VIDEOS
Is It Cold Enough to Turn Boiling Water into Snow?
Erik journeys through the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada on a dogsledding expedition with outfitter Aventuraid. The weather is so cold during the five days that curiosities arose on weather or not boiling water could freeze in the air. (Read more about this video on Erik’s article on National Geographic Intelligent Travel.)
ARTICLES
Of Dogs and Men, At Thirty Below
Gore-Tex presents Experience More, January 2016
Learning how to dogsled like the old mushers of Quebec, isn’t as easy as it seems. (Gore-Tex presents Experience More, January 2016)
Sourtoe Cocktail: A boozy challenge involving human remains
Adventure.com, April 2017
In the historic gold mining city of Dawson in the Canada’s Yukon, a particular drinking challenge involves a severed human toe. (Adventure.com, April 2017)
5 Best Places to Go Heli-skiing
Furthermore from Equinox, March 2017
A round-up of the best places to find powder via helicopter. (Furthermore from Equinox, March 2017)
Discovering Banff’s Next Door Neighbor
Gore-Tex presents Experience More, August 2015
Outside the popular Banff National Park, there are still spectacular sights and trails nearby. (Gore-Tex presents Experience More, August 2015)
To Mush or Not to Mush: Dogsledding in Québec
National Geographic Travel, December 2014
A narrative of dogsledding in the boreal forest of the Québec, Canada. (National Geographic Intelligent Travel, December 2014)
Heli-Skiing 101
National Geographic Travel, March 2014
A narrative of heli-skiing in the Bugaboos Range of the Canadian Rockies — from a non-experienced skier. (National Geographic Intelligent Travel, March 2014)
Making My Way Through Saguenay
National Geographic Travel, November 2013
A travel narrative about traveling through the Saguenay Fjord, and the culture of the locals found within. (National Geographic Intelligent Travel, November 2013)
Coffee Crisp and Panorama Cars: Riding and Dining Through the Canadian Rockies
Saveur , September 2012
An article about riding through the Canadian Rockies from Vancouver to Edmonton via rail — eating, drinking, and meeting friendly Canadians along the way. (Saveur, September 2012)
Pretty In Pink
Travelers' Tales The Flying Carpet Editor's Choice, August 2003
At Montreal’s annual “Just For Laughs” comedy festival, slipping into a bra in public for comic value isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
ENTRIES FROM THE GLOBAL TRIP BLOG CHRONICLES
Our Greatest Ally
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 02, 2005
DAY 495: In a stirring post-Nine Eleven speech that was obviously written for him because I sure as hell know he didn’t write it himself, U.S. President George W. Bush once ended a sentence with the words, “...our greatest ally, Great Britain.” While historically speaking that may be true (except for that whole little American Revolution thing), I beg to differ (yet again) with the American President. Based on my experience on my trip around the world, “our greatest ally” is not the UK but Canada, the U.S.A.‘s friendly neighbor to the north.
The Canadian Identity
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 07, 2005
DAY 496: According to a factoid I read, the border between the U.S.A. and Canada is the world’s largest undefended border, at about 5,500 miles long. This is because Canada, at least to the American majority, is no real threat, almost a counterpart of America anyway — it’s been called by some, “America’s Little Brother” and “America’s Biggest Suburb.” To quote a line from the song “Blame Canada” from the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, “They’re not even a real country anyway.”
The Ultimate College Experience
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 08, 2005
DAY 497: “This is probably the Vancouver experience,” David Sebastian said as we got ready for the activity of the day. The activity at hand was the quintessential Vancouver sport of Ultimate, a.k.a. Frisbee Football, where each of two teams advances a plastic disc towards its end zone in hopes that Janet Jackson’s boob will pop out at half-time.
The Island
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 10, 2005
DAY 498: One of Canada’s tourism slogans is “Discover our true nature,” a pun that I think is quite clever, even by American standards. The slogan brings attention to the fact that the main attraction in Canada is its countryside, a magnificent landscape of rivers and mountains and honking Canadian geese. It is this nature that spawns the stereotypical Canadian image of guys ice fishing while wearing floppy ear flap hats and discussing hockey as a moose walks by. (I know I’m not the only one who has this image.)
Worried At Whistler
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 12, 2005
DAY 499 (Part 1): Vancouver is a great city for outdoorsy-types as there are plenty of outdoor activities in and around town, from sailing to Ultimate. While sailing a boat and tossing a Frisbee around are good fun, they weren’t what brought me to Vancouver. What did that (other than the chance to visit friends) was snowboarding.
