Erik R. Trinidad is preparing for an around-the-world journey starting in 2003. Ready to explore multiple continents and experience diverse cultures.
Snapshot
- Departure: 2003
- Duration: 1-2 years
- Age: 28
- Budget: USD 23,000 (USD 23,000, or USD 41,200 in 2026 dollars)
- Location: Metro New York City, New York, USA
- Occupation: Designer/editor-turned-travel-journalist
- Traveled before: Yes
The Route
NYCtoQuitothen overland for 4 months toRio de JaneiroandBuenos Aires. Side trip to Galapagos too. Then fly toCapetown, overland to Namibia, fly to Malawi, then overland toAddis Ababa. Fly toCairoand see theMiddle East, then off to Morrocco. Take the ferry into Spain, then overland toMoscowto hop on the Trans Siberian Railway. Arrive inBeijing, see the Wall, overland toShanghai, then fly to India. Overland to Nepal, then fly to Thailand and work my way down to Indonesia. Then the Philippines and New Zealand. Maybe Fiji afterwards if I have some money left.
In Their Words
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
It’s something that was always in the back of my mind, but after reading Paulo Coelho’sThe Alchemist, it was released from my mind and into reality.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Getting ripped off in a con. Snakes. Getting ripped off in a con by snakes.
What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Don’t treat guidebooks as Bibles. In all the advice and reading you’ll do in your pre-departure preparation, you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life, the Facts of Life (and Travel).
What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That you have to win the lottery to do so. All you have to do is save a little here a little there, by any means necessary and in a year or less, you’ll have enough to go one some sort of an RTW.
How do you think your round-the-world trip will change your life? How do you think it will affect and change you as a person?
I honestly cannot say how it will affect me, only that it most likely will. I can not predict the emotions of “2005 Erik,” just like “1999 Erik” would have NEVER predicted the actions of “2003 Erik.” If I went back in time and told myself five years ago that in 2003 I’d leave for my second time around the world, I’d say my future self was stoned.
What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
2-3 sets of clothes, a small digital camera, my trusty Canon AE-1 SLR, cotton swabs, and duct tape.
2026 Context
- European travel has become significantly more expensive, with accommodation and transport costs rising across the continent.
- Open borders within the Schengen area remain consistent, but Brexit has added complexity for UK travelers.
- Southeast Asia backpacker infrastructure has grown significantly, with better accommodation standards and higher prices than in the early 2000s.