Erik R. Trinidad – Around-the-World Traveler

Erik R. Trinidad is a 28-year-old designer/editor-turned-travel-journalist from Metro New York City, USA, who set off on an around-the-world trip in 2003.

The Snapshot

• Departure: 2003
• Age at departure: 28
• Nationality: USA
• Location: Metro New York City, New York, USA
• Duration: 1-2 years
• Occupation: Designer/editor-turned-travel-journalist
• Original budget: USD 23,000 (approximately USD 41,200 in 2026 dollars)
• Regions: South America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania

The Route

NYC to Quito, then overland for 4 months to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, with a side trip to the Galapagos. Then fly to Cape Town, overland to Namibia, fly to Malawi, and overland to Addis Ababa. Fly to Cairo and see the Middle East, then off to Morocco, taking the ferry into Spain and overland to Moscow to hop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Arrive in Beijing, see the Wall, overland to Shanghai, then fly to India. Overland to Nepal, then fly to Thailand and work down to Indonesia. Then the Philippines and New Zealand, and maybe Fiji afterwards if there is money left.

In Their Words

Here's what Erik R. Trinidad shared about their RTW journey:

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’s The 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 on 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

• Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of USD 23,000 would equate to approximately USD 41,200 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 79% inflation over the intervening years.