It´s Semana Santa, the official Spring Break of Spain, and the perfect time to escape from the city and visit the travel destination you´ve been dreaming of. But lucky for all of you, I´m unable to get away from work for the week which means the Interview Series that I post on here each Tuesday continues! If you´re like me and stuck at home dreaming about travel you might enjoy today´s interview with Gian Luca who has turned his passion for travel into a full time career.
Tell us a little about yourself
Hi everyone! My name is Gian Luca and I come from Italy. Currently I’m living in Castelletto Cervo, a small town (800 people living) near the city of Biella, in northern Piedmont (northern Italy).
For a long time I worked in my family´s company which is based in metals (they trade tin and lead) and I still help them sometimes. With the rest of my time I work in PR and work in brands or tourism promotion for my own agency which is called Italia Blog Tour. I’m a full time travel blogger, so what was once just a hobby for travel has become my job and at the moment my favorite hobby is still to travel and discover the world.
I love nature and outdoor activities, but also to stay at home with my family, chatting and spending time together.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
My blog was born from a passion for travel. I loved talking to my friends about my trips and to
show them the pictures of those experiences. At that time I was married and used to travel a lot with my wife. When we divorced all my friends told me they missed hearing me tell my travel stories and adventures so I decided to start a site to share my travel pictures. My friends were not satisfied. The pictures were good, but they needed a story to be a good guide for people, so I began to write some suggestions and then to link different pictures with a short story, until I arrived at what is now Viaggia e Scopri (Travel and Discover).
Any tips for people who want to start their own blog?
The main suggestion I would give to someone who wants to start a blog is to definitely do it with a sense of passion. Writing a good blog is a lot of hard work, you have to love it to reach some sort of results, and even if you don’t want to do it professionally, it’s important that you transmit feelings and emotions through your words. Your blog is a part of you and you are unique, put yourself in your stories and you will stand out from all the other thousands of blogs.
What’s the most difficult part about traveling? What’s the best part?
This really depends on the person, but for me the most difficult part is to come back home. I´m a nomad at heart so I only feel really good when I travel, and if I have no particular destination in mind, I feel even better. The best part is the travel itself, I love to wake up in the morning and know that the only thing I have to do is to experience all the aspects of a place. I also don´t like to reserve accommodations in advance. I think this is a good way to get in touch with people and the best experiences I remember occurred while looking for a place to spend the night! I might be crazy, but having no plans makes me feel free!
What have you learned from traveling?
Travel has always been an important part of my life, but I didn´t used to travel the way I do now. Traveling alone has allowed me to get in touch with myself. I´ve been able to get to know myself better, to know my limits and sometime to try to break them. I´ve learned to have more confidence with myself, to be independent and my sensation of feeling free while traveling has increased over time.
What is your secret to keeping a positive attitude while traveling?
I think the real secret is to be curious, a good traveler have never to stop wondering about new places or new people or experiences. Every place have something good to discover and you only have to find the right way to find it!
What´s the best place you´ve ever traveled to?
This is the most difficult question for me because in reality I have beautiful memories from many places in the world. The best ones I think are from my trip to Thailand. This country really opened my heart. Every day there I could feel a strange energy flowing in my body, I really loved the northern part of the country, while I was doing trekking in the Doi Inthanon National Park, but also the lovely Phang Nga Bay, where I enjoyed a three day cruise alone with a guide piloting a long tail boat.
What advice do you have for people who are thinking about traveling, but are feeling doubtful?
In my opinion, I don´t think you should be afraid of traveling. The most important thing is to take the first step. Once you depart, the journey will start and everything will feel better and you´ll be full of excitement, in this way your fears will vanish. Of course, it´s important to have all of the essential things with you, but even if you don´t, just don´t lose your head and everything will be fine.
Thanks so much Gian Luca for sharing your passion for travel with us today! I know your stories have certainly motivated me to start planning for when I actually can escape from work!
Are you a travel blogger like Gian Luca? Or have you moved away from your own country and want to share with us how you´re making the most of your home away from home? If so, please send me a message so I can feature you on an upcoming interview!
