Luxury Hotel Reviewer
Erin has worked as a luxury hotel reviewer in Latin America for multiple clients, including Luxury Latin America and Travel42, a division of Northstar Media Group. Travel42 curates destination guides and hotel reviews for travel agents available on their private B2B website.
Examples of some reviews Erin has done include:
Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge in Belize
Luxury Latin America
Luxury hotel review on Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge. Also reviewed this property for Travel42's hotel database.
Read now: Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge
Cayo Espanto Private Island in Belize
Erin has written multiple posts on her stay at Cayo Espanto, including:
My Beautiful Belize
Feature for My Beautiful Belize on Cayo Espanto.
Read now: Cayo Espanto - Private Island Paradise
Roam Right Travel Insurance
Feature on my what to expect when you stay at Cayo Espanto, one of Belize's top private islands.
Naïa Resort and Spa in Belize
Luxury Latin America
Hotel review on Naïa Resort and Spa in Southern Belize. Also reviewed this property for Travel42.
Read now: Naïa Resort & Spa — Placencia
Other Hotel Articles
Trivago Magazine
Feature for Trivago on the best eco-lodges and private islands in Belize.
The Discoverer
A feature on 13 tiny hotels around the world that travelers should check out.
Read now: 13 Totally Charming Tiny Hotels
The Discoverer
A feature on six luxury hotels around the world that are worth splurging for on your next vacation.
Read now: 6 Hotels That Are Worth the Splurge
The Discoverer
A feature of the most romantic hotels around the world to book for your next trip.
Read now: The Most Romantic Hotels in the World
The Discoverer
Another feature on The Discoverer about hotels, this time about luxury hotels that are actually affordable.
Read now: 8 Luxury Hotels You Can Actually Afford
Destination Marketing & Public Speaking
Destination Marketing and Press Trips
Erin has worked with numerous brands and destinations over the years on short-term marketing campaigns and press trips. Examples include the following.
Blogville - Emilia Romagna Tourism
Erin attended Blogville more than five times on behalf of Emilia Romagna Tourism. This award-winning campaign brought writers and bloggers together in the region to showcase different aspects of Emilia Romagna. Her trips consisted of events such as sitting in on a class at Carpigiani Gelato University, touring the Ducati Factory, meeting with the head of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, learning how various local food products are made, being a guest of honor at the “Matilde di Canossa – Terre di Lambrusco” wine competition, and press for chef Massimo Bottura's Al Meni food event.
Costa Brava Tourism
Erin worked with Costa Brava Tourism on several occasions as part of the TBEX (Travel Bloggers Exchange) conferences. She went on various press trips, visiting different locations in Costa Brava and learning more about the food and wine of the region.
Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA)
Erin has worked multiple times with the BTB and BTIA over the years. She was the only consumer travel writer invited to the Belize Tourism Expo to shadow travel agents on a FAM trip and write about the experience. She was also sent to Guatemala on behalf of the BTB to attend a "media in crisis" conference to learn about how to handle negative events in the news.
Erin has also worked with countless brands and businesses in Belize, including hotels, tour operators, restaurants, both of the country's national airlines, and more.
Taiwan Tourism Board
When Erin was living in Taipei, she was routinely invited on local FAM trips to explore various parts of Taiwan. She also worked with local brands, including fine dining outlets and luxury hotels like Shangri-La Hotels.
Disney
Erin has previously worked with Disney, receiving comped admission to the US Parks, D23 Conferences, and she was also media at an event for Hong Kong Disneyland.
Public Speaking
Erin has spoken as an expert on blogging, content creation, and social media multiple times over the years. Her speaking credits include the following:
Belize Tourism Industry Association Marketing Summit (2012)
Erin was a panelist on content creation and social media for the BTIA's first marketing summit in 2012.
TBEX Travel Bloggers Conference Mexico 2014 and Spain 2015
Erin was the moderator for the Blogging in Latin America conference at TBEX Cancun in 2014. She went on to speak the following year about adding food and wine content to your blog at the TBEX Conference in Girona, Spain in 2015.
Web Marketing Festival Italy (2015)
Erin was an invited panelist to one of Italy's biggest digital media and web marketing conferences to speak about her experiences working on the Blogville campaign with Emilia Romagna Tourism.
