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ABOUT THIS OLD SCHOOL TRAVEL BLOG
WELCOME ERIK TRINIDAD’S OLD SCHOOL TRAVEL BLOG, chronicling his travels of over a decade, before the age of smartphones — that dark time in modern history when the Internet still ran on 56K modems that made staticky, phlegmy sounds, and social media addiction wasn’t a thing yet!
This travel blog is preserved here as a sort of time capsule, they way it was left in late 2014 when it retired, as it paved the way to further travel dispatches on Instagram, YouTube videos, and beyond. If you’re looking for Erik’s articles as a travel + food lifestyle journalist and video creator, check out ErikTrinidad.com.
If you’re looking to read the 2019 tale of Erik getting a tropical disease in the Arctic Circle, check out the unabridged version here.
BUT BEFORE ALL THAT, the acclaimed original Global Trip blog that started it all, “Sixteen Months Around the World (Or Until Money Runs Out, Whichever Comes First!)” included over 500 entries about Erik’s sixteen-and-a-half month journey around the world, which took him over 95,000 miles across thirty-seven countries on five continents between October 2003 and March 2005. Ultimately, his humorous yet informative travel narrative writing style garnered praised by RickSteves.com, Lonely Planet, and USA Today.
Each of Erik’s trip accounts below (including those that used to be hosted by other sites) have been archived here in chronological order for your desktop and armchair traveling pleasure. Ideally, each entry of each trip should be read in order, so that you can not only experience Erik’s insightful personal anecdotes from around the world, but get a feel for the evolution of his writing style and travel attitude over time.
Sixteen Months Around The World
October 2003 – March 2005
“The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World (Or Until Money Runs Out, Whichever Comes First!),” was originally hosted by BootsnAll.com. It contains over 500 entries that chronicled a trip around the world from October 2003 to March 2005, encompassing travel through thirty-seven countries in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was this blog that started it all, where Erik evolved and honed his style of travel blogging. (It starts to come into focus around the time he arrives in Africa.)
Trippin’ To Timbuktu
March – April 2006
“The Global Trip: Trippin’ To Timbuktu,” was originally hosted by Blogger.com. It contains eighteen travel dispatches that chronicled a trip through the West African nation of Mali from late March to early April 2006. As the journey transpires, it evolves into a story of mind games between Erik (known locally as “Doug”) and his questionable local guide Van — and his network of other “guides” — from the old pygmy villages of Dogon Country to the desert sands outside the legendary city of Timbuktu.
Tomatoes, Grease & Beer
August – September 2006
“The Global Trip: Tomatoes, Grease & Beer” was originally hosted by Blogger.com. It contains twenty-five entries that include Erik’s accounts at two world-renowned festivals: Valencia, Spain’s wild and sloppy La Tomatina tomato food fight, and Munich’s traditional and international celebration of beer, Oktoberfest. The two festivals are the book ends to a two-week jaunt through the Greek Islands, where Erik “lives his own myth” (as the Greek tourism slogan goes), going from island to island, getting into random adventures on the way like Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey.
Twisted
May – June 2007
On the road from Oklahoma to Kansas to Nebraska to South Dakota to Colorado to New Mexico to Texas, Erik travels through the heartland of America—a.k.a “Tornado Alley”—in search of tornadoes with the storm chasing team at Tempest Tours. The hi-jinks that ensue are chronicled in a nine-entry-long tale of lightning bolts (that strike twice or more in the same place!), tornadic funnels, kitschy roadside attractions, and a whole lot of beef jerky.
Two In The Boot And Beyond
June – July 2007
Erik and his fellow globetrotting girlfriend Stephanie rendezvous in Italy for a relaxing and romantic “fake honeymoon” through the boot-shaped country—and beyond, with jaunts through Croatia, Switzerland, and London. While this twelve-part blog concentrates more on the relationship between Erik and Steph, its descriptions and historical tidbits of the destinations they visit are written in signature Global Trip style.
