Klaudia Shabani is one of the most prominent rising stars on Instagram, who has been inspiring thousands of people to travel the world and do impossible for the last few years. She is exploring the real life of the destinations they visit together with her travel partner, sharing amazing pictures and videos from different corners of our planet.
Klaudia and Giovanni discover all sides of travelling – from living the local lifestyle, going on crazy adventures and admiring the wild nature, to staying in the finest luxury hotels and holiday villas. This is how we met these amazing guys – as they spent a few nights in the exquisite Villa Belle from the Koh Samui portfolio of Eats & Retreats.
We got so inspired by their story, that could not help but interview them and share these insights with you!
How did you decide to make this “leave your job and start traveling” step, what was the primary trigger?
At the end of my world tour I’ll be counting over 3 years of travel around the world, and when looking back at the triggers, everything is still clear and I can still see the same motivations.
When I decided to start travelling I was feeling a strong need of change and wanted to pursue something different, something that could make me feel alive, motivated and challenged, and that’s exactly what I’ve got along with a whole ton of other feelings and emotions.
At the same time, I wanted to find the way to combine my passion of travelling with my photography and videomaking skills, creating something new, a new exciting way of life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmveMIenek-/?taken-by=onlyfortravel
What are your favourite destinations so far? Why?
It’s difficult just to pick out one, but out of the 24 and counting countries I’ve visited, the ones I’ve loved the most are those where I’ve had the most significant experiences with people, where I’ve made friends and where I’ve had a genuine direct access to the lives of people that are totally different form me. Being completely different from what I’m used to, these people have welcomed me without asking anything in return. They just accepted me, no judging but just genuine smiles and friendship – first of all, in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and many other countries.
Did you have some crazy and funny experiences during your travels? What was the one that you remembered the most?
I have definitely tried crazy things that I wouldn’t have done back at home and I remember them all as if it were yesterday: I went paragliding in Nepal, I have jumped off crazily high 15m cliffs into the open water, I have sea walked in the ocean, visited some of the most beautiful wold wonders like Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat etc… I swam with sharks in Malaysia and got burned from one of the most poisonous Jellyfishes in Borneo.
I love animals and I have the tendency to pet them a lot but in certain countries looked like they didn’t really like me, so to say: In India I got attacked by cows and by a camel; In Nepal I’ve had some close encounters with monkeys, in Borneo I got over 20 jellyfish stings in a week one of which resulted in a serious burn over my whole thigh as I was mentioning before. Over all, this has all been a crazy experience that I would repeat all over again!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bntl7oMn9OQ/?taken-by=onlyfortravel
Apart from those crazy-fun adventures, what I will always remember is the feeling I had in certain places…It felt kind of familiar, as I had been there before or if I “weirdly” belonged there in a way, it’s really difficult to define this mix of emotions, but it’s definitely a positive thing.
What are your travel plans for the future? Do you have some dream destinations that are still on the list?
Yes, definitely!
My list is actually still very long and between the next destinations, there will certainly be a deep exploration of Indonesia, Maldives and the Philippines. The rest is yet to be decided, but I’ll be travelling for another year for sure – so, there are much more travel adventures upcoming!ç
Do you have your own list of World Wonders? Can you share it with us?
There are so many places I would love to visit, for really different reasons so what came up to my mind as soon as I read the questions was: The great wall of China!
I’d also like to go to so many places which aren’t famous for real-world wonders, but especially for their culture such as Japan. Maybe it will be a long trip and I hope to get to learn more about their culinary tradition as well.
The following ones have kind of always been in the back of my mind since forever: Polynesia and New Caledonia…as you can tell I have a thing for places with loads of history & culture or places with an amazing crystal clear sea and eternal sunny destinations.
Tell us about your experience at the Villa Belle and with Eats & Retreats in general
I’ve had a wonderful stay in there, Eats & Retreats provided me with the best option according to my needs and travel itinerary.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjfOL4NA3wN/?taken-by=onlyfortravel
Villa Belle is astonishing and definitely one of the most stylish ones I’ve ever seen in Asia!
What caught immediately my attention once there was the size of course, then I got in and saw all the furniture and that kind of modern style with some sort of ethnic twist, I fell in love immediately. I must admit that if my home looked like that, I would probably rarely leave it 😛
The view is one of the best that you can get in Koh Samui, where you can basically see the whole island and still enjoy your own privacy and peace.
