Meet Elayne: Havana Club's Gap Year Semi Finalist!

As the perfect follow up to yesterday's e-book giveaway from Adam Shepherd (whose new book details his own gap year) I'm delighted to introduce you to Elayne, Malta's semi-finalist in Havana Club's Gap Year contest, which I featured here during GAP MONTH earlier this year.

Elayne is headed off to Cuba for the final contest challenge - make a video that represents what Havana is all about - and I had the chance to chat with her last week (over moijtos!) about her upcoming adventure.

I asked Elayne if she has any plans for her time in Cuba - she'll be there for over a week with the 33 other semi-finalists from around the world - and she replied, "I don't have enough days! I'm going skydiving, I'm going on to an island where I can go diving, and swim with dolphins." Sounds dreamy, doesn't it? And the craziest part is, it won't be her first time tumbling through the skies (brave woman!)! She has skydived before in Argentina, a fact that sparked a conversation about her past travels.

Elayne has a wonderful sense of adventure, having been to Argentina, all over Europe and the UK, Canada, and Thailand, seeing plenty of live music shows and festivals along the way (she's going to Glastonbury this year for the fourth time!)

If Elayne wins the Havana Club Gap Year contest she'll be heading off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world, hanging out with a DJ in Tokyo, a photographer in Buenos Aires, a chef in Melbourne, and an artist in Berlin. As Elayne says, "I would come back a different person, it would change me for sure." As all travel does.

And what's she most excited about? Travelling with a jazz band in Canada, of course!

I think it would be very cool if Elayne, a wonderfully independent and engaging woman from this tiny Mediterranean island, made it all the way to the top. Join me in wishing her the best of luck for her upcoming adventure!

- Jess