About Claudia
My first trip to South America was in 1998 and I spent nine months exploring Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. I loved it so much that I decided to stay and live in Peru, where I stayed for 14 years, living in Cuzco and Lima. During that time, I have travelled extensively within the country and visited many other South American countries, such as Chile and Argentina, and decided to take a long trip to Mexico and Guatemala so I could get the Central America experience. In 2015, after living in Colombia for half a year, I joined the Shore Excursions Team of a renowned luxury cruise company and was able to travel around the world. I revisited many Latin American Countries and got to know new ones such as Panama, Costa Rica, Uruguay and even Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. My most recent South American adventure took me to Ecuador and a luxury cruise through the Galapagos Islands – a trip of a lifetime. Travel is my passion, is what makes me happy, and what better way to live than to do what you love for a living and enable others to enjoy destinations and present them the sights, colours and sounds of this magnificent and diverse area of the World?
Talking Points
What is your favourite destination?
I absolutely love Peru: mountain ranges, jungles, colonial towns, typical villages, a vibrant and modern capital city, beautiful beaches and vast deserts... the contrasts are incredible. It’s rich in history, archaeology, gastronomy, scenery, and wildlife – Peru has it all.
Which destination is top of your bucket list, & why?
The “Route of Emotions” in Northern Brazil,which takes in some of the country's most breathtaking and little-known landscapes. This is a fabulous trip that starts at São Luís, a UNESCO World Heritage site with buildings of great historical and artistic value, and then takes you on a 4x4 road trip through expanses of white sand dunes with crystal-clear lagoons between them, called “Lençóis Maranhenses”, ending in Jericoacoara Beach, an off-the-beaten track beach paradise. This is the perfect combination of history, landscape and adventure, through a still relatively unknown part of the world.
How many languages do you speak?
Four
Which five items do you always pack when travelling?
The only essential items are my Passport and my Phone; I can always get most things I may need while travelling.
What's your top travel tip?
Embrace the culture, adjust to the local’s pace, be patient, pack your sense of humour, and try the local gastronomy.