Last time I left you, it was at the end of our awesome Malta birthday holiday! I did say I’d do a travel home day blog, but it didn’t materialise! So I am sorry about that! By the time we got home (and it was an adventurous journey home to say the least…) I was exhausted, and I wanted to focus on unpacking and hit the sack. As with any end of the holiday, life just continued on without a blink of an eye!

As we all know, the middle of November through the middle of January is a very hectic, busy time, including Christmas and New Year. It goes so quickly, you miss it! I ended the year on a positive note, despite it being a rough year for me.

Now, let me explain where the website went! I have been looking to save some money on my monthly spend, so I opted to shut down my old VPS because I was paying a lot and not really seeing the value! However, I missed blogging to you guys, so I found a brand-new host! This new host is still on a VPS but is £10 cheaper and not tied to a year’s contract! So I will be resuming posts soon!

We are now 2 months into 2026, and some big changes are coming soon. Firstly, I will be going back to a full-time job soon (after being self-employed for the last 10 months), which will bring in more money and mean more travelling! Also, I will be relocating soon! I won’t go into details now, as things are still being finalised, but hopefully I’ll be able to share with you all soon!

Expect more blogs from me over the coming year, as I will have a better income flow and be able to travel more. Plans are underway for my 40th birthday: we will be going away with my friend again in November, and this time, all the family is invited! On top of that, we plan to take a few short breaks around Europe soon as we both settle into our new jobs. I will also be focusing on my fitness, as it’s about time I got myself sorted! I also want to resume local UK trips soon, as I missed doing those!

So for now, I’ll leave you with this – Happy Lunar New Year and here’s to the year of the horse and the year of getting my life back on track! Look forward to more blogs from me soon! I hope those who celebrate the Lunar New Year have a great time, and here’s to a prosperous new year!

As I said yesterday, we were planning to visit the Popeye film set; however, we later found out it was just a theme park with no historical significance, so we lost some interest and decided to do something else. We decided to go to the Garden and the chapel called Mysterium Fidei, which had been closed to the public for 400 years! It was very interesting! Here are a few pictures from the walk around:

It was very interesting and humbling to realise that people had lived their entire lives in this small area; it was amazing!

Once we had finished there, we headed to the Musume of Illusion nearby, and that was amazing! There were really cool illusions, and we all loved it! Here are a few pictures from the tour:

It was amazing! There were so many really cool illusions! Well worth it! With that done, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for my massage! Yet again, it was awesome and I loved it! For dinner tonight, we decided to have a Maltese buffet, and it was awesome!

Once we had our fill, we headed back to our room and packed up for tomorrow. With that, our time in Malta was done! Tomorrow we’re headed to the airport to fly home! It has been ridiculously awesome, and I will miss Malta! So join us tomorrow for travel home day!

We started the day by driving to the port where the boat would be sailing from; they had a strict boarding time, so we left early. Surprisingly, parking was a breeze! We were able to park on the side of the road for free, which is unheard of in the UK!

We had to run to the shop quickly because it was windy, and my friend wanted a hoodie. I also grabbed some sun cream as I didn’t have any. In the end, my friend loved the hoodie and my Mum wanted one too!

Our first stop on the tour was the Blue Lagoon, which was awesome! The water was the bluest I have ever seen, and the view was stunning, with a little hike! It was awesome! You could swim in there, but we decided not to! It was amazing!

Our next stop was Gozo, and we first stopped at the cathedral, which was awesome and very majestic! It was steeped in history, and it felt special to be there and realise all the history that had taken place years ago!

The next stop was the church, and it was awesome! There were a lot of symbolic things to see, and you really felt like you were in the House of god.

We spent a good 30 minutes just in awe at the church! We only had about 2 hours and 30 minutes in Gozo, which wasn’t really enough! We headed back to the coach that got us back to the boat! There was a LOT of walking, but I guess that will be good for me!

We got back out to sea at sunset, and we got to experience the most majestic sunset I have ever seen. It felt special!

The photo above is one of my favourite sunsets I’ve ever taken! It was amazing! It was a long day and lots of walking, but it was so worth it! By the time we got back to port, it was already dark.

