I’ve had the pleasure to catch up with the amazing storyteller Celinne da Costa who’ve just published the book “The Art of Being Human”. Here you can read some of her travel tips as well as what she has to say about her new book!
I just got my copy of the book as well, and look forward to read it! I will publish a book report when I’m done, but now, let’s get to know Celinne a bit more;
Who is Celinne da Costa?
Haha, what a loaded question! How about some fun facts:
– I am half Italian (born in Rome) and half Brazilian, and I grew up in the US for 15 years
– In 2016, I left my life in New York City to travel the world full-time
– I’ve traveled to 50+ countries and have no plans of stopping!
– In addition to travel, one of my biggest passions is writing. I do it every day :)
– I’m an avid believer that when you have a dream and make a decision to take action towards it every single day, you WILL manifest it into a reality
You can follow her Instagram here – Celinne Da Costa
What do you do for a living?
I get restless easily, so I like to work on a few projects at a time. My income primarily comes from brand storytelling coaching: I help passionate entrepreneurs create and share a powerful brand story, so they can develop a beautiful and effective marketing strategy and earn their audience’s loyalty.
I also write for several large publications (including Forbes, Intrepid, Rosetta Stone, and HuffPost) and also for myself. Lastly, I partner with brands – hotels, travel agencies, boards of tourism, and so on – to create content on my social media channels that authentically and uniquely brings their story to life.
Overall, I guess you could say I’m a professional storyteller!
You’ve just published your first book, can you tell us a bit more about the book?
Back in 2016, I quit my unfulfilling corporate New York City job, packed a carry-on, and set out to prove that I could circumnavigate the globe exclusively by staying with people with whom I shared a real human connection (friends, friends of friends, people I met on the road, etc). I deeply yearned to remember what it was really like to be human and to create meaningful connections with others, every single day.
The result? Astonishing 70+ hosts in 20+ countries across five continents opened their homes to me. Not only that, they fed, nurtured, encouraged, and advised me; during our time together, they shared with me their wisdom, dreams, fears, and deepest insecurities. By letting me into their homes and their hearts, these incredible humans helped me along my path and unlocked a love for humanity that I didn’t even know existed.
“The Art of Being Human” is a collection of short stories from this life-changing journey around the world – a journey that taught me that we are indeed capable of creating a life that we are proud of, and we don’t have to do it alone.
What is your goal with the book?
With this book, the goal was to get my writing out into the world as well as share some of the most special and insightful experiences from my travels around the world.
The message of the book is simple but powerful: humanity is good. No matter where I went, there were people who treated me with kindness, hospitality, and generosity. Yes, there are bad people in the world, but from my experience continuously putting my fate in the hands of strangers, evil is the exception and not the norm.
The hundreds of people I encountered around the world taught me that being human is an art, and this life is our canvas. My book attempts to capture a bit of that philosophy in a way that’s captivating and easy to read.
You’re an experienced traveler, could you share your number 1 travel tip?
Make friends with the locals! Traveling for me has always been about human connection. In addition to being an opportunity to make new friends, connecting with locals is the best way to discover spots that you may not even have known about.
I hardly organize my trips anymore: when I arrive to a place, I quickly chat with locals and pick their brain on where the best places to eat, sightseeing, and hang out are. I can’t tell you how many times they offered to take me somewhere cool and that I haven’t heard of, and the amazing experiences I had as a result!
What’s your favorite memory from your travels?
My best memories were always a result of meeting locals and going with the flow.
Off the top of my head, some highlights from the past year include:
– Meeting monks-in-training at a monastery in Mandalay, Myanmar. They offered to take me to this secret waterfall and cave about two hours away the next day. Oh my god, it was amazing! The waterfall was a milky turquoise color and the cave was the home of a man who had been meditating there for 40 years.
– Meeting a Tasmanian man at a meditation retreat in Kathmandu, Nepal. We met for all of 25 minutes, yet he invited me to come visit him in Tasmania when I eventually passed through. Six months later, my Tasmania host (also a stranger) and I drove 3 hours into the forest to go visit him at his farm!
– Meeting a local tour guide in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, who offered to show me around the city for free. He took me to this old school puppet-making shop, where I spent the afternoon discussing Javanese philosophy and the art of shadow puppets with a group of Indonesians. I still carry the lessons I learned that day with me.
Often, I had to “give up” my pre-made travel plans to go on these adventures, and it was worth it every single time.
Do you have a favorite country?
It’s too hard to pick just one :) I can give you my top 5: Italy, Morocco, Cuba, Nepal, and Myanmar.
A lot of my followers are aspiring influencers, travel bloggers and photographers trying to make it in a world where the competition gets more fierce for every day that goes by. Do you have any tips for them on how to become successful?
You hit the nail on the head – this influencer world has become too competitive. That’s why I don’t worry about being an influencer anymore; my focus is to create powerful, impactful contact, to pursue my passions, and build a business that will last even if Instagram disappeared tomorrow.
My followers come because they’re attracted to my stories and work, and not because I’m going after them.
My advice is: don’t worry about numbers. There will always be better writers, photographers, videographers, whatever. What makes you stand out is the quality of your work and even more, the passion and personality you breathe into it. Be your most authentic and unique self regardless of what anyone says.
Influence is a result of what you do. It can’t be fabricated, and if it is, it won’t be authentic or bring you joy.
Even though my following isn’t as massive as other people’s, I have a loyal and supportive tribe, I make a decent income, and I’m living the life I want. I think that’s what’s most important when it comes to success.
Where can we buy the book?
It’s available on Amazon in Kindle and print (Color and Black & White) versions.
You can purchase it here:
Kindle: http://bit.ly/TheArtofBeingHumanCelinne
Print: http://bit.ly/CelinneTheArtofBeingHuman (B&W)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/198184824X (Color)