Home Is Where The Nettles Are
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 12, 2005
DAY 499 (Part 2): People ask me if I get homesick being on the road for so long. “Yeah, in the beginning I was, but after a while you just sort of get used to it,” is my usual response. Traveling from place to place like a vagabond just becomes your norm and it doesn’t phase you.
“Where do you live?” some would ask me.
“Well, I got rid of my apartment, so I don’t really live anywhere. I live out of a bag at the hostel.”
“Don’t you miss your friends at home?”
“Nah, most of my friends are on-line, so I talk to them all the time,” I said. True; my virtual self never left, and being on-line with people at home had been the constant that had kept me sane on the road. “Home is where the internet is,” I’d say.
Old School?
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 13, 2005
DAY 500: “Staying here is sort of like the movie Old School for me,” I told Aviv at the three bedroom Kitsilano apartment of University of British Columbia (UBC) undergrads he shared with David Sebastian and Adam. I was of course referring to the 2003 Todd Phillips contemporary comedy classic film starring Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell as thirty-somethings who, in their Thirties Mid-Life Crisis, decide to open a community-wide fraternity so that they might re-live their wild college days of beer funnel parties and streaking nude across the quad and to the gymnasium.
Preparing For Re-Entry
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 13, 2005
DAY 501: “[I have an early class tomorrow, so I probably won’t have a chance to say goodbye,]” Aviv told me the night before I crashed in the living room couch (instead of David Sebastian’s room where he’d be up all night writing a lab report).
“[Just wake me up, so I can say goodbye,]” I told him.
That morning, he slipped away without waking me, leaving a note instead, which I replied to underneath. It was a hard copy goodbye, for I would be out of the house and out of their lives (at least for the time being) before the day was over.
Adventures In Homeland Security
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted March 15, 2005
DAY 502 (Part 1; 501 days since last U.S.A. entry): Although the category for this Blog entry is “U.S.A.”, our story begins in Toronto, Canada, which is okay I guess, considering it was there that I had to clear U.S. Immigration and Customs formalities before my “domestic” connecting flight into the States. As much as Canadians hate to hear it, Toronto is pretty much an American city anyway (just with funny accents); in fact, it’s the ranked the second busiest American port of entry (after Miami) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Northern Hospitality After The Floodapocalypse
Posted June 29, 2013
PART 1 (DAYS 1-4): “Get ready to be killed with kindness,” Leigh-Anne said as she picked up from the airport, referring to the Canadian reputation of being amongst the nicest people on earth. “And I don’t mean that southern bitchy kindness.”
The Wows of Canada Day
Posted July 07, 2013
PART 2 (DAYS 4-5): “BAM!” Leigh-Anne proclaimed as we drove around a bend on the highway to reveal the Canadian Rockies, less than an hour from downtown Calgary. “This is the best part of living in Calgary. Being close to this.”
“Now I know why they call it *BAN*ff!” I said.
Language of the Valley
Posted July 09, 2013
PART 3 (DAYS 5-8): “Wait, I haven’t nut myself yet,” I informed Leigh-Anne in the morning, in a very Arrested Development Tobias Fünke way. We were not in the sleeping quarters as you might think, but in the kitchen, where I had not yet put a spoonful of peanut butter in my bowl.
Breakfast was pretty genius. It was Leigh-Anne’s idea to make a camp version of satay noodles by simply making an instant ramen noodle pack with hot water, adding in its flavor and spicy oil pack, and then adding in a spoonful of peanut butter. Not only did it taste good, but it gave us an extra boost of protein and calories in the morning, before a day of hiking.
Hell or High Water
Posted July 09, 2013
PART 4 (DAYS 8-11): “How’s this look?” I asked Leigh-Anne, trying on a white cowboy hat in the Lammle’s concession store in Stampede Park, grounds of the Calgary Stampede festival. When you’re at one of the world’s biggest celebrations of western heritage, the least you can do is put on full-brimmed cowboy headwear.
“Uh, you look like someone who’s going to Stampede,” Leigh-Anne admitted.
“Good,” I said. “That’s the look I was going for.”
The Rodeo Within A Rodeo
Posted July 09, 2013
PART 5 (DAYS 10-11): “I can tell you’re not from around here either, because you don’t have cowboy boots,” I told the friendly stranger in line next to me, wearing sneakers.
“I’m from Montreal,” he admitted.
The Québécois city slicker and I, along with Leigh-Anne and hundreds of others, were lining up for burgers at the free barbecue of the Dogie Do Rodeo, at the ranch of the local Shriner’s Club on the outskirts of downtown Calgary. It was by far Leigh-Anne’s favorite part of Calgary Stampede, a sort of rodeo within a rodeo, and not just because it has an open bar for twelve hours.
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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.