Belize Hotel Association Annual General Meeting — Keynote Speaker (2017)
Erin was the invited keynote speaker at the Belize Hotel Association AGM to talk about how hotels can compete against AirBnb in today's travel market.
Social Media Management
Erin is a freelance social media manager for various tourism clients in Latin America. She works with smaller companies and brands helping them grow their organic reach. Her clients include travel companies, restaurants, bars, and resorts. Recently, she worked on active tourism marketing campaigns throughout the pandemic, helping grow both Facebook and Instagram for one of Latin America's top luxury resorts. Erin was also on the reopening marketing team for this resort, learning firsthand all the back-end work that goes into reopening a resort in a COVID-19 world.
Social Media channels managed:
Erin is currently available to take on additional clients, both within and outside of the tourism industry.
Public Speaking Credits
Erin has spoken multiple times as a blogging and social media expert at multiple conferences in Belize, Mexico, Spain, and Italy.
Content Creation
Erin has been a full-time writer and blogger since 2009. She specializes in SEO-optimized blog posts, webpages, marketing copy, ghostwriting, email blasts, and social media posts for B2B and B2C clients. She's proficient at creating content for multiple industries and works well under pressure. She averages over 100 articles a month for clients. Her primary content areas include travel, food, wine, Disney Parks, legal ghostwriting, finance, and social media marketing.
Erin is open to freelance assignments as well as part-time and full-time positions.
Travel and Food Online Publication Credits
Erin's work has been published in numerous publications and outlets, including AFAR Magazine, Canadian Traveller Magazine, Luxury Latin America, Norwegian Cruise Line, TripAdvisor, CNN, CBS Television, Viator Tours, Expedia, Google, Scott's Cheap Flights, Trivago, MasterCard, Shangri-La Hotels, Destination Belize Magazine, Roam Right Travel Insurance, My Beautiful Belize, The Discoverer, Seeqr, Travel Trivia, and more.
Scott's Cheap Flights
Feature article about how to travel to Belize for one week for $1,500 or less.
Luxury Latin America
Feature article about traveling through Belize on a luxury catamaran. Belize hotel reviewer for Luxury Latin America.
Read now: Exploring Belize's Islands by Private Luxury Yacht
Scott's Cheap Flights
Feature article on Belize and its 400+ islands.
Read now: Belize: The Small Caribbean Nation with More than 400 Islands
Luxury Latin America
Luxury Hotel Reviewer in Belize: Sleeping Giant Resort
Read now: Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge
Trivago Hotels Magazine
Wrote several features for Trivago, including French Polynesian islands to visit.
Read now: Beyond Tahiti: Other French Polynesia Islands You Must Visit
Norwegian Cruise Line
Blogger (Ghostwriter) for Norwegian Cruise Line blog, writing monthly posts about cruise itineraries, tips, port guides, etc.
TripAdvisor
Official guide writer for TripAdvisor for multiple destinations, including Belize, Taiwan, Egypt, and more.
Read now: TripAdvisor Guide to Best Food in Taipei
Canadian Traveller Magazine
First-person story on San Pedro (Belize's) annual Carnaval celebration.
Read Now: Chaotic, Fun and Messy: You Don't Want to Miss Belize's Gran Carnaval
Victoria House Resort & Spa
Manage the resort's blog and handled site communications on temporary closure and reopening during the pandemic.
Read now: Victoria House to Temporarily Close
CBS Television Sacramento
Former Best of Food and Drink writer for CBS Television. Wrote numerous articles about the best things to see, do, eat, and drink in California's capital city.
TripSavvy
Feature on the best Disney snacks and treats to try at the Tokyo Disney Resort
Read now: 10 Treats to Try at Tokyo Disney
Roam Right Travel Insurance
Prior monthly blog author for Roam Right Travel Insurance. Examples of posts include this feature on what to see and do in Merida, Mexico.
Read now: What to See and Do in Merida, Mexico
The Discoverer
Former monthly contributor for The Discoverer blog writing various travel and food features, including this post on the best wellness trips you can take.
