Despite Everything, This Maltese Couple Has Set Off To Travel The World And Live Their Dream
COVID-19 has disrupted the plans of many a traveler but one young Maltese couple isn’t letting it get in the way of their dreams.
Charlotte Cini and Charlon Muscat have been planning this epic trip for two years now and, rather than putting everything on hold until things settle down, they’ve decided to set off to explore this strange, new world.
“Initially, we were aiming to start our full-time travel adventure at the beginning of October, but since the pandemic started, every month did honestly feel like a whole year!” they wrote on their blog, Charls’ Travel Journal.
“We started working from home, therefore spending most of our time trapped between the same four walls without the ability to interact with others. It’s been tough, and there was no way we were waiting another couple of months.”
Rather than just travel, they intend to work as they go along in return for food and accommodation, a strategy that will ensure their savings last longer.
Charlon’s and Charlotte’s original plan was to fly from Malta to Madrid, hitchhike to Lisbon and walk the Caminho Português, fly to Austria, travel through the Balkans to Greece and head off to South East Asia in December.
However, tragedy hit them right before they were about to depart when one of the grandmothers suddenly passed away. They canceled their Iberian plans, stuck around in Malta for a while longer and then booked the cheapest flight they could find, which was to Athens.
But traveling has become trickier since the pandemic hit, and Charlotte and Charlon got a taste of what that means on their very first day on the road.
After checking in, passing security and lining up for their flight to Athens, they were asked for their QR code – a unique code that Greece gives travellers after they fill out a mandatory passenger locator form.
Unfortunately, the young couple hadn’t known about this new obligation and they were denied boarding, meaning they had now missed two flights before even leaving Malta… not exactly the best start to their trip.
Yet Charlon and Charlotte had been planning this trip for years and weren’t about to give up, so they quickly booked another trip to Athens via Bergamo and Malpensa, which required an overnight stay at Bergamo Airport… not exactly the most comfortable airport to sleep in.
However, they managed to get to Athens in the end and are currently volunteering at a popular hostel before heading up to the island of Skyros next Tuesday to work for a horse sanctuary. They don’t have any set plans for the next destination but it could well be North Macedonia or Albania.
In terms of COVID-19, they intend to follow the regulations imposed by the places they visit while trusting their own gut when assessing the risks.
“For the time being, we are nowhere near trying to promote travel in the same way most of us were used to before. All the necessary precautions must be taken and we firmly believe that every individual must evaluate the risks imposed, as well as the particular reasons and motivation to travel,” they wrote.
“Personally, we just felt our mindsets were only set on one thing – that to start living the dream of travelling the world full-time.”
Photos: Charls’ Travel Journal
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