First Impression: St Julián, Malta

We made it—as did our bags!

Back before nomad-life we never checked bags. Never-ever-ever. Well almost never-ever-ever. For so many reasons. First, our trips were usually pretty short: three or four days to maybe a week most of the time, the longest being the three weeks we spent on safaris in Africa. So it was rare we would need to pack more than a carry-on suitcase worth of stuff. Second, we didn’t want to waste time waiting for our bags. Because our trips were short, waiting for bags to arrive at baggage claim took up precious time that we could be spending with family or adventuring! Third, the fear of the lost bag. Before nomad-life I think I checked a bag twice. And both times the bag was delayed by a day or two. Last, over the years it's gotten more and more expensive to check bags.

There are a lot of nomads that travel with just carry-ons (generally backpacks). We are not those people. We've mentioned in previous posts that we practically travel with a mini kitchen: chef's knife included. Hard to make that work in carry-on luggage!

Two years in and we've been lucky: no excess baggage fees, no lost bags. (Someone knock on some wood, fast!)

But wait! We encountered something strange on our trip from Riga to Malta. Flight one was on Baltic Air to Munich and flight two was on Air Malta. Both were booked on a single itinerary booked through Baltic Air. Carry-on limits were 8kg so we would need to check two bags each. We were allowed one checked bag free with the additional bag to cost $60. No problem—baggage tags were printed, bags tagged and verified checked through to Malta, and down they go on the conveyor belt off to the place bags meet other bags to enjoy the cargo journey together.

Then we arrived in Munich where… <insert ominous music here> the gate agent called our names.

Up I went to the desk thinking (hoping) maybe they wanted to give me an exit row or some other fabulous perk. (A girl can hope!) Instead, the meanest gate agent I've met (and that’s saying a lot!) asked if I had checked bags. I responded yes and handed over the claim tickets. He starts scanning each of the four claims and asked if I've paid for the bags. Again, I say yes. He wants proof that I've paid for the bags. I call Jim over since he’s the one that paid for the bags and has the receipt. The agent tells Jim that the receipt the airline emailed to us isn’t good enough proof that we paid for bags on Air Malta. I have never had to pay for bags for each leg of a flight—or if I did, it wasn't paid in the middle of my flight. The agent said we had to pay for each leg. After asking the gate agent to explain why we would have to pay more and still not understanding the process, we asked how much it would be. His response was, “I don’t know, at least €80 for each bag.” (?!?!?!) Wait, I need to pay for the bags to get on the second flight, but you can't even tell me what I have to pay? Then after much haranguing and discussion, while the last few passengers were boarding the flight right next to us, he said, “forget it.” Ummmm? So I don’t have to pay? My bags will get on the plane? His response, “Go. Just go.”

So, that was an experience… and one more reason to try to get business class when we can (extra free bags, more comfy seats, better snacks) or at least not to fly the dinky little regional airlines. Air Malta + Baltic Air = fail.

But, we have arrived and so did our bags! Malta is a small island—only about nine by seventeen miles and just 122 square miles. For comparison, Rhode Island is 1,214 Sq miles and Hawaii is 10,931 sq mi. It has a population of about 500,000 people, making it one of the ten most densely populated countries in the world. Some other interesting tidbits: they drive on the left, they speak English, and it was a filming location for much of Game of Thrones in Season 1.

We’re excited to get some hikes in and explore the cliffs around the island as well as some snorkeling! The weather is a nice change from Latvia—sunny and in the 80s—so I'm finally getting my Irish tan back and Jim has already been mistaken for being Mediterranean with his tan.

(click on the pictures below for uncropped versions)