Disney Trippers
Contributed several articles on Walt Disney World, including this post on how to find the cheapest times to visit the park.
Read now: Exactly How To Find The Cheapest Time To Go To Disney World
AFAR Travel Magazine
Authored the official AFAR Guide to Belize and is the local Belize Expert.
Read now: Belize Travel Guide
Travel Trivia
Former contributor to Travel Trivia drafting round-up posts like this one about the creepiest places in the world.
Read now: 8 Creepiest Places on the Planet
Good Day Sacramento
Former contributor to Good Day Sacramento writing about the best of in the city.
Read now: Best Cheese Shops in Sacramento
Seeqr
Previous contributor to Seeqr writing travel inspiration and travel hacking posts.
Read now: Mistakes to Avoid at Airport Security
Travel and Food Print Publication Credits
While most of Erin's work has ben for online publications, she has written several print pieces, including authoring the majority of Belize's official visitor magazine, Destination Belize in 2013/2014.
Erin was also the English language editor for renowned Spanish chef Daniel Negreira — she edited two volumes of his cookbooks published in Taiwan.
Legal Writing
Prior to moving abroad in 2009, Erin spent over a decade in the insurance litigation industry. She worked for the legal department of Enterprise Rent-A-Car as well as Progressive and AAA Insurance companies. She managed high-exposure claims for approximately 13 states before leaving the industry. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies, Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice, and was a certified paralegal.
Currently, Erin works for legal marketing agencies, including Juris Digital, ghostwriting posts for law firms around the country.
She also writes SEO-optimized website copy for attorneys. She has written for over 100 firms across the United States, mostly on the following legal practice areas:
- Personal injury
- Catastrophic injuries
- Auto accidents
- Premises Liability, including slip and falls and dog bites
- Mass Torts
- Medical Malpractice
- Product Liability
- Whistleblower / Qui Tam
- Probate and Estate Planning
- Social Security and Veterans' Disability
- Federal Employment
- Criminal Defense
Food Travel
Erin spends the majority of her travel time scouting out the best eats in locations around the world. She has experience with everything from street food stalls to the world's best Michelin-starred and World's 50 Best Restaurants. Her passion for food doesn't just lie in the goodness of the food itself, but she loves to learn about the history behind local dishes, sometimes even eventually attempting to recreate them at home.
To date, Erin has traveled to over 70 countries on six continents, primarily on food-centric trips. Her travels have taught her to be open, respectful, and to embrace seemingly "bizarre" foods that are important culinary staples in various cultures. Some of the more interesting dishes she's tried include fish sperm sack in Taiwan and Japan, fruit bat in Palau, conch penis in Belize, fugu in Japan, cow udder in the Netherlands, and ant larvae in Mexico.
Meeting and Working with Notable Chefs
Erin's passion for food and culinary history has led her to meet and work with some of the world's best chefs. She is humbled by the people she's met and the foods she has tried, and she hopes to continue telling important and lesser-known food stories that deserve to be shared with the world.
Some of her most memorable food-related encounters include:
- Meeting Chef Joan Roca at El Celler de Can Roca
- Being Chef Joël Robuchon's personal guests at one of his restaurants in Paris
- Meeting Chef Narisawa at his namesake restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
- Becoming good friends with chef Daniel Negreira in Taiwan, who taught Erin everything about molecular gastronomy when she became the English language editor for two of his cookbooks
- Meeting Andrew Zimmern at the Los Angeles Travel Show
- Meeting Chef Rene Redzepi at his Noma pop up in Tulum
Erin's Food Travel Blog
Erin's blog, Our Tasty Travels, has received several notable mentions, including Top Blogs to Watch in 2013, Top 25 Culinary Travel Blogs by TripAdvisor's FlipKey, and a finalist in Flight Centre UK's Top 5 Food Travel Blogs.
Food Travel Posts by Erin De Santiago
- Belize Launches its First Food Tour on Our Tasty Travels
- Great Not to Miss Food Cities on Roam Right Travel Insurance
- How to Enjoy Real Mexican Cuisine in the Yucatan om Roam Right Travel Insurance
Disney Travels
From her earliest childhood memories, Disneyland was a big part of Erin's life. She grew up around 30 minutes from Disneyland in California and once she was old enough, she bought an annual pass. Prior to moving out of Southern California in 2004, Erin was known to visit Disneyland as many as 4 to 5 times per week.
