Esme Benjamin is a freelance writer, editor, and broadcaster based in New York City. Her editorial work—which covers travel, wellness, sex, and relationships (plus anything else that hooks her)—has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Elle, Condé Nast Traveler, The Wall Street Journal, AFAR, WIRED, The Washington Post, Fodor’s Travel, and Tripadvisor, as well as hospitality publications including Auberge Resorts Collection, Four Seasons Magazine, and Exclusive Resorts, and British titles such as Red, Grazia, and The Telegraph. Esme’s article about relationship therapy retreats was optioned for a scripted TV series, on which she is serving as consulting producer.
Esme is the former Editor-in-Chief of Full-Time Travel (a publication owned by North & Warren, an Inc 5000 company) and host of the podcast The Trip That Changed Me, featuring transformative travel stories from guests spanning writer/illustrator Mari Andrew, Chef Markus Samuelsson and former star of ABC’s The Bachelor Ben Higgins.
As the former wellness editor of Culture Trip, Esme started and developed the wellness vertical, exploring the healing traditions, rituals, and trends of cultures all over the world. It was there that she won a Muse Creative Award in the travel and tourism category. As an authority on wellness culture and travel, Esme was invited to contribute a section on managing mental health while abroad for the 2022 book Wanderess: The Unearth Women Guide to Traveling Smart Solo and Safe.
On top of editorial work, Esme also writes commerce stories for Byrdie, InStyle, People, and Glamour, and marketing copy for big names including ClassPass, Under Armour, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can find a selection of her work below.