Tell us something about yourself.

I am a musician by profession. It’s hard for me to talk of hobbies, as music really takes up my whole life. However, I would say that anything beautiful and honest intrigues me. I’m fascinated by the way we perceive the world around us and how we react to it.

How often do you travel?

Quite regularly, mostly for work though. I have forgotten the last time I had a proper holiday actually.

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

Goodness. I’m old enough to remember printed tickets which you got at the travel agent! I think my first flight ever was to Tunisia in a propeller plane. I kept asking Dad what happened to the propellers when in flight. I was sure he was lying when he said they went so fast that you couldn’t see them. Oh, and I drew a map along the way. It seriously depleted my blue crayon. But at least I have the satisfaction of being some 15 years ahead of Google Maps.

Best holiday ever and why?

A music exchange trip to Italy. It was one of my first holidays with friends, and one of those life-defining moments where you figure out who people really are. I made some great friends on that trip, friends whom I will cherish forever.

Which place would you never visit and why?

I’d give anywhere a try really. But perhaps I’m least intrigued by places like Canada or trekking in the Scandinavian tundra. I mean, fine nice landscapes and all. But there’s only so many trees I can take in a week.

Best travel companion?

A nerd like me. Someone willing to burn out on holiday exploring museums, historic places, local traditions and so forth. Someone who is also independent enough not to cling to me the whole time. Oh, and someone willing to walk. A lot.

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

Go high street shopping, or ‘relax’. The world is a huge place and I want to experience it. If I wanted to shop and relax I would have stayed home sipping tea and ordering stuff off the Internet.

What do you usually look for when you travel?

I want to get to know the community I’m visiting. How do people live? Where do they come from? What is their outlook on life? That means immersion, which is why I love urban holidays, holidays where you get to meet new people.

The perfect holiday would be?

A couple of years travelling slowly from one place to the next. Maybe a grand tour kind of thing.

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

The US a couple of times. I’m a Europhile, somehow the Old World always maintains its charm.

There is no better way to learn about life than by living it

Package tours or DIY?

DIY. I hate package tours. I have absolutely no herd instinct. I’ve been on a couple of group tours, namely travelling with groups of musicians and I end up being the naughty child. I just have to slip away.

What’s the best travel advice you can give?

Do your homework. See what you want out of your holiday and look it up. It’s the digital age, ignorance is no excuse.

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

Go to Trier. It will be fun, they said. It wasn’t.

Flying – hate it/love it/neutral?

Love it. I mean, it’s flying! Isn’t human ingenuity wonderful? We can fly from one place to another. We can cover enormous distances in a few hours. How can you not get excited?

The one place you never get tired of visiting?

Italy. I just love it – Rome, particularly. It is my kind of city, absolutely mad. Yet, in that madness you find quiet spots. One minute you are being sworn at by drivers for walking on a pavement, the next you discover some medieval church tucked away in a quiet alley. You can take in the monumental architecture or else enjoy the Roman life in areas like Trastevere. I could go on.

Describe one memory that stuck with you.

An old, Italian man in the small town of Ripatransone in the Marche. He was a war veteran whose old age was spent making ceramic bird-whistles. He’d stared death in the face and yet, even in his old age, he saw life as beautiful. He led a simple life and his purpose was to create, to leave the world a better place.

You met the coolest people in?

Rome. Romans are funny, they are just so direct and carefree. How they built an empire is beyond me.

Your best budget tip to save money on holiday?

Don’t go shopping. Use money to buy experiences, not things. And very often, you will find that the best experiences are free (or at least, very cheap).

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

Italy, maybe Spain. Somewhere warm and temperate. Anywhere in the Mediterranean really. Oh, and somewhere with good food.

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

Make fun of people loudly in Maltese, thinking I’m the only Maltese around. I learnt that the hard way.

Anything on your bucket list?

Ha! Where do I start? Jerusalem, Prague, Budapest, Puglia, Berlin, Poland, Greece…anyone care to sponsor me? I promise to will get you one fridge magnet at the very least.

Travel is important to you because...?

it enriches you. It is another form of learning. I am a nerd. I love learning new things, but I realise that books (as much as I love them) are limited. There is no better way to learn about life than by living it.

What has travel taught you?

To be humble. Travel makes me feel small. You look out over the landscape… you look around in a crowd… and you realise you are a tiny part of a complex web of experiences and that all our petty worries and fears are irrelevant really. We could bomb ourselves to extinction and the world would keep on turning and something else will quietly replace us.

Where would you retire and why?

Malta. I prefer being grumpy on homeground.