (YouTube metrics)

In Good Company

Erik and his experienced production team have amassed an impressive collection of current and past sponsors/underwriters. The platform's IP have been (and are currently)  seen and heard by millions of consumers on television, radio and online. References are available upon request. Here is a sample list. 
Visit California
Hertz
CruiseOne
Destination Gettysburg
​Visit Sweden

Carnival Cruise Line
Pinehurst Resort
​Norwegian Airlines

Experience BCS (DMO)
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
American Airlines
​PAGO Region

Radisson Blu
Montgomery County (DMO)

The Greenbrier
NOLA
Wytheville, VA (DMO)
​World Travel Holdings

Mississippi State (DMO)
Colonial Williamsburg ​

Authentic Editorial

Erik is on a personal mission to help consumers travel more often. The media he creates is effective, approachable and authentic. Because of his acute understanding of his audience, he (and his team) create IP with a proprietary blend of emotional storytelling, humor, facts and his editorial opinion. He is transparent with his audience about his content and the role sponsors play. His editorial content consists of:
  • A Weekly Television Series (Beyond Your Backyard) 
  • Weekly (3x per) Travel Series (Beyond Your Backyard NOW)
  • Short-Form Online Travel Videos & Tips
  • Weekly Podcast (The Podcast)
  • Articles & Media Interviews
  • Social Media Posts
  • Monthly Newsletter (opt in)

Sponsor Friendly

Erik and his team create IP that sponsors love because he loves what he does! He works with sponsors who wish to associate their brands side-by-side with his editorial point of view. He has worked with and for notable travel brands such as Carnival Cruise Corp., Hertz, American Airlines and countless DMO's for more than a decade. Sponsors appreciate his authenticity, passion and commitment to integrity and honesty while still having fun! Sponsors participate by:
​
  • PBS TV Series Sponsorship (Production Underwriting)
  • Commissioning Custom Content 
  • Contextual Advertising on Erik's Platforms
  

ERIK'S TEAM LEADERS

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CONTACT US

To learn more about Erik, schedule an interview or discuss underwriting sponsorship, please use the form below and we will be in touch immediately. Or, call Kevin Allen - 1-646-350-0037.
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MEET ERIK THE TRAVEL GUY

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My name is Erik Hastings, (a.k.a. Erik the Travel Guy) and I am an EMMY award-winning television personality who speaks directly to viewers who simply "get their vacations wrong". In addition to being a single dad of two amazing children, I am the host and managing editor of the internationally syndicated television series "Beyond Your Backyard" for public broadcasting stations (PBS) and other networks/VOD platforms. I am thrilled to be a part of an incredibly talented team of industry pros and the editorial driving force of my media platform. While the travel industry directly supports millions of families worldwide, I believe travel makes the world a better place. Through exploration and discovery, I have learned that travel brings cultures together. Read Erik's Full Bio.


FROM ERIK

PBS TV Series​
Vacation Ecosystem
​Erik's Biography
Erik's Blog
Erik's Insiders

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