And with that, my friend drove us back to the hotel, where she had a birthday tea, and then she decided to go to Burger.Ink, which was awesome! Once we had finished, we headed to the hotel and enjoyed a cake and a drink. Once we had finished, my friend headed back because she had a family call scheduled. Mum and I headed back to our room, and that finished another stunning day!

Tomorrow we head to Popeye Island, where the movie was filmed. It was recommended to us, so we may as well use our last day there! I also have another massage booked to relax me, ready for the journey home and back to reality! So join me tomorrow for our last full day in Malta!

We decided to explore the area as my friend wanted to see the church up the road from us, so we went on a little hike around the area! It was worth it! The church was amazing, and the architecture was brilliant!

We noticed a cross in the distance and wanted to go see it, so we hiked along a rocky road to find out what it was all about. It turns out it lights up at night! Pretty awesome to see! Here are some pictures from the hike:

There were some stunning views to see! Once we had our fill, we headed back to the hotel. My friend wanted to go to a shop called Ard Discounts, which appeared to be a homeware shop, but it wasn’t, it was a discount supermarket! We walked there to explore the area further!

It wasn’t a bad shop, but it was not what we expected! So got our items and headed to Welbee’s supermarket to get stuff we wanted to take home.

After that we headed to the hotel and had afternoon tea, it was awesome!

We wanted to go up on the roof to see the sunset, but unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we couldn’t see it. Here are a few pictures:

With that, the day was done, and we retired to the hotel rooms and got ready for bed! Tomorrow we have a boat tour, as it is my friend’s birthday, so that should be good! See you tomorrow!

We started the day heading to my friend’s church, so we explored the area while my friend went to a sermon at Church. Mum and I stopped at McDonald’s and had a Mango milkshake, and I had a McFlurry. It was awesome!

Once my friend finished at church, we headed to the capital! It was a brilliant capital! It had nooks and crannies all over the place! Hills and twists and turns, it was great! It had a great history, and you could tell!

This was a brilliant little tour around the capital. We were able to get gifts for friends and family when we got home. We were supposed to see the cathedral in the capital, but unfortunately, my friend booked the wrong cathedral – New York in the US! A bit of big ops! So made the most of it and explored which was worth it. For lunch, I had a lamb kabab wrap, which was really nice!

With lunch done and everything, we wanted to explore it was time to head back to the hotel! For dinner tonight, we got a meal ticket from the hotel for a buffet-style dinner.

This was awesome! It had a lot of choices and unlimited drinks and food, although I did eat far too much!!

With that, the day was done. Tomorrow we don’t have anything really planned, so we’ll see how the wind blows! See you tomorrow!

As usual, we started with breakfast! They had a few different things today, which was good to see! We had breakfast, my friend gave me an awesome birthday present, and told me what the plan for the day was, and I loved it! We first headed to Malta Aquarium.

Although it was rather smaller than I thought it would be, it was pretty great! Not as good a Portugal’s aquarium, but still good! Here are a few pictures from my walk around the Aquarimum!

It was great to have a wander around, although it was quite busy! Next, we walked down to the town centre from the aquarium, and we had a look at the gift shops! It even had a Wagamama’s, which was weird to see! The water was also very blue and looked awesome! We had a quick coffee stop plus a croissant halfway down.

By this time, my feet were starting to ache! I am not used to this much walking! Here are a few pictures from our walk

It was time for us to head back and stop at the supermarket, as we needed a few items for tonight! I forgot how big this supermarket was! Once we got back to the hotel, we had a bit of a chill in our rooms before the main event: a massage! I have NEVER had a massage before. My friend bought me a session to see what it was like, and it was awesome! I have felt so relaxed and loose, which is great! I will definitely have one again —although I was a bit hesitant in the first place. Well worth it! I also got a glass of Prosecco as a birthday treat!

Unfortunately, there was a slight issue with the booking, which meant my friend had to wait until later to have hers. This also slightly messed up dinner plans, but we adapted. All the restaurants in the hotel were busy, so we had to explore outside. We couldn’t wait too long, as my friend had a Teams meeting in the evening, so we ended up choosing Broasters. Here is what I had:

It was awesome! I had my reservations about the place, but it was unfounded; we had an awesome dinner! With that done, my friend had to go, wished me a happy birthday and went. It was a great day! Mum and I headed back to the hotel for a coffee and cake to finish the day:

And that was it! My birthday abroad was done! This is the second time I have been away for my birthday, and I will continue this on as I love being away on my birthday! Thanks to my parents, my friends and family who made today special! I enter the last year of my 30s… scary!