The Central American Eviction Tour* (*with jaunt to Colombia)
November 2007 – January 2008
After getting evicted from his New York City apartment (by no fault of his own), Erik decides to skip the country before figuring out his next living situation—this time, traveling through Central America, with a jaunt to Bogota, Colombia for the Christmas holiday. It is a six-week journey of thirty-nine entries filled with new characters and new adventures—scuba diving in Belize, spelunking in Guatemala, surfing in El Salvador, rafting in Honduras, playing in Costa Rica, chilling out in Panama, and partying in Colombia and Nicaragua. It’s all fun and games until Erik gets shot in the stomach—but even that is fun too.
Holla! In The Holy Land
June 2009
Hailing from Jewish enclaves Teaneck, New Jersey and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Erik travels for two weeks in the Holy Land of Israel, with jaunts into Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian West Bank. Raised Catholic but deemed “J.B.A.” by his peers, he encounters many personalities along the way, resulting in a multi-perspective view of the state of affairs in the Middle East, including: a woman raised Catholic who is seriously considering conversion to Judaism; an American Jewish girl with Israeli citizenship who is anti-Zionist and pro-Palestine; a Christian fanatic who couldn’t believe the locals built their country “without believing in the Messiah”; a Palestinian cab driver who would still live in Israel even if there was a two-state solution; a Catholic priest-turned-fire marshal; a Jewish family who serves pork during Shabbat dinner; some friendly Bedouins; a Jewish-American ex-pat who made a living in Israel by providing “American service” since “Israeli service is no service”; a Jordanian tour guide that was desperate to shake off the stigma of his country in hopes for more tourism; and a Scottish woman who was completely oblivious to any political or religious tension in the region. These encounters (and many more) are all intertwined with desert trekking, surfing, horseback riding, and cycling, and collectively comprise one of Erik’s most interesting and thought-provoking blogged trips to date.
Chinese Leftovers And Other Asian Appetizers
April – May 2010
With an appetite for adventure, cultural immersion, and above all, local cuisine, Erik sets off on his second trip to the People’s Republic of China to explore the “leftover” highlights that he’d missed the first time: the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai and the mystical mountains of Huang Shan. Added to his two-and-a-half-week itinerary are jaunts to cities in the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea for brief introductory “appetizers” of their respective routines and cuisines—just enough to be hungry for more. Like Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern, Erik continues to push his limits of what he will put in his mouth, this time with silkworms and a squirming live octopus—creatures that get a sort of retribution when little fish nibble on Erik’s feet. In all, it is a chronicle of Asian life in the big city, mountain trekking amongst monkeys, scooter riding, a cute little puppy, and plenty of enticing “food porn” pictures to beguile the inner foodie in all of us.
Chill Out In Chile
December 2010 – January 2011
Leaving the cold winter of New York City behind, Erik journeys across the equator to South America’s summer in the thin country of Chile, for a three-part adventure of varied landscapes during the holiday season. First, he tours the central and coastal cities of Santiago, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, followed by a quick jaunt to the nearby wine region of Mendoza, Argentina. From there he travels to Torres del Paine National Park in southern Patagonia, a land of grand mountains, lakes, and glaciers. The two-and-a-half week trip concludes on the shores of Rapa Nui, more commonly known as Easter Island, where he rings in the New Year amongst the sacred moai. Along the way, he makes friends with strangers at airports, who lead him to a whole collective of other independent travelers—people who not only provide good company, but medical support, afro wigs, incessant witticism, and even a Christmas fruitcake.
Jive Turkey
June 2011
Starting in cosmopolitan metropolis of Istanbul, Erik journeys to the Eurasian country of Turkey. He is joined by his friend Jeff—a fellow Asian-American travel veteran—to explore centuries-old mosques and palaces, the local food scene, and other things from an ex-pat point-of-view with Erik’s ex-pat friends. The two seasoned travelers leave Istanbul for other quick jaunts in the country: the surreal moonscapes of Cappadoccia, and the beach towns on the Turkish Riviera along the Mediterranean. Although the duration of the trip is only nine days, Erik attempts to make the most of it through varied Turkish landscapes.
