Hey! I’m Trenton, a 25-year-old solo traveler and author of Trenton’s Travels, a blog documenting my experiences traveling to more than 50 countries and counting. Join me to learn more about how to travel the world without breaking the bank leveraging credit card points, airline miles, and unique opportunities available to youth.
What is Trenton’s Travels?
This blog has taken several forms over the years, beginning on Tumblr in 2015 to document my experiences as an exchange student in China, then becoming a travel blog to share stories of globetrotting with family and friends while a college student.
Now, Trenton’s Travels aims to help YOU learn my tips and tricks for how to travel the world on a budget by sharing my knowledge of travel loyalty programs, credit card rewards, travel hacks, and international destinations.
You would be quite surprised how far you can travel without needing to spend a dime. Your next adventure awaits…
Who is Trenton?
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Trenton moved to Washington, DC to attend American University’s School of International Service and currently works in the International Affairs field. Whenever he is not traveling, Trenton is usually seeing movies with friends, trying out new restaurants, or pursuing one of his many different side hustles.
5 Fun Facts About Trenton
- First Major International Trip: China
I was fortunate to take many cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada with my parents as a child, however, I consider my first major international trip to be when I went to China in 2015 as a high school student to be a foreign exchange students. I spent several months in Deyang, Sichuan Province where I attended school and lived with a host family as part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship program sponsored by the US Department of State. - First Solo Trip: Iceland
While a freshman in college, I took my first solo trip to Iceland on the now-defunct WOW Airlines because I found a nonstop deal from Baltimore to Reykjavik for only $199 roundtrip. Although Iceland is expensive, I was able to stay in hostels and eat my meals from grocery stores in order to swing the spring break trip on a budget. It was an incredible experience and I was able to meet many other travelers, and have had the travel bug ever since! - Earned My Master’s Degree Online…from a Chinese University!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I pursued my graduate studies at Tsinghua University – China’s top ranked academic institution and the #1 university in the entirety of Asia. Unfortunately due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions, I was never able to take classes in-person but have since met my thesis advisor and fellow classmates around the world or in DC. - Number of Languages Spoken: Three
I began learning Spanish in Middle School and have remained fluent thanks to frequent travel to Spanish-speaking countries and the consumption of Spanish language music and other media. Before studying abroad in China I only knew 你好 (ni hao), but afterwards became highly proficient and continued studying through college, ultimately pursuing a career which involves using my Chinese skills frequently. In fact, I share Chinese language travel content on platforms such as RED and Douyin (阅读更多)! - Dream Destination(s): Antarctica, Bhutan, Brazil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania
I would love to visit many more places in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East/Southwest Asia in the next few years! While I love traveling to Europe, I imagine that it may be more difficult for me to visit places that are a bit more ‘off the beaten path’ once I get older and therefore try to prioritize those first.