Tomorrow, we are going to a church in the morning, then to the cathedral and a garden walk in the afternoon. So follow me tomorrow to see what I get up to!

As usual, the day started with breakfast! We agreed to meet at 0830 for breakfast! I slept well last night, surprisingly! I usually struggle when I am somewhere new, so that’s good! Hopefully it will stay like that! Mum came up to my room and hung around for a bit before we met my friend for breakfast. We went down together, and boy, it was busy, but I guess that is to be expected!

Breakfast was served on level -1, yes, I know it’s weird saying that! They had a large selection of breakfast options, including their version of a full English, and it worked! You could have a full English, cereal, continental or just pasties; there was a huge selection of breakfast items for all tastes! Here is what I had this morning:

Once we all had enough, it was time to take a ride down to the shopping mall just on the outskirts of Malta’s capital, Valletta. The drive was awesome, with some great scenes along the way! My friend drove us, and it was about 25 minutes, give or take!

It was a fairly large mall, larger than I thought it was! It even had an M&S Food hall! We had a walk around the shops, bought some things and explored a little! We headed down to the water area, it was stunning!

The water was really blue and clear, which is rare in Essex, where I come from! After we had a look, it was time for lunch. We opted to have our own lunch, with Mum having a chicken wrap and my friend and I having a protein bowl! Ours was delicious! Here is how it looked:

After lunch, we finished up and headed to the supermarket for more supplies. This place was huge! They had everything we needed and more! We will definitely go back later this week to pick up things to take home!

Once we had finished our shopping spree, we headed back to the hotel and went gift shop shopping for everyone! They had some good gift shops, so my friend and my Mum got some gifts for family and friends. I saw some good gifts, so I will buy some for myself!

After we had done the gift shopping, it was time for dinner. This time, we decided to stop at Burger Ink, the burger place at the top near the hotel.

This place was awesome! We enjoyed the food, and the atmosphere was nice! Here is what we ate:

Yes, one of us did have fish and chips! Can you guess who? Anyway, the food was awesome and we all enjoyed it! After we had done that, we headed to the hotel and sat at the bar for a little bit. I had an awesome Pineapple tart, it was great!

And with that, the day was done! We had an awesome day today! Lots of steps and exploring, and some brilliant food! Tomorrow is my birthday! I have no idea what I am doing tomorrow as both my friend and Mum have kept it a secret! So who knows?! I will reveal all tomorrow once I know! See you tomorrow!

So, we were all up just before our wake-up call of 0400! I guess we were worried we won’t wake up! Anyway, here is a brief video!

With that out of the way, we got ready and started to pack the car and got ready to head off to Gatwick. A big shout-out to my Dad for taking us to the airport that early!

We arrived at the South Terminal at Gatwick, offloaded our suitcases, dropped our bags at the departure desks, and then headed through security. We had a fast track for security, which meant we flew through! Once we were through, I grabbed some snacks for the flight, then headed to the lounge, which was included with our flights!

We boarded quite promptly today, although we were slightly delayed taking off because people were taking forever to actually put their bags up! We left Gatwick at 1010, so not too bad!

The flight was uneventful, really. The food was nice, although they ran out of chicken… AGAIN, this is the second time I have been on a BA flight, and they have run out. The food I did have wasn’t too bad, though. Couldn’t do much on the WiFI as it appeared to be really slow! Still got some good photos!

Once we landed, it was time to get a hire car! This time around, my friend and I decided to get a car so we could get around more easily. It took AGES to get the car, and unfortunately, my phone battery died and I did not have a power bank… yes, I know it was a rookie error!!

The car journey to the hotel was a little busy but still not too bad! My friend is a good driver, but boy, the drivers in Malta are mental! Still, we got to the hotel safely!

