Sometimes travel is just such a passion you will move heaven and earth to do it. For Italian Claudia Tavani she knew from a very young age that she needed to do it as much as she could.

Born on the island of Sardinia, Claudia developed a love of travel with trips growing up with her family. She eventually left school to study and soon became entrenched in the world of academia, getting her Phd and marking papers as a means of earning in livelihood in the hallowed halls of England and Italy.

But she became increasingly frustrated with life as an academic and embarked on a backpacking trip through South America where she discovered the world of travel blogging during a conversation with a fellow traveler.

Two years on and she has committed wholeheartedly to a life of travel using her home in Sardinia as a base. No more academia for her!

You can follow Claudias story and her travel planning business at her website http://www.myadventuresacrosstheworld.com

What I learned from speaking with Claudia:

1. Cuba is an enticing country when you get to know it. It still has much of its original flavor but don’t leave it too long before visiting as it will slowly change as most other places found by tourists do.
2. Nicaragua has again been mentioned. It is one of Claudia’s favorite spots and is fast developing a reputation as an expat haven. Its history is well behind it and the future looks exciting for this Central American country.
3. Don’t feel because you’ve invested a lot of time and energy in your qualifications that you must devote the rest of your life to it. Much like Brendan Lee Claudia knew her education wasn’t where her heart was but she’s not afraid to take a risk to do what she loves.

Be a patient traveler. Much of Central America needs a lot of patience, but if you relax and just go with it you may find a better person coming out the other end