Once she started traveling internationally, she finally fulfilled her dream of visiting all the Disney Parks worldwide. She decided to combine her passion for Disney with work, and is one of the few English speaking writers who cover events and happenings at the Disney Parks worldwide. Erin maintains an annual pass to Disney Parks around the world and visits each of the resorts at least once a year each — before Shanghai opened, she even visited all five in the same month!
While most Disney bloggers and writers are well-versed in the United States Disneyland and Walt Disney World cultures, Erin is more in tune with the Asian Parks. She spends most of her time at Tokyo Disney and Hong Kong Disneyland, attending multiple events throughout the year.
Disney Writing
Erin previously wrote for Examiner.com as their Worldwide Disney Parks Examiner and also had started her own blog, Disney Globetrotter. She's also written about Disney for TripSavvy, Viator, Roam Right Travel Insurance, Disney Trippers, and more. Her blog is currently being redesigned and should be relaunching soon.
Some of Erin's Disney pieces include:
- Roam Right Travel Insurance: 7 Not-To-Miss Attractions at Disneyland Paris
- AOL Gadling: Disneyland in Sand: Blankenberge Sand Sculpture Festival
- CNNGo: Dim Sum with a Magical Disney Touch
- TripSavvy: 10 Treats to Try at Tokyo Disney
- Roam Right Travel Insurance: Tips for Planning a Trip to Tokyo Disney Resort
Wine
Erin fell in love with wine as soon as she was legally old enough to drink, and immediately started learning more about the winemaking process and the varieties of wine on the market. She moved to Northern California in 2007 just to be closer to Napa and the surrounding wine countries there. Erin had hoped to attend UC Davis' winemaking program until she realized chemistry was a key component in the degree — a subject she absolutely struggles with. Instead of torturing herself with chemistry courses, she began volunteering in a tasting room on the weekends. The winemaker taught her a lot about wine and the winemaking process. Deep down, she still holds on to the dream of becoming a winemaker one day, but for now, she just drinks a lot of wine and writes about her experiences.
In February 2014, Erin received her Certified Specialist in Wine (CSW) Certification from the Society of Wine Educators. She is planning to study for the WSET courses in London soon as well. She's been asked several times why she does not sit for the sommelier exam, but aside from not being in one location long enough to complete the weekly course meetings, Erin prefers to focus more on the history and technical aspects of wine versus the service industry aspects.
Previously, Erin served as the Old World Wine Editor for Suite 101. She's written articles on wine on her culinary travel blog, Our Tasty Travels, as well as posts for other sites.
Published Wine Posts
The Discoverer
Feature on vineyard hotels you can stay at around the world.
Read now: Make Your Next Hotel Stay at a Vineyard
Trivago Magazine
Feature on some of the most luxurious wine country escapes in California for Trivago.
Roam Right Travel Insurance
One of my quarterly blog posts on wine regions you can visit in France.
Read now: Fun Wine Regions to Visit Around France
Erin's Belize Travels
From the moment Erin set foot in Belize back in 2005, she instantly fell in love with the country. She knew one day she'd eventually live there, and after years as a tourist making annual visits, she was able to fulfill her dream. For nearly 10 years, Erin called Ambergris Caye, Belize, her part time home. Until 2019, she was spending an average of six months per year on the island and specializes in content related to Belize.
In 2013, Erin authored the majority of Belize's official visitor magazine, Destination Belize.
She is AFAR Travel Magazine's local Belize Expert and authored the AFAR Guide to Belize. Erin has worked with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), even representing the country at a Crisis Management Tourism Media Workshop in Guatemala in 2013.
Utilizing her expertise gained while working on other tourism projects around the world, Erin has partnered with major Belize tourism brands and local media to help promote travel to Belize. She has spoken several times as an expert on blogging in Belize, including at Belize's First Tourism and Marketing Summit and TBEX Cancun, the world's largest conference for travel bloggers and new media specialists. Erin was also the keynote speaker for the Belize Hotel Association's Annual General Meeting in 2017. She has been cited as one of the "Top Belizean Brands to Follow on Twitter."
