As you may have noticed from the absence of blog posts and a slight hyperactivity peak in Twitter & Instagram postings, last week I went to Malta! As a part of the MoneySuperMarket Lost Luggage Challenge I was flown to Luqa to attend the amazing Malta Fashion Week. There was only one teeny weeny catch - I had no luggage with me! Do you want to see how I handled the mind-blowing prospect of attending a fashion show without anything more other than what I could squeeze into my little cross-body bag? Read on!

Did you know that 18-25% of travel insurance claims are for items of lost of damaged luggage? Well, this was my turn to live through this nightmare! All I had with me was my passport, phone, camera, some spending money and some very basic touch-up make-up bits & bobs which I managed to cram into the tiny bag! I was wearing a pair of jeans, a shirt and a pair of trainers (which turned out to be the biggest mistake ever - Malta was absolutely boiling at about 30°C).

Arrival & Day 1
As soon as I arrived the trouble began - it was about 5pm and I had no toothbrush, no food, no make-up remover and no deodorant - the sheer panic! Thank God they have Lidl in Malta! Phew! The day was saved, with some Pastizzi (local Maltese pastries) for good night's sleep.

Day 2
Day two was tough - Malta decided to toy with me a little and threw a bus strike my way. That ain't stopping me though - I found my way to Valletta (the capital of Malta and the most beautiful Mediterranean city I've ever been to). Since my first Malta Fashion Week event was starting at around 7pm I didn't have much time to spare. The mad rush around shops began! And it was a success!

Day 3
Day three was ace - I went to Bugibba (a popular tourist resort right at the seaside) where I met my friend who moved from Birmingham to Malta a year ago. The weather was so beautiful - maybe just a little bit too beautiful since I managed to burn my bloody nose! Sigh! After some more exploring of Malta and all its gems I rushed to Valletta for one more Malta Fashion Week event. Both events were absolutely wonderful - I was blown away by how stunning Maltese models are and how they carry themselves on the catwalk!

After two full days in Malta (and a day of travelling to Luqa) I was on my way home to my little Cookie rascal - because he missed me so much, erm, nope! And my final thoughts? Man, it is tough when you're forced to travel without a luggage (or even worse when you take one with but it doesn't arrive to the destination with you!). I used to travel without any travel insurance because I thought I was being oh so cool - yeah, that ain't happening ever again! If you're off for a sunny holiday this month (or anytime soon) go and get yourself a travel insurance, it costs a few quid and can literally save your holiday when things go tits up with your luggage or even flights!

This way I'd like to say a big thank you to MoneySuperMarket for giving me this opportunity (or throwing me in the deep end, depends on which angle you're looking at it!). For more stories from my fellow travellers who also lost their luggage in the Lost Luggage Challenge - click here! Find amazing deals for Maltese breaks here.

Have you ever lost your luggage whilst on route to your holiday destination?
How did you deal with it?

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