It took a little while to find the car park, but I got there in the end! We left the car at the hotel and headed upstairs to reception to get booked in. The staff were really helpful and friendly, and guided us through our stay and what we could do. They directed us to our rooms, and we headed there to explore what we had been given! I had a deluxe suite, and it is quite nice overall! Here is my room tour (Coming soon poor WiFi sorry!):

After we settled in, it was time to head out to get some snacks for the first few days. We were tired, so it was a bit of a drag to get there, but I am glad we did! We found a Spar, yes, that Spar which we have in the UK! It was a well-set-out store! We got our snacks and returned to the hotel and put them away!

As we were all tired, we decided to eat at the hotel, and it was awesome! We did trick the system a little: we ordered quickly before the 17 people who hadn’t decided did, and we got our food quicker! It was awesome! Here are our dinners:

It was awesome and we all enjoyed it! It’s fresh and tasty, so well worth it, and it was cheap! About £45 for all 3 of us, which is insane considering what that would get us in the UK!

With our awesome dinner sorted, we headed back to our hotel rooms and settled in for the night! Tomorrow we plan to go to the shopping mall in Malta and have a look around! So join me tomorrow for breakfast and our trip to the mall! See you tomorrow!

Well, we have arrived! Our trip to Malta is tomorrow! As I said above, I can’t quite believe it! I have been so stressed over the last few months that this creeped up on me without me knowing! It’s a good thing as I need a break! So let’s start packing!

I am using the suitcase I used in Florida last year for two reasons, really: one, it should be big enough to put all my clothes in for the week, and two, it will allow me to bring some stuff back from Malta, as I love a souvenir from the places I have been! As we are travelling on business, we can take up to 2x 32kg, so there should be plenty of space for me!

That’s the first side done! I have put my shirts, underwear, gym wear and swimwear in the case. I am not sure if I will use the gym, but I will at least try. The same goes for swimming! I’d rather have them than not!

Once that was done, it was time to get some last-minute stuff from the holiday from Sainsbury’s! I needed shampoo, shower gel, and a few other things for the holiday! I went with mum as she needed a few things too!

I checked in on Mum to see how she was getting on, and as I arrived, she had already packed. She is much quicker and efficient than I am! Neatly packed as always!

With this trip, I’m retiring my old Cabin Max backpack for my Nordace backpack, since I can store more things in it, and I was running out of room on my old one! I will still use the Cabin Max backpack, should I go on a plane that won’t take my Nordace bag!

And with my cabin backpacked and ready for tomorrow’s trip, I was finally packed and ready to go, despite my friends’ displeasure with packing so late and calling me last-minute.com!! I have a few things to put in my bag tonight, once I have used them and then in the morning too.

Tomorrow will be an early rise! My dad is taking me, Mum, and my friend to Gatwick, so shoutout to my Dad for getting up early and getting us there in plenty of time! We take off at 1000, and we are travelling in Business class! We will arrive in Malta around 1415 their time, then take a hire car to the hotel! I am looking forward to it as I need a break!!

I will, of course, be blogging along the way, so join me tomorrow for my travel day to Malta!

Hi all… wow…. it has been an age since I updated this website!! And boy, what a last 6 months it has been…. So some of you know that there was a fairly big change in my working life this year, and it has happened so quickly, too! I won’t go into details here because it is public, but don’t worry, things are looking up again, and we can move on!

Due to this change, I have not been able to do what I would have liked to this year, and to be honest, it has been very difficult for me to process everything! But onward and upward! I will be updating more often and hope you continue to follow along with me!

So what is going on with my travels? So it was put on hold for the last 6 months, but that is ok! I do have some news, though! In two days, we are heading to our next trip! Finally! I have been itching to get back to travelling! So, where are we going, I hear you say?!

Well, without further ado…. we are heading to…. Malta!! We are going for a week, and it encompasses both my birthday and my friend’s, and boy, do we both need this holiday!

We are flying out of Gatwick on Wednesday, 5th November 2025. We are going business class and are staying at an awesome hotel (well, according to the reviews!) called The Solana hotel! The photos look great! We have quite a packed week, but that’s fine with me as I get to see new things! I am going with my friend and my mum, so it should be great!

As usual, I will be blogging along the way so you can see what we get up to! Starting with tomorrow! So please join me as we prepare for our trip to Malta! We need the break and I am very much looking forward to it!!

See you tomorrow!