Lobsterfest Judge
Erin was invited to be a judge at Belize's biggest Lobsterfest celebration in San Pedro for numerous years. She has been involved in charity work on the island, including coordinating a "soup kitchen" event to benefit needy families in San Pedro, Belize.
Published Belize Work
Some of Erin's published works on Belize include:
Trivago Magazine
Feature on six of the best private islands and eco-tourism lodges in Belize for Trivago.
Read now: 6 Luxury Eco-Lodges and Private Island Resorts in Belize
- AFAR Travel Magazine: Official Online Guide to Belize
- BootsNAll (Belizelogue): Itinerary for 10 Days in Belize
- BootsNAll (Belizelogue): What to Eat in Belize: Famous Belizean Foods
- Roam Right Travel Insurance: 5 Not-To-Miss Outdoor Activities in Belize
- Art of Adventuring: Going Slow in Central America: Exploring Caye Caulker's "The Split" in Belize
- No Checked Bags: Belize's BETEX Tourism Conference: Gaining a New Respect for Travel Agents
- Our Tasty Travels Dining in Belize: Casa Picasso Offers Caye Coffee Experience
- Examiner: Red Carpet Premiere of Belize's First Telenovela
- Trivago: 6 Luxury Eco-Lodges and Private Island Resorts in Belize
In addition to her regular writing, look for Erin's new Belize website, Caye To Belize, to launch later this year.
Erin's Asia Travels
If you are in need of New Media content on destinations within Asia, Erin De Santiago was an expat for nearly four years in Taiwan. During her time abroad, she fell deeply in love with Taiwan and the Taiwanese culture. She also visited a number of other countries and established herself as an expert in areas like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. On average, Erin visited both Japan and Hong Kong 6-8 times each every year.
Despite no longer living in Asia, Erin still returns several times a year and writes for various publications on her favorite haunts. She was the English language editor for renowned international Taipei-based chef, Daniel Negreira's second cookbook, Discovering the Modern Chef. Chef Negreira hails from Spain where he trained under some of the culinary masters like Ferran Adria and now owns one of Taiwan's top restaurants, D.N. Innovacion. In addition, Erin is the expert for both Viator. com's Hong Kong and Taiwan "Things To Do" websites.
Erin's Asia photography from Taiwan and Thailand has been used multiple times by CNN. A photo from Taroko Gorge in Taiwan won Honorable Mention and 3rd place in the Readers Choice Awards for Islands Magazine in 2011. It was also later included in their round up of Islands Magazine 101 Best Reader Photos of All Time.
Examples of Erin's published works on Asia include:
- Art of Adventuring: Taiwanese Shaved Ice Desserts: Bao Bing and Xue Hua Bing
- Gadling (AOL Travel Blog): Coming Face to Face with History in Hiroshima
- Shangri-La Hotels Inner Circle Magazine: Tastes of Taipei
- Viator.com Things to Do Hong Kong: Mongkok District
- Viator.com Things to Do Taiwan: Taipei's Night Markets
Destinations in Asia that Erin has visited include:
- China
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Macau
- Malaysia
- North Korea
- Palau
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Erin's Europe Travels
After leaving Taiwan in 2012, Erin relocated to a small village in the Netherlands. Shortly thereafter Erin had the opportunity to finally live in Belize -- a destination she had hoped to move to for years -- and she now currently splits her time between Belize and the Netherlands. Erin has traveled extensively through parts of Europe and is especially fond of seeking out Michelin-starred restaurants and Old World wines. Some of her regular destinations include France, Germany, and Italy. She was invited to work on a special blogging project with Emilia Romagna Tourism in Italy wherein she traveled to the region multiple times and was even media for World Ducati Week in 2012. Erin writes for Roam Right Travel Insurance and some of her specialty areas include France and Germany. Some of her recent Europe travel pieces are:
- Roam Right Travel Insurance: Secret Parisian Hotels
- Art of Adventuring: Traditional Foods in Belgium: Liege versus Brussels Style Waffles
- Roam Right Travel Insurance: Beer Lover's Guide to Europe
Erin's Europe travels include:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City