After crossing 383,766 miles to visit 147 countries in 252 days, three footloose ‘happiness ambassadors’ arrived in Malta last Thursday on a mission to discover what makes the Maltese happy – and declared Malta one of the happiest places they have visited so far.
“Happiness in Malta is about celebration, anytime, anyplace and for any occasion,” said Tony Martin, who hails from the US but was working as a kindergarten teacher in Germany before he landed his dream job.
Mr Martin, Antoñio Santiago from Mexico and Kelly Ferris, born in South Africa but raised in Belgium, are in the middle of Expedition 206, an attempt to visit 206 countries and territories in 365 days to seek out “what makes people happy” around the world.
The expedition is the brainchild of Coca-Cola, which invited ordinary people from around the world to apply for the positions. After judging the applications, 18 candidates were invited to the company’s headquarters in Atlanta, US, for a week of interviews, projects and group work.
The hopefuls were then narrowed down into three teams of three, and people from around the world voted for their favourite team via the internet as the teams campaigned for votes using social media.
“We were being observed the whole time we were in Atlanta and they obviously figured we would work well together, and we do; we really complete each other,” Ms Ferris told The Sunday Times.
The expedition began on January 1 in Madrid and is set to end on December 31 with a celebration at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. Flights and accommodation are booked for the team and the lucky ambassadors are also paid salaries and expenses.
The route is planned out but sometimes it has to be altered because of visa problems or unforeseen situations, and the team have to go back to a country they have missed at a later date.
In Malta, General Soft Drinks took them to Mdina, Valletta and Ħaġar Qim, where the ambassadors took photos and videos to be uploaded on their website (www.expedition206.com) and social media sites.
Their global adventures so far have included watching the opening game of the World Cup in South Africa, attending the Winter Olympics in Canada and eating roasted rat in Ivory Coast.
Among the countries still to be visited are Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, but Mr Martin said they never felt apprehensive about visiting certain places because they were confident they would never be placed in a dangerous situation.
Despite being ambassadors for happiness, Ms Ferris admits that spending so much time travelling can leave them feeling tired and occasionally irritable, “but then we see so many beautiful things and we keep each other going and before we know it we’re laughing again”.
Did the ambassadors have any ethical concerns about travelling the world promoting ‘happiness’ on behalf of Coca-Cola, a company that over the years has faced criticism ranging from the alleged adverse health effects of its products and aggressive marketing to children, to environmental destruction and the violent discouragement of trade union membership in Colombia?
“I’m an advertising student so working for a top brand is important to me. Then again I’m not saying ‘here’s Coke, drink it’. The brand is behind it but it’s more about promoting the brand values than actually pushing the product,” said Ms Ferris.
So what has she learnt about the secret to happiness on her travels?
“Happiness is shared. When we ask people they often say ‘family, friends and loved ones’. It’s the same for us, when we see something beautiful we turn to each other to talk about it, or we take a video or photo to show family and friends.”
The ambassadors left Malta for Georgia yesterday.