2026 travel plans

[I love to travel]

Not a political post, but I have just cancelled the US portion of my trip in June. I simply just don't want to be there. So it is Asia at the end of this week and Europe/Asia in June and early July including the LHR lounge crawl

so far for 2026:

• March - Lord Howe Island for 10 days
• June/July: SYD-DOH-Malta (1 week) / Malta-Sicily (2 weeks) / Sicily-Munich (Dolomites 2 weeks) / Austria (1 Week) - used VA points for outbound flights in J and SQ points for MUC-SIN-SYD
• August - 2 weeks Fiji (Tokoriki and Vomo) - one way paid J on FJ and one way AA award in J on FJ
• October - 1 week on Lizard Island (planned not yet booked)

That will pretty much empty our FF accounts except for a ton AC points which seem to be pretty much useless at the moment - let's hope this improves.

I am off to Malta too - very excited, Been on the bucket list for a while

 

[RooFlyer]

I am off to Malta too - very excited, Been on the bucket list for a while

Quite a bit of Malta in the TR sections if you need any tips.

 

[Pushka]

That makes three of us off to Malta then. We are there in June.

 

[Pushka]

Quite a bit of Malta in the TR sections if you need any tips.

Could you post the link to your Malta TR if there are two? I can see the one including France.

 

[VPS]

Could you post the link to your Malta TR if there are two? I can see the one including France.

Where are you staying in Malta and how many days

 

[Pushka]

Where are you staying in Malta and how many days

I didn't select the hotel - meeting up with son and DIL after two years of not seeing him (he FaceTimes every week but still) and her parents and we all get on really well. For 7 nights. Staying at AX The Palace at Sliema.
After Malta it's Lisbon for a week staying at Convent Square Hotel - IHG (we were going to do an NCL cruise through Portugal and Spain but we cancelled) then on to Morocco for the LE 11 day tour. Then to Bali for a few days to get over jet lag. Quite a nice trip.

 

[RooFlyer]

Could you post the link to your Malta TR if there are two? I can see the one including France.

Here is my first visit:

Post in thread 'RTW to no-where in particular'

Mar 8, 2020

I had 3 nights booked at the Palazzo Paolina 'boutique' hotel in St Paul's Street, downtown Valetta. It was nice enough - a converted old mansion, as you would imagine, but the room was really small. Also, like the last place, the aircon was central and set for winter, so no cooling. I had to have the internal balcony door open and the room door open to get some cool air circulating. But the location was perfect - just around the corner from the 'food market' - about 20 places you can get any type of cuisine and eat it on the tables there, or take-away, and downstairs there was a...

• RooFlyer

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And my second, which you saw (mainly Gozo) for anyone else looking:

Post in thread 'Europe, with an Arctic cruise, a Balkan tour and bits of France and Malta'

Jul 2, 2025

Easy arrival, got an Uber to the Fast Ferry (to Gozo) terminal at the Valetta Seaport. There is Uber and Bolt here and many drivers are on both - my Uber arrived with a big 'Bolt' sign on the side. If you come to Malta, get both apps. A couple of times my request for an Uber got the message 'No rides available'.

Gozo is the second of the three main Maltise islands: Its capital is Victoria, also known as Rabat to the locals, reflecting the Ottoman (Islamic) history. In fact Gozo is called Għawdex by the locals (pronounced Awwdesh - the Gh is silent ) but no need to call it that...

• RooFlyer

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[RooFlyer]

Re those TRs - 'Sunday in Scotland' has gone downhill - no need to visit for hot chocolate.

Tip for any Malta newbie. Valetta old town is built around a hill. Many streets are pedestrianised, and many streets heading down the hill towards the water are steps only and occasionally a bit steep, esp if you are hauling luggage. So if you are coming from/to airport, check your accommodation location relative to vehicular streets. If not on a vehicular street, you might be able to plan to be dropped off above your accomm when arriving, so its a downhill walk and vice versa leaving.

 

[GDSman]

Off to the UK on Sunday for first trip of the year - just 4 nights on the ground which I suspect is going to be quite challenging/tiring. Flying EK Y into Birmingham (which is a first) as the customers are nearer there than LHR. Weather looks terrible - I have a bit of driving Wed/Thur/Fri which is going to need some care...

 

[Pushka]

Re those TRs - 'Sunday in Scotland' has gone downhill - no need to visit for hot chocolate.

Tip for any Malta newbie. Valetta old town is built around a hill. Many streets are pedestrianised, and many streets heading down the hill towards the water are steps only and occasionally a bit steep, esp if you are hauling luggage. So if you are coming from/to airport, check your accommodation location relative to vehicular streets. If not on a vehicular street, you might be able to plan to be dropped off above your accomm when arriving, so its a downhill walk and vice versa leaving.

Our original hotel booking made by DIL was a little 'remote' and required multi stairs just to get to restaurants. I'd bought some walking sticks. Then it was changed and is apparently old lady friendly. . We have only visited Malta on a day trip on the ship excursion and did the HoHo bus around the main island. Loved it. But so hot the iPhone gave me a message it was shutting down as it was too hot. Then just had time to go up that elevator and witness the 4pm salute. Really looking forward to wandering around. We are also doing a food tour that son and DIL gave us for Christmas.

Crossing off hot chocolate now. Then we have a week in Lisbon. Off to research that one next. It's quite nice knowing our Moroccan land tour is completely under someone else's control.

 

[RooFlyer]

@Pushka that Moroccan land tour looks great - esp getting way out west! Trust the vehicle will be comfortable. When I was geologising in Morocco I got out west and other places you are going - its in a TR if you want to get a taster.

Thread 'Off the beaten track in Morocco'

Nov 14, 2013

I have some private business interests in Morocco and need to go there once or so a year to check up on things. A major excursion earlier this year took me and colleagues well off the beaten track, into mountains and small town in various parts of the country, but mainly the central SE. This trip report will include the usual 'favorites' such as Marrakech but as I see there have been a couple of TRs to Morocco already, hopefully most of it will cover areas not reviewed before.

Firstly to get there. Whose idea was it to tack the Morocco trip onto some work in western Canada...

• RooFlyer
• Replies: 38
• Forum: Trip Reports

• 

 

[Pushka]

@Pushka that Moroccan land tour looks great - esp getting way out west! Trust the vehicle will be comfortable. When I was geologising in Morocco I got out west and other places you are going - its in a TR if you want to get a taster.

Thread 'Off the beaten track in Morocco'

Nov 14, 2013

I have some private business interests in Morocco and need to go there once or so a year to check up on things. A major excursion earlier this year took me and colleagues well off the beaten track, into mountains and small town in various parts of the country, but mainly the central SE. This trip report will include the usual 'favorites' such as Marrakech but as I see there have been a couple of TRs to Morocco already, hopefully most of it will cover areas not reviewed before.

Firstly to get there. Whose idea was it to tack the Morocco trip onto some work in western Canada...

• RooFlyer
• Replies: 38
• Forum: Trip Reports

• 

Brilliant. There's my morning gone reading it

 

[RB001]

way out west!

By which you mean east?
Marrakesh and Casablanca being the most westerly places on the provided map seem very much on a well-worn path.