Chanel and Stevo, from South Africa, said goodbye to their stable jobs, apartment and life back home and headed out to discover the wonders of the world, hitting upon Malta in the course of their travels.
They blog about and post Instagram shots of all the places they’ve experienced – such as the wide panoramic view from Xlendi Tower and the crisp cave waters in Gozo – dodging large jellies as they took this image!
Sun and sea are not the only qualities of these three islands which spoke to the couple, however: the windmills found in Gozo look like they were a highlight of their trip, as well as the truffle-coloured Fungus Rock.
Over 140,000 people follow the Instagram account Travel the Life, spearheaded by Nadia who, together with her partner Javi (see below), has visited countries such as Turkey, Jamaica and Malta.
In true wanderlust form, images of beaches, vibrant colours and blue sparkling waters all jostle for attention on this account, which constantly aims to engage the viewer through careful curation.
The other half of Travel the Life Javi Cubo may actually be living the way most of us wish we were: experiencing luxury travel across the globe. He has seen over 30 countries, settling down in four of them for a more intimate encounter with their cultures.
Malta’s turquoise and honeyed tones feature prominently on his Instagram account, which boasts a whopping 135,000 followers.
The low-key style of the earlier days of this account and blog have a definite endearing quality about them. You may not experience highly-saturated shots, perfectly poised subjects or life necessarily seen through rose-coloured lenses (not all the time, at any rate).
Matt, a bestselling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, visited the islands in the depth of a Mediterranean winter, during “an unseasonably cold snap”, as he puts it, and as he “sat shivering in a sweater, hat, scarf, and winter coat," he says, "I realized I should have researched the weather a bit more before I came.” But, he did make it before the Azure Window collapsed (by just two months!) and has a photo to prove it!