Lisbon has been in the spotlight for a few years now. Its unique colorful style, harmonious without being uniform, has stood the test of time since it was rebuilt after the earthquake in 1755 (as told by Volaire in Candide) under the direction of the “Marquês de Pombal.” Not only are the constructions esthetically pleasing, but they had built-in innovative seismic resistant features that still stand today. Lisbon’s hills provide breathtaking panoramic views and it is one of the few cities where you can have a city break but also go to the beach in 30 minutes. Lisbon is truly built outward, towards the Tagus River and the Atlantic.

The reason for this is Portugal’s sea faring past, which is nothing short of legendary, having conquered the Cape of Good Hope and reached India and China by sea before any other European countries. This was made possible by important innovations in the construction of caravels, and also by an unwavering will to explore the world. Portugal has the longest standing borders in Europe which have not changed in over 500 years: their only way to expand was towards the sea. This spirit is engrained in Portuguese culture, and Fernando Pessoa says it best in his poem “Portuguese sea”:

Oh salty sea, how much of your salt

Are tears of Portugal!

To get across you, how many mothers cried,

How many sons prayed in vain!

How many brides were never to marry

In order to make you ours, oh sea!. 

Was it worth it?  Everything is worthy. 

If the soul is not small.

Who wants to go beyond Bojador,(*)

Must go beyond sufferance.

God gave the sea peril and abyss,

Yet upon it He also mirrored the sky.

English translation by A. Baruffi, Literary Joint

(*) Cape Bojador

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This small country which conquered much of the known world a few centuries back lives in the shadow of these conquests and with the memory of men gone to sea and never coming back. This has resulted in a somewhat matriarchical society (children will bear the mother rather than the father’s name) and in the development of the uniquely portuguese feeling of “saudade“, described as “a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves”.

To me, Portugal’s irresistible charm stems not only from this heritage, but most of all from its people. Smaller countries often make humbler and more open citizens. This is particularly true for Portugal, which has been looking outward for the past 500 years. While Portugal is resolutely Catholic and traditional in many ways, the emigration and repatriation of many Portuguese people means that you will have no trouble finding someone who speaks English, French or Spanish, and there is a true appreciation of foreigners who are welcome with open arms. Don’t get me wrong, Portuguese people are quite proud of their country and they cannot seem to leave their love of national football teams behind.

But do not take my word for it. Whether you are visiting Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve or touring the Douro’s wine regions, you will be amazed by the understated awesomeness Portugal has to offer. You will not be disappointed.

L’article Why do I love Lisbon? est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

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Then, little by little we started to be more careful when advising our students on their travel plans, quickly having to rule out coming to Malta via Spain (excluding a big share of flights from Latin America) to figure out a few days later that international travel would be stopped shortly. On March 21^st Malta closed down its airport – just in time for me to move during  the pandemic. Contingency plans had to be developed, with large cost-cutting measures that would allow us to weather the biggest crisis this century hitting the tourism and international study sectors. We are reassured for having created a lean start-up with few financial commitments, as we are able to maintain our operations for quite some time while searching for new income sources. 

I would also single out the following three aspects: 

• Firstly, the creation of outreach initiatives that have allowed us to build our brand and reputation while proudly being faithful to our mission of helping people make the most out of an international experience. We launched a free consultation on Covid-19 legal status and repatriation queries for Latin American students in Malta, as well as a mentoring programme to support young professionals in reaching their international aims. 
• Secondly, applying for Government Covid-19 support schemes, which go towards supporting wages, rent and utilities. Malta’s Covid-19 Government support package represents a whopping 22% of GDP, making Malta the world’s largest spender on Covid-19 relief measures in proportion to their GDP. 
• Thirdly, the creation of new partnerships and our commitment to establish ourselves as a recognized actor in the Maltese education sector. We have recently been granted a Ministry of Tourism compliance certification and just joined the Maltese Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber, which will strengthen our connection to local partners, opening new collaboration opportunities. 

The biggest test however has been the complete overhaul of our business plan and devising new income streams during the worst economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. This is particularly difficult considering the nature of our business depends on transatlantic travel, unlikely to resume before some time in 2021. The start-up nature of Boom Malta and its staff who is committed to success make this leap forward somewhat of an adventure and interesting challenge, a gamble that may well pay off. An important guide for us has been our company values, ethics and not losing sight of our mission to make people’s overseas experience as enjoyable as possible – which we can still do and has become more important in the context of Covid-19. While we cannot control the global economic or pandemic situation, every crisis has hidden opportunities and we intend to put everything at work to make the most of them. 

L’article Opening a company during COVID-19 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

As time passed and Covid-19 appeared increasingly frequently on the news, I started to get nervous. I was afraid I would not be able to move. I then decided to move in 72 hours. I have moved some 20 times in my life but never on such short notice. I managed to sell most of my furniture and my bike to some guy that had to go to Lille but could not go by train. I booked a plain ticket the day before Belgium locked down, arriving to Malta 3 days before the airport closed. Which is to say, I made it just in time.

Once I arrived in Malta, I had to do a 2-week mandatory quarantine. Malta never declared a lock-down, except for some 120,000 of its most vulnerable citizens and for people coming from abroad. Yet the island was quiet – people were simply being responsible. Except some bikers who decided to make the most of the reduced traffic by racing in the islands’ expressways. Upon arriving to the flat I had rented back in February, I was surprised to see a wonderful welcome basket from my landlord – needless to say none of my previous landlords had provided such a nice “attention”.

In those 2 weeks I managed to start getting things done to get my official residency and discovered a plethora of online services to deliver everything from food to DIY material. Most governmental services in Malta are accessible online and there is a centralised help centre to help you understand the country’s (somewhat complicated) bureaucracy. I also found out that despite the temperatures being mild during the day my flat was cold as soon as the sun dipped – part of me was missing the central heating from my Brussels flat.

Two weeks after arriving I could finally go out and explore. First thing I did was to go and get some 8 or 9 20-30kg boxes I had sent from Brussels through the post – they constituted, in fact, all my possessions. Every single one of them arrived, albeit some in poor state due to some very bad packing on my end. I also began discovering the different beaches and going to the sea almost daily.

In the meantime, I was following local news and was glad to have arrived in the European country that managed the Covid-19 crisis the best. With only 9 deceased for some 665 cases, Malta has fared extraordinarily well for a country with a large share of an older population. The secret to their success was the swift reaction of the authorities in closing the island, the isolation of most vulnerable people and the third highest rate of Covid-19 testing in the world. Malta also repatriated several thousand foreigners that were stranded. While “non-essential” shops were closed, some economic activities continued and people were always prompt to respect government directives related to Covid-19.

Support for businesses was quickly mobilised and consequential in terms of their size, representing some 22% of GDP and making Malta the world’s largest spender on Covid-19 relief measures in proportion to their GDP. This is crucial in a small island depending on tourism for 30% of its GDP and goes towards helping companies pay salaries, rent, tax relief…A few months after Covid-19 hit Malta and except for the ubiquitous face masks and hygienic gel, you would not know there has even been a pandemic.

I feel extremely lucky to have choose Malta as my destination, as my experience of moving during the pandemic would probably be different if I had decided to move to the UK or Brazil. I think the advantage of being a small island state is evident but should also serve as a lesson for the future: decisive action in early stages of a crisis as well as ambitiously responding to challenges raised are key to weathering an emergency and emerging relatively unscathed.

L’article Moving to Malta during the Covid-19 pandemic est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.