—It’s a topic that I talked about in therapy, I used to get very excited about something, I would work to get to a certain point and, when I felt satisfied, I would abandon it. In therapy I learned to build, get excited and everything, but give it a cool closure or leave what I had generated working so as not to destroy everything I had worked on.
-Completely. I finished school knowing that I wanted to study journalism. When they called me for ‘Chiquititas’, I said yes, not because I wanted to act, but because I said ‘how do I get to a television channel and have someone get me a place on a news show?’. I went to that test and ended up being in that Argentine series. For more than 10 years I was working on different novels and at the same time learning the craft of communication.
Coco Maggio about Peru: “It has unique landscapes, but it hurts me that nature is so mistreated.” Photo: Jeremias Querevalu/La República
—If journalism really was your great passion, don’t you think it took you a while to exercise it?
-Could be. The reality is that I really liked working on novels, it went well for me and I let myself be carried away by the situations. It’s like when I arrived in Peru; I came for a year and it’s been eight.
—First you left acting, then television. Is it easy to let go of things?
—When I started the Cocotrip blog, I wanted to do a travel program on television. At that time I was doing a soap opera on América Televisión. When I saw the effort and time it took me to make 30 or 40 minutes of content for an airslot, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do both. I also realized—and it’s not a secret—that TV ratings were in the doldrums.
—Have you already seen it?
—No, but I said ‘why am I going crazy to do something on television if everything is moving to the internet?’ I took advantage of the platform of YouTube, Facebook and all social networks to fulfill that idea and, unintentionally, that became important and I found myself 100% dedicated to my blog.
Coco Maggio and her passion for travel
—Did something happen in your life to make you become a traveler?
—I’ve been traveling since I can remember. When I was 8 years old I made my first important trip with my dad to the United States and he bought a film camera with a VHS cassette. I spent the entire trip with the camera in my hand and playing on television. And then I started taking my trips, I printed all the photos and made physical travel albums.
—Some travel to take a nice photo, what is your sense of traveling?
—It is something that I was passionate about long before social networks. I have always liked traveling and being able to document. I am not one of those who travels just for a photo, I like to enjoy and get to know cultures in depth; but it is also part of my job to show it on social networks.
—At 41 years old and with several destinations under your belt, have you achieved a special connection with nature?
—Yes, and it was something that increased since I started the blog in Peru, which has unique landscapes. I continue traveling through Peru and I never cease to be surprised by the things there are, but I am also surprised by the mistreatment of nature. One of the pillars of my blog is to try to communicate environmental awareness and care for nature.
—What is it that upsets you?
—Seeing that nature is so magical and so mistreated, it hurts me. I try, from my humble place, to contribute a grain of sand and try to leave the places better than we found them.
—What was your most difficult experience during a trip?
—I imagined it was hard, but it was terrible when—in 2021—I wanted to make a video climbing the highest mountain in Peru, Huascarán, which is more than 6,700 meters high. Víctor Rímac, who is a mountaineer from Huaraz and who has climbed Everest, called me to carry a 200-meter-long flag alluding to the Bicentennial. There were 60 of us, but it was difficult to load it. I didn’t reach the summit, but it was beautiful to have been on that expedition with professional mountaineers. An unforgettable memory.
—Would you repeat that experience again?
—I would say no, but if you motivate me, I say ‘let’s go.’ The topic of walks gives me mixed feelings. They are really hard, but when you get there, it makes it all worth it. And over time that adventure becomes more valuable.
—And your best experience?
—I went to Gocta two days after an earthquake that occurred two years ago. I had everything planned to go there because I wanted to finish touring the 24 departments of Peru. Amazonas was my last department. Promperú told me not to go, but the local people tell me ‘Coco, please come, because they are terrorizing the people, and the truth is that there is a way to come.’ I took a flight to Tarapoto, rented a car, drove 6 hours and arrived. No one from the Government had taken the trouble to go to the area to see if it really was impossible to leave. So, I try—as a communicator—to support tourism.
—It is a slap in the face for many that you, as an Argentine, know the 24 departments and some Peruvians prefer abroad.
—I am very proud to have known all of Peru and it is worth every effort, every second and every penny invested in doing so; But I think that is changing a little: Peruvians are traveling much more through Peru and they are valuing more the country they have or that we have, because I am also part of it.
—Could you go a year without traveling?
—No, I haven’t traveled for a month and I get nervous. My wife tells me ‘go somewhere, I can’t take it anymore’ (laughs).
—If you become a dad, would that prevent you from traveling?
—There is a traveler named Arturo Bullard, a Peruvian photographer who is a kind of inspiration because he has two young children and he takes them everywhere. I’m going to follow his familiar format. If we ever have children, we will adapt. We have to find a way because traveling enriches people a lot, it opens our minds, it fills us with knowledge, even as much as studying. Traveling changed my life and I would like my children to also have that opportunity.
—Any distant place you want to visit?
—I have a dream that I am not going to fulfill: to know all the countries in the world. All the destinations are interesting, but, if they give me a ticket, I would go to Cocos Island (Costa Rica), a place in the middle of the Atlantic that is an uninhabited nature reserve. To get there, you have to take more than 8 hours by boat. It is very expensive, but it is a paradise. You can dive with hammerhead sharks and have spectacular marine fauna. I would also like to visit Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Coco Maggio and her link with Peru
—Between good and bad things, is Peru a good option to live?
-Yeah. I arrived to host ‘Combate’, I wrote a novel, I started the blog, I ended up getting married. It wasn’t planned, but it’s a place where I feel very comfortable. It is a place where those who have the desire and really make an effort can do well. There are good opportunities. And, for those of us who like to travel, it is a paradise.
—What customs have you adopted?
—When I arrived in Peru, I didn’t eat fish, now I eat ceviche three times a week.
—What surprises you most about us?
—I love Peruvians for their hospitality, kindness, and the chancones they are for some things. Also It surprises me that a little self-love is missing. Look at what you have, enjoy it and take care of it! I see some very mistreated places and it makes me very sad. I would like more people to realize that not all countries are lucky enough to have the riches that are here and that, if we do not take care of them, we are going to ruin them completely.
—Have you gotten used to the traffic in Lima yet?
-No. It is an evil that we suffer, we all complain, but no one does anything. We keep honking, it’s the jungle. The traffic is really terrible.
—Have you gotten into a fight during traffic?
—Who hasn’t gotten into a fight in traffic? I’d lie. It gives me bad blood, but, well, I’m lucky to live in Punta Hermosa, which is much quieter.
-What is your next project?
—After so much time traveling through Peru and the knowledge that having traveled so much has given me, I am producing a documentary that is one of the most important projects of my life. I want to show the best of Peru and try to raise some awareness of care and respect for nature.
—When will it be ready and where would you like to project it?
—I’ve already started recording. I would like to have it ready by September or October, and I would love for the premiere to be in the cinema. I hope it comes true. We are putting a lot of work and effort into making the most beautiful documentary ever made in Peru.
—And would you like to write a book?
—I would like to, but I don’t know how to do it.