From Sea To Shining Sea
June – July 2011
Accompanying his longtime friend Cheryl — who is relocating from the east coast to California — Erik goes on a road trip across his home country, the United States of America. The two start from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Brooklyn’s Coney Island, and drive for two and a half weeks all the way to the sunny shores of the Pacific in California. Along the way, they take the “scenic route,” making a detour through many of the country’s well-known monuments and national parks: Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, Arches, and the Grand Canyon. They encounter bears, buffalo, and even Mormons on this grand tour of America — one which exposes them to subcultures they are unaccustomed to, as if traveling to a foreign country. In the end, what they see and experience is a tribute to America — from its people within to its great outdoors.
Monkeying Around
December 2011 – January 2012
Erik takes his assignment to write about gorilla trekking for Discovery.com, and evolves it into an 18-day journey to explore Uganda and Rwanda, two countries in eastern central Africa with rainforests known for their populations of chimpanzees and gorillas. What he comes to discover on this monkey tour is that both countries offer much more than just primates; there are opportunities for: one of Africa’s wildest whitewater rafting experiences on the Nile, safaris for elephants, buffalo, hippos, and white rhinos, insightful historical tours, mountain biking on a new lakeside trail — and even an encounter with African royalty.
Gone Europin’
August 2012
Erik heads back to Europe to visit friends in Berlin, Geneva, Aberdeen, and southern England for a couple of weeks, and takes in the scenery and sites along the way — including the nuclear physics research facilities at CERN, Scotland’s Highland Games, and even a kung-fu master who started to show off his moves at the legendary Stonehenge.
Cowboys, Duk-Duks, and Kiwis
June – July 2013
Ten years after The Global Trip blog began in 2003, Erik sets off for experiences in three countries. First, Canada, specifically Alberta for trekking in the Canadian Rockies, followed by attending the world-renowned Calgary Stampede rodeo festival. Then, for his first official assignment for National Geographic, he heads to Papua New Guinea for a taste of tribal culture, followed by a short R&R side trip to New Zealand (via Brisbane, Australia) to go snowboarding on South Island. (He finds it mediocre until he decides to do it via helicopter.)
‘Stan By Me
October 2014
Armed with Instagram and an international data plan, Erik takes on Central Asia as he travels through three of the “‘Stans.” During a long weekend in Kazakhstan, he explores the cosmopolitan city of Almaty and its surrounding mountains. Afterwards, he heads to Kyrgyzstan, where he encounters the locals — on horseback and on foot — in the villages of Lake Issyk-Köl, and the city of Osh. In Uzbekistan, he travels the modern way to sites on the Old Silk Road.
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ABOUT ERIK R. TRINIDAD
When he’s not making a living as an interactive/motion designer or playing with fast food, Erik R. Trinidad is a travel writer, blogger, video host and producer focusing on adventure and culinary content. His work has been featured on National Geographic Intelligent Travel, Adventure.com, Discovery.com, Saveur, Condé Nast Traveler, and 
Hyenas Laughed at Me and Now I Know Why, which also includes the work of Tim Cahill, Doug Lansky, Jennifer Leo and Rolf Potts. He has also referenced his travel experiences in his solo book, Fancy Fast Food: Ironic Recipes with No Bun Intended.
For over ten years, Erik has traveled to the seven continents of the world — from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo — with a curiosity for exotic foods and a thirst for adventure (and writing material). In his travels, he has been mugged at knifepoint in Cape Town, extorted by corrupt Russian police on the Trans-Siberian Railway, stranded in tornadic storms in the American midwest, and air-lifted off the Everest Trail by a helicopter that was thankfully paid for by his travel insurance. But it hasn’t been all fun; he has also donned a tuxedo amidst the penguins of Antarctica, paraded with Carnival-winning samba school Beija Flor in Rio, run for his life at Pamplona’s “Running of the Bulls,” cage-dived with great white sharks, gotten shot point-blank in the stomach in Colombia (while wearing a bulletproof jacket), and above all, encountered many people around the world, including some Peruvian musicians in Cuzco who learned and played “Y.M.C.A.” at his request. He loves the irony that, after everywhere he’s been, he has never been to Mexico.
Erik writes stories and news articles when he’s at his base camp in New York City, and continues his blog when he is on the road — provided he’s not occupied tracking down lost luggage.
Additional news/article clippings at ErikTrinidad.com.
See Erik talk about travel in an American Express ad:
Read about Erik in this feature article from Filipinas magazine by National Geographic Traveler Associate Editor Amy Alipio.