Tell us something about yourselves.

Caroline: I’m 32, work in sales and in my free time I enjoy photography and movies. I also enjoy live artistic events, especially music and drama.

Sylvan: I’m 33, work in human resources and play the guitar with Massacre House Party.

How often do you travel?

In our minds, we are always travelling. We are always considering and discussing new destinations, sometimes even on our flight back home. In fact, we are always on the lookout for good and cheap flights while jotting down any new ideas that inspire us to visit one place or another. Basically, we manage a good mix of short trips – usually lasting a weekend or, if lucky, a long-weekend – and a longer holiday once a year, amounting to approximately three to four trips a year.

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

Caroline: Since a very young age, my family and I used to go overland through Europe, on a trip that usually lasted five to six weeks. Dad had converted a Ford Transit into a caravan and, eventually, we bought an actual caravan. For me, it is natural to have the need to travel to different parts of the same country. I may not capture the full essence of that country, but I always want to push boundaries some more. I like experiencing a contrast between Malta and the country I’m visiting while, in turn, experiencing the contrasts that may exist within that same country.

Sylvan: I was about 14 years old and went to Sainte Enimie in the south of France with my secondary school for a student exchange. I was staying with a French family who had introduced me to the French cuisine and also to speleology – the scientific study of caves. It was a cool experience, wearing these helmets fitted with lights and going through foot-wide crevices and exiting through other parts of the mountain we were exploring. Eventually, we took the train to Paris. The contrast between France and Malta was astounding to my mind, at the time. Even more so was the difference between Sainte Enimie and Paris itself.

Best holiday ever and why?

It is very hard to choose. We like doing a bit of everything. Sometimes we want a relaxing holiday; sometimes we crave adventure. But there is always a tendency of choosing countries with cultures different than ours. Each trip has its own uniqueness and we appreciate each one of them.

Which place would you never visit and why?

Next question please! Anywhere is interesting, if you look in the right direction. Anywhere that is different to our norm is interesting. Even our country itself is interesting, in the sense that at every corner you might find something you might have overlooked before. So, we can never ever say that we might never visit a particular country.

Best travel companion?

Each other. We have similar tastes and are very flexible. Moreover, when we go abroad we simply like meeting local people. They know the place, they can give us tips and they can give us an insight of their own world. For instance, an advantage of staying at B&Bs or guesthouses is that the hosts are generally local and help make the trip more personal.

You are not going to spend all day in your room, so getting a cheap room will help you save money

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

Caroline: Someone who wants to visit clubs exclusively, wasting the following days in bed curing their hangovers. And someone who wants to do an excruciating amount of shopping.

Sylvan: To add to that, people who nag. But that’s not just when it comes travelling.

What do you usually look for when you travel?

Culture, food and museums are our number one priority. So are any local traditional events, markets and any opportunity to listen to live music. When it comes to food we prefer to go for the quaint little hole-in-the wall frequented by locals. But we try everything, really. We have been to unique clubs, to beaches and we do go shopping. We like to indulge in some posh restaurant specialising in traditional meals. We never really draw a line when abroad, but rather, try to include as many activities as possible. We would be in that country for a limited period of time and, therefore, try to utilise our time as best as possible.

The perfect holiday would be?

Caroline: As culturally immersive as possible. I like delving into the country’s culture and try to capture the way locals live.

Sylvan: Long. Sadly there is never enough time. We have work responsibilities and there are always financial limitations, so they are never as long as we’d like them to be.

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

We’ve lately been to New York City for Christmas, which is around 7,400km to the west of Malta. Second to that is Varanasi (India), which is around 6,500km to the east. Interesting to note is that although there is only around 1,000km difference, the time difference between Malta and Varanasi is that of three and half hours, while between Malta and New York it is six hours.

Package tours or DIY?

Sylvan: Definitely DIY. The journey and exploration starts during the planning stage, which can take weeks or months, especially since we like travelling to different parts. For example, one of our trips started in Barcelona, moved to Granada, went further down to Seville, got a coach and ferry and crossed to Morocco, where we took a train to Fez, and then continued to Casablanca and Marrakech.

Caroline: To make it even more interesting, we then took a flight to London, where Sylvan had planned three acoustic gigs. It was quite hectic, but thoroughly enjoyable. Another time we went to Krakow, but of course got on a train and spent some time in Warsaw as well. When we went to India, we travelled from Mumbai to Varanasi, proceeded to Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, stayed in the desert in Osian, went to Udaipur and New Delhi through a combination of internal flights, trains and an eight-hour taxi ride – a 4,000km trip.

The DIY aspect makes it cheaper too, but the real reason for preferring DIY trips over package tours is that they become personal. You get to do what you are really after and discover things that package tours might not offer. We are not against package tours, as we appreciate that people might want something more secure, or not have the time to plan, but our style of travelling is different to what they offer.

What’s the best travel advice you can give?

Get insurance prior to your departure. No matter how much it may cost, better have peace of mind. And travel light, especially if you plan on moving around. A backpack always helps, too.

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

Caroline: From people who have never been to a place and offer advice purely based on media and misconceptions.

Sylvan: My mum always pleads with me not to go abroad, as she’s always worrying. Thanks for the advice mum, but…

Flying – hate it/love it/neutral?

Caroline: Neutral. I just glide by.

Sylvan: Terrified. Horrified. Petrified by flight! When we reach cruising altitude I’m fine, but during take-off, I’m usually sweating heavily.

The one place you never get tired of visiting?

Caroline: Cannot really decide, but I’d say London. Paris is a close runner-up.

Sylvan: This is a really unfair question, but if I really had to choose I’d say Spain.

Describe one memory that stuck with you from a place.

Caroline: The sense of peace watching hot air balloons at 5am in Goreme, Turkey. And in Djema el-Fna, a huge and lively square in Marrakech, Morrocco. You’ll find snake charmers, fortune tellers and artistic performers. Food stalls open at every sunset until the early hours of the morning. These usually create a cloud of smoke covering the square, but the scent of cooked food and spices throughout is incredible.

Sylvan: Varanasi, India. We witnessed the cremation process and the sense of calm and peace by family members who are cremating their loved one left a huge impact on me.

You met the coolest people in... ?

Caroline: Spain.

Sylvan: Morocco – they’re gentle and very friendly.

Anywhere is interesting, if you look in the right direction

Your best budget tip to save money on holiday?

Caroline: As a foodie, I always search for bars, cafes and food stalls loved by the locals which are often very reasonably priced.

Sylvan: Accommodation – all you really need is a clean room with private bathroom and which is centrally located, which makes travelling within the village or city easier. B&B and hostels can offer this at a fraction of the cost offered by hotels. You are not going to spend all day in your room, so getting a cheap room will help you save money. Unless of course your ideal type of holiday is relaxing by the hotel’s pool and utilise their spa. Oh, and low-cost airlines definitely help.

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

London or New York, as they are easy to adapt to, despite the big change. These cities really cater for everything you might need, so the reason behind these choices are rather practical ones. They also tend to have good flight connections.

Travel is important to you because... ?

It would be a pity to live on this earth and not see of it the most you can.

What has travel taught you?

As Gustave Flaubert once said: “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny space you occupy in the world.”

Where would you retire and why?

Granada – it is as laid back as it can get.