Tell us something about yourself.

I’m actually a very busy person; however, I consider myself lucky because what I do to earn a living is also a passion. I am a designer and photographer and, for the past five years I have been a creative partner in Kuluri. In my free time, nothing beats travelling. I’m always looking for adventure, visiting villages off the beaten track and appreciating cultures through food, music and meeting locals.

How often do you travel?

Whenever I have the possibility to go away, I just do. I have pulled off 18-month long travels in the past, but lately – with all the projects going on – I am going on shorter holidays. I just spent a month in India this summer.

Do you remember your first time abroad and can you tell us about it?

My family had a yearly affair with Italy and Sicly and the earliest trip I remember was when I was a toddler. Although I have very few memories of that first trip, I remember most of the following holidays travelling around every corner of Italy, enjoying the scenery and (obviously) the good food.

Best holiday ever and why?

This has to be the 18-month travelling experience with my wife back in 2008. During this trip we visited Australia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and India. Because we had ample time, we could spend weeks, or even months, in certain places, thus making great connections both with locals as well as fellow travellers. During this trip we also visited Spiti Valley in the north east of India, definitely an unforgettable place.

Which place would you never visit and why?

Never say never!

Best travel companion?

Someone who loves food, nature and is spontaneous.

And what’s the worst your travel companion could do?

Disrespect the locals and their culture.

The perfect holiday is the one with a one way ticket and no reasons to come back home

What do you usually look for when you travel?

I frequently fly to European music festivals, but honestly I prefer travelling to immerse myself in strong cultures and to enjoy the amazing nature and food.

The perfect holiday would be?

The one with a one way ticket and no reasons to come back home.

What’s the furthest you’ve been from home?

Australia. I spent a whole year there.

Package tours or DIY?

DIY or die.

What the best travel advice you can give?

Always trust your gut feeling! Make no plans, no reservations, just go with the flow.

And what’s the worst piece of advice you’ve been given?

To take malaria pills, Besides being mood-altering, this medicine is actually the cure – and not the prevention – for Malaria. So drugging myself just in case I got sick didn’t work for me.

Flying – hate it/love it/neutral?

Love flying long haul, hate flying on smaller planes.

The one place you never get tired of visiting?

India! So many contrasts, so many experiences and an amazing outlook on life.

Describe one memory that stuck with you from a place.

While we were travelling in Laos, my wife decided we should travel south to an area called Si Phan Don (comprising some 4,000 islands). On our way there, we discovered an island in the middle of the Mekong River called Don Daeng, where there was only one English speaker and a very small population of farmers and fishermen.

Besides the beautiful scenery, the amazing people made our stay so special, simply experiencing everyday life on this peaceful and loving island.

You met the coolest people at?

This amazing guest house, called My House, in the Himalayan village of Vashisht, India. It was a place surrounded by mountains, with open-air hot springs bang in the middle of the village. I spent months there living with a community of travellers.

Your best budget tip to save money on holiday?

In Asia one can haggle and deal a price on anything. From renting rooms and bikes to buying clothes, haggling is a way of life and can extend the length of your holiday when travelling for long. Eating local and sleeping at homestays not only saves you money, but makes the travel a more complete experience.

If you actually had to live away from Malta, where would you pick?

Thailand is a country which I have visited many times and also had work experience in. Considering the quality of life, the amazing cuisine and how easy it is to travel to neighbouring countries, I would happily live and work there.

What’s the one thing you would never do in a foreign country?

Challenge tradition and beliefs. I visit foreign lands to get a taste of a different way of life, so I try to leave my own back home.

Anything on your travel bucket list?

Would love to see the Aurora Borealis, travel by bike around India, visit Mount Fuji in Japan and maybe a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway. There are too many to mention, really.

Travel is important to you because?

Besides running away from island life, it opens your mind to new ways and cultures. Experiencing certain situations – sometimes extreme ones – changes the way we percieve life. Out of our comfort zone we can truly face the beauty and rawness of life.

What has travel taught you?

Travel has taught me to open up to new things and always try to find the good in life! I have met so many people whose life is so tough, yet they smile, are genuinely happy and share whatever they have.

Where would you retire and why?

I would probably choose India. The country is amazing, be it mountains, desert or beaches, but what truly attracts me there is that it is extreme, cultures vary from state to state sometimes leaving me wondering if you I am still in the same country.