Copy My Trip: Best things I did on a five-day Mediterranean break in Malta

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Say “Italian Riviera” and most people’s eyes light up. East of Genoa, the rainbow-coloured villages of Cinque Terre and bobbing superyachts of tiny Portofino are etched in travellers’ imaginations. But this is only half the story – the Riviera di Levante half. West of the Ligurian capital, skirting the coast for 150km to the French border, the Riviera di Ponente takes over, revealing beaches and wild mountain scenery every bit the equal of its sibling. And for those in the know, its mix of culture, outdoors and fine cuisine makes it irresistible.

As a family sat vigil over a coffin containing the body of an elderly relative, the wooded hills around their apartment building in Palermo burned from wildfires. Winds blew the blazes closer, torching cars, dumpsters, sheds and electricity poles. Then the flames licked the apartment building, forcing its inhabitants to flee.

AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).

This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can find amazing deals on hotels, vacations, group trips, travel gear and more—without leaving your home. We’re scouring the web for the best deals for travelers and will list them all right here.

Honeymoons can be pricey, but one couple found a money-saving hack that slashed their resort package by $1,000. 

Last month, I found myself in Hội An, Vietnam, with a single objective: to have some clothes custom-made in the tailoring capital of the world.

Repeated heatwaves and growing fears about the climate crisis may spell the beginning of the end for the Mediterranean as a holiday destination, according to a report published by the European Travel Commission.

It’s hard to encapsulate the full depth and variety of the USA – any nation that can marry cities as life filled as New York, San Francisco and LA with landscapes as breathtaking as those of Alaska, Arizona and Hawaii is beyond easy summary. Its rewards come in droves, from all-American icons like baseball, blues and bourbon to the unbridled spectacles like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

For a few chunks of rock in the southern Mediterranean, Malta is a hugely versatile destination. Like its unique language, the country is an intriguing blend of Italian, Arabic and British influences, a legacy of centuries of invasion and assimilation.

Stranded in the Mediterranean between Europe and North Africa, Malta has always attracted curious travellers. It has been colonised by everyone from the French to the Phoenicians, its culture, language and architecture shaped by many civilisations – but even more than this by the rocky land itself. Malta today is full of intriguing contradictions: a southern European culture with a Semitic language; a deeply Catholic population with some impressively progressive social policies; and home to both harmonious limestone cityscapes and monolithic concrete hotel complexes.

Georgia, nestled in the Caucasus Mountains, is well known for its strong traditions and the vintage appeal of its capital, Tbilisi. Until recently the country was mostly frequented by tourists from neighbouring Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia.