Name
Kelly Schembri
Age
24
Occupation
Singer/model
My best holiday ever…
It has to be my girly trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We spent five days in Vegas and five days in LA.
We arrived in Vegas in the evening and ended up going toJermaine Dupri’s birthday bash on our first night.
I loved everything about the city. The shopping was fantastic and the shows were great – we went to see Cirque du Soleil and it was brilliant.
We went to some really good restaurants before partying the night away in some superb clubs where we were treated so well.
Everyone in Vegas was so polite and ready to help. There was even a man who held my hand from the top to the bottom of the stairs in one of the clubs we went to.
LA was very laid-back and chilled after all the partying in Vegas, and it felt so good to unwind. We went to some very good restaurants there too, and also visited the Comedy Store, which was hilarious as we got picked on all night.
We also went to a great club and did lots of shopping.
I would never return to…
There isn’t one place I’ve been to that I would never visit again. I really appreciate every place I have been blessed enough to visit; in fact would love to visit all the places I’ve been to again and again.
The most dangerous place I’ve visited…
I think places like London, New York and LA all have their safe areas and their not-so-safe areas.
You have to be very careful and streetwise wherever you go, although I’ve never really felt particularly unsafe wherever I’ve been.
Having said that, when I was in LA the girls and I thought we would go to see an LA Lakers warm-up game taking place just outside the city and we decided to use thesubway system.
The closer we got to our destination, the rougher the people on the train started getting. When we were almost there a guy said to us: “You’re not getting off here are you?” He explained that there was no taxi service and the town was full of gangs.
We then got off at a different stop where there was a cab station. We ended up missing the game and going back to a restaurant close to our hotel.
The subway in New York is just as rough. I’ve had a few crazy experiences in London too: I’ve had somebody indecently exposing himself to me on an empty train, I’ve had stalkers, I’ve been followed home and I’ve even had my drink spiked.
Luckily I know never to go anywhere alone so I’ve always had my friends to help get me out of any sticky situations, but it has made me a lot more aware of my surroundings. I still don’t feel that any of the places I have visited would be classed as dangerous though – you have to be alert wherever you go.
My favourite city…
I really love Las Vegas, but I would have to say London is my favourite city because I’ve spent a lot of time there and I have a lot of friends and memories.
I’ve also had a lot of struggles there but it has taught me a lot and I’ve become a much stronger person for it. Being in London has also opened a lot of doors for me and I think it’s the perfect place to be for the industry I’m in.
I love the city, the nightlife, the shopping, the coffee shops and restaurants. I love the fact thatLondon is so multi-cultural and full of interesting people and exciting things to do.
Visiting other cities has actually made me appreciate London a lot more than I did before and although sometimes I have a love/hate relationship with it, it really is my second home and always will be.
My most memorable experience on an aircraft…
Unfortunately my most memorable experiences on aircrafts all involve me being sick. I was coming home from a friend’s wedding recently rather worse for wear and I was extremely ill throughout the whole journey, while my friend was taking photos of me and my sick bag – not a good look!
My most treasured holiday souvenir…
A really beautiful George Cross made from glass that I got from Mdina while on holiday in Malta. It’s actually a fridge magnet, but it really is beautiful and reminds me of home.
I also like to get an ‘I Love ...’ hoodie from whenever I go abroad. I’ve got an ‘I love LA’ and an ‘I love New York’ one but from now on I want to get one from every place I visit as they’re so comfy.
My biggest gaffe abroad…
On our first day in Vegas I was stopped in the street by a man selling passes to clubs. Although I was a tad suspicious, he sold me VIP passes to all the clubs for around $20. I soon discovered that you could get the passes he sold me anywhere for free.
The friendliest people…
I would definitely have to say the people in Las Vegas were the friendliest. It’s a place where people want to entertain you and want you to have a good time. Even people in the shops during the daytime were so polite and friendly. They would advise us where to go, where not to go... everything.
I never travel without...
My soap bag containing all my make-up, face wash, toothbrush and so on.
The taxi ride I will never forget…
It was a limo ride, to be precise. I went to Amsterdam earlier this year for a girly hen party for one of my close friends. When we arrived we were expecting a limo to pick us up from the airport and take us to the apartments we were staying in.
Once outside the airport we came across what we thought was some kind of historic landmark. It was a massive, ancient-looking truck with heavy techno music, flashing green lights and lots of smoke blaring from it.
You can imagine how shocked we were to find out this was the ‘limo’ we had paid for. There wasn’t enough room for all of us and our suitcases, so the woman from the agency sat in the front seat on top of a bunch of our cases with her legs on the dashboard.
Even when we asked them to turn the smoke machine off, there was still heaps of smoke coming out of the seats. Luckily, we all saw the funny side.
My all-time favourite holiday photo...
A snap of a girly pile-up in our hotel’s reception after a night out in LA.
An unforgettable hotel...
After a while they all blend into one. Maybe that’s because I never spend much time in the actual hotel when I’m on holiday.
I return most often to...
Malta. It’s my home and my family and close friends are all in Malta. I come back as often as I can. I think I’ve already been back four or five times this year.
My ideal travel companion...
I like to travel with either my close girl friends or my family. My ideal travel buddy would be good at planning, as I like to go with the flow.
Country with the best cuisine...
I’m such a food lover so it’s hard to pick. I loved the food hall in Amsterdam. It had fresh fruit smoothies, fresh salads and vegetables so I ate really healthily while I was there. It had everything you could think of – pastries, meats, pastas, pizzas, bread... and it was all fresh and made in front of you.
I also loved the food in Vegas. One night after a great meal, the restaurant owner brought us over complimentary dessert. It was coconut ice-cream in a big glass made of ice and then a Mars bar ice-cream concoction that was insanely good.
My next holiday plans…
Besides my frequent trips between London and Malta I don’t have any holiday plans set it stone at the moment. There are a lot of places I would like to visit though.
My dream trip…
Somewhere really exotic and beautiful like Hawaii, the Seychelles or somewhere in the Caribbean. I’ve really wanted to swim with dolphins for a long time.
I partied hardest in…
Las Vegas and London. Actually, you know what? I’ve partied hard in Malta too!
My travel tip…
Visit a new country with an open mind and try not to have any pre-conceived ideas of what the place is going to be like.
Appreciate both the good and bad things about a new place. This will make you enjoy it more while you are there and it will also make you appreciate your hometown all the more.