Tell us something about yourself.

I’m 44 years old, married with two children and extremely passionate about my job, which in many ways started out as hobby when I was nine years old. To put it in one word, I would say my job is music-related .I started out as a musician over 30 years ago and a few years later started to produce other artists.

Today I’m the director of Jagged House, where we manage various artists, secure licences, endorsements, manage releases, studio productions and a lot more. I’m also one of the organisers of Earth Garden Festival and run my own recording studio.

My hobbies are mainly music related but if I had to think of something, which completely takes my mind away from my work, that would have to be either watching movies or a good TV series, travelling and good dining.

Howard Keith with his family in Camden, the UK.Howard Keith with his family in Camden, the UK.

How often do you travel?

As often as I can and as often as my schedule allows me to. As much as I love Malta, I genuinely feel it can cloud one’s perspective. Luckily, my work allows me to travel and I also manage to combine work and leisure in my travels, so that’s a plus.

Do you remember your first time abroad?

My dad used to travel quite a bit so I was always fascinated by travelling. The first place I visited was the UK with my parents, but my first impression was a bit disappointing, probably because I built up my expectations too high and had a vivid imagination. Needless to say, the next day I touched base with reality and fell in love with the surroundings. There was something special about London in the late 1970s.

At the Wolburn Safari Park in Milton Keynes, the UK.At the Wolburn Safari Park in Milton Keynes, the UK.

Best holiday ever and why?

That would have to be New York. Malta is our home, so it’s hard to think of another place as home but it really felt this could be our second one. It’s one of those things, which hit you and can’t control or comprehend.

Which place would you never visit and why?

It would have to be the countries in the Middle East. Not because they lack beauty, but because they’re quite unstable. The first time I went to Libya, I was apprehensive at first, but I really loved it. This was before the Arab Spring uprisings, so things have changed a bit now and if you have children with you then one has to consider safety issues before travelling. But I really believe every country has something unique and worth the visit. Even a place like Lampedusa, which is (or was) between Comino and Gozo, had its unique charm.

Malta is both home and a reason to travel

Best travel companion?

My wife and children, even though at times the children have their own travel agenda, as you can imagine. Travelling with artists on work is also great fun. Most of the time I travel with people who are on the same page, so I avoid unpleasant surprises.

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

Nimbin, Australia.Nimbin, Australia.

Bore me with not wanting to try out different things and being lazy.

What do you usually look for when you travel?

Good food and culture are important, of course. I love to visit both the famous landmarks as well as the non-tourist spots, which you get to see either by being adventurous or by making friends with the locals. But I also look for other attractions… maybe a beautiful beach in Australia; a landscape in Serbia; a historical spot like Prague, Warsaw and Berlin; great food in Italy; or the energy cities like Stockholm, Paris, London and New York can give you.

The perfect holiday would be?

Where I can be myself and meet amazing people. I would also love to combine all the above by getting the best of great food, scenery, country side, cosmopolitan life, sea, snow and a festival like Glastonbury. That would be a perfect holiday and, if you know such a destination please do let me know.

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

Brisbane in Australia. It’s a two-hour flight from New Zealand and it takes about 26 hours in total to get there if I’m not mistaken. Malta – Cyprus –Dubai- Singapore- Brisbane .

New York’s Times Square.New York’s Times Square.

Package tours or DIY?

Hundred per cent DIY.

What’s the best travel advice you can give?

Travelling doesn’t only bring you closer to other cultures and learn about different people, but it also exposes your true self. Every experience has taught me something about myself. Good and bad.

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

I was made to believe it was possible to make a tight connection flight from one terminal to another at Frankfurt airport. You’ll never make it if it’s a tight connection. Tried, tested and failed miserably. We didn’t walk, but ran quite fast and still missed the flight.

Flying – hate it/love it/neutral?

Love it, as long as it is not on a propeller plane. I travelled from Russia to Ukraine on one of those. It was a very tight fit and it felt like the plane was about to crash any minute.

The one place you never get tired of visiting?

Too many to mention, but I’ll go with New York and London.

DubaiDubai

Describe one memory that stuck with you from a place.

I cherish loads of memories, some of which I can’t believe even today. I’m very lucky that my job got me to meet some amazing people. I’m torn between New York and France as unforgettable moments. It’s hard to forget Times Square, or a walk down Central Park. Equally imprinted is the ride on the Tower of Terror at Euro Disney and the picturesque scenery in the South of France. However, for some reason every time I go to France I always get sick. Just bad luck, I guess, and I’m on a mission to reverse this curse.

You met the coolest people in?

Australia. Really chilled and nice people. People living in Stockholm and New York are pretty cool too.

Your best tip to save money on holiday?

Probably controlling your credit cards’ limit before your trip, or your spending money.

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

The US and UK would be my first choices.

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

I would never speak badly of Malta, or over-praise my country of origin for the sake of trying to impress others.

Anything on your travel bucket list?

Next year I have quite a bit of travelling, so I’m looking forward to some travels in the US and Europe. I have several countries on my bucket list, definitely South America and South Africa are the top of my list.

Travel is important to you because...

It opens my mind, gives me a better perspective on things and I get to be myself.

What has travel taught you?

That Malta is both home as well as a reason to travel from a tiny island to bigger countries where you feel insignificant.

Where would you retire and why?

Retire? What’s that? Fine, let’s say the juice has run dry – then I’d probably say Malta, because there’s something very special and different about this country. But who knows where my children will be in 10 years’ time. I might reconsider .

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