Name: Eldridge Saliba Curmi
Age: 39
Occupation: Director/dance teacher at Paul Curmi Dance Studio
My best holiday ever…
Spain is my oxygen, my love
My definite ‘number one’ is a trip to Canada and New York with the troupe. We were invited to perform at the Festival Mondial de Folklore De Drummondville in Montreal in front of 20,000 spectators.
The whole troupe of 30 dancers and musicians was in good spirits.
We used to dance on the coach while travelling from one place to another; even nanna Mary Curmi used to join in the fun.
It was also one of the last holidays I had with mum, the company’s prima ballerina Doris Curmi.
I will never return to…
I usually love all the places I visit.
The most dangerous place I’ve visited…
Despite claims that they are dangerous, I felt completely safe in New York and Chicago and only the drivers scared me in Cairo.
My most memorable experience on an aircraft…
Flying to Dubai with Emirates. It’s a very nice and comfortable airline.
My most treasured holiday souvenir…
My photographs. I take pictures constantly, both with my camera and with my mobile phone. I try to capture every moment.
My favourite city…
Without doubt it is the Spanish capital Madrid. That is the place where I feel most comfortable.
I fell in love with the city from the minute I first landed there in 1996 for a performance.It’s the music, the way of life, everything...
My biggest gaffe abroad…
I wanted to impress a girl in New York and I invited her to breakfast at Tiffany’s. I woke up early, wore a suit and tie and caught a taxi to her apartment as I had offered to pick her up.
Upon arriving at Tiffany’s at 9.30 a.m. we realised that all the doors were closed.
Thinking it strange that breakfast was not yet being served I knocked on the door, whichwas promptly opened by auniformed man.
When I asked whether breakfast was being served, the man smiled politely and told us that in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn was eating her croissant out on the street and not in the building.
Realising I had made a huge mistake I thanked the guy, grabbed the girl’s hand and took her for a breakfast at Starbucks.
The friendliest people…
Being an outgoing guy, I make friends quickly and feel welcome almost anywhere.
I never travel without...
My camera. I love capturing moments and people. It is true that the best memories are those you keep inside, but I believe moments can be shared and treasured by other people.
The taxi ride I will never forget…
Be open to opportunities and ready to try different things
It was in Istanbul just last week. Taxi drivers in Istanbul drive frantically, ignoring traffic lights and stopping millimetres from the car in front.
My all-time favourite holiday photo...
Another difficult choice, but I would say the one in San Francisco on the Golden Gate Bridge. I managed to walk along most of the bridge and I even felt it vibrate with the amount of vehicles passing over it.
An unforgettable hotel...
That would be in Stockholm. It was on a boat which had been converted into a hotel; something very different from the places I usually stay at. It was simply beautiful, from the decking to the decor in the rooms.
I return most often to...
Spain... my oxygen, my love. From that first visit in 1996 I have been captivated. After MadridI travelled to Bilbao, Granada, Almeria, Seville and Barcelona, both as a performer andtourist. Spain is my home away from home.
My ideal travel companion...
I have been blessed with some excellent travel companions, but the one person I have travelled with most often and shared some lovely moments with is definitely Chellcy, a very good friend I met through work.
She found out about my dance company through the internet and performed a belly dance work shop at the school in Fgura. We hit it off immediately and have travelled to many destinations together.
Country with the best cuisine...
That would be Italy, where else? Be it pasta, pizza, fish or bistecca Fiorentina, I love them all.
My next holiday plans…
There are so many places I’d like to see. Apart from revisiting Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Scandinavia and North Africa, I would love to go to South America.
I do not plan much but I keep an open mind and take as many opportunities to travel as I can.
My dream trip…
I’d love to be able to afford to travel the world for two years. Well, you did ask for my ‘dream’ trip – and who says dreams can’t come true?
I partied hardest in…
Madrid. My typical night in Madrid starts at around 4 p.m. drinking cerveza.
We then move on to eating tapas, to a flamenco tabla show, then off to a club till the early hours of the morning.
My travel tip…
Be open to opportunities and ready to try different things.
Always find out beforehand if visas are needed to enter or leave a country. Some states within the same country require separate visas, so make sure you are prepared.
And it is always a saferoption to get travel insurance, especially if you’re visiting developing countries.