We’ve traveled the world for nearly eight years, but we’re notoriously bad at planning. We tend to leave everything until the last minute, whether it’s booking accommodation, deciding on our next city, or even choosing our next country. This last-minute approach can be stressful and pricey, but we love the spontaneity it brings.
While in our hotel room in Florence, with only six days left in Italy and no further plans for our European adventure, we felt the usual panic of last-minute planning. After enduring freezing temperatures in Macedonia, endless rain in Croatia and Montenegro, and chilly evenings in Rome, Florence, and Venice, we craved a change. The tropical traveler in us wanted sunshine.
We toyed with the idea of heading to Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia’s islands. Yes, we were ready to travel almost 12,000 kilometers for sun and beaches! But after some reflection, we decided we didn’t need to go that far to find sunny weather. Instead, we just needed to go 1,000 kilometers south to Malta.
If you haven’t heard of Malta, you’re not alone; we felt the same before planning our trip there. Malta consists of three islands—Malta, Gozo, and Comino—surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. It’s south of Sicily, north of Libya, and east of Tunisia and boasts a fantastic year-round climate with around 300 days of sun.
Malta has a rich cultural history, incredible architecture, and a fascinating mix of influences, including a long British occupation, which means English is widely spoken along with Maltese. You can even find red phone boxes and fish and chips! Water activities are abundant, featuring world-class scuba diving, island hopping, sailing, and kayaking.
We knew Malta was the perfect spot for our temporary home. Despite knowing little about Malta, we booked Ryan Air flights from Rome and rented an apartment in an area we knew next to nothing about. This mysterious place became our home for the next two months.
Our apartment, rented online, might be pricier than past stays, but it’s spacious and bright. It features traditional tiles, a Maltese balcony, a huge bathroom with a bathtub and laundry machine, comfy couches, familiar TV channels, ample closet space, and a deck for drying clothes. As backpackers, having a laundry machine and place to hang clothes is a big deal!
We’ve made the apartment our own, even buying some herbs to brighten the space. Cooking meals at home has been a joy, especially after indulging in Italian cuisine. We live in Sliema, a bustling part of the island well-connected to everything. We’re steps from the ferry to Valletta, major bus stops, a huge supermarket, restaurants, bars, fruit and vegetable vendors, and fish stores. The sea is just a short walk away, offering stunning views of Valletta’s UNESCO-listed skyline and a lovely seaside promenade for evening strolls with gelato.
We’ve found great spots for sunsets, sunbathing, and “rock walks” that start from our apartment, circle past colorful balconies, through the beautiful Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and down to the rocky shore with beautiful man-made swimming holes created by the English in the 1600s.
Incredibly, we’ve been in Malta for almost two months now. Our time has been filled with exciting activities, exploring all three islands, and catching up on work. We’ve visited wineries, explored underground tombs, walked through the countryside, enjoyed delicious food, met wonderful people, and experienced traditional dancing, symphonies, fireworks festivals, and historic cities. Malta has it all.
Our favorite part has been making new friends, especially locals like Michelle and Nikki. They’ve shown us parts of the island only locals know and even took us to a BBQ party in a cave. How cool is that?
Choosing to live in Malta was absolutely the best decision for us. We’ve been genuinely happy here and are excited to share all about this amazing island with you. So far, we’ve made four videos and plan to write many articles in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
