Malta Trip a big hit!

Thirty-seven students and staff from Dunstable College set off for a residential study visit to St Julian's in Malta as part of their BTEC Travel and Tourism course. The trip was organised by course tutors and involved a variety of different activities and excursions. First on the itinerary was a day trip to the capital city, Valletta. In order to experience true Maltese life students travelled by local buses appropriately named the 'boneshakers'. Leaving the bus station behind, students and staff headed for Freedom Square where they were able to explore the city for a few hours.

The next day students enjoyed some free time in the resort where the hotel was located. Some enjoyed a trip to the beach whilst others made the most of the Bay Street shops, cafes and restaurants. In the afternoon we enjoyed a short coach trip to the south coast of the island to an area famous for its rocky coastline. We took a boat trip that toured around the Blue Grotto caves and experienced the bright blue water as the sky reflected off the sandy sea bed. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. Pretty multi-coloured "luzzu" fishing boats bobbed up and down in the water as we wandered the street market buying souvenirs, bags and Maltese food delicacies.



The final day was spent in the resort of St Julian's where students enjoyed free time to make the most of the glorious sunshine. This was a great opportunity for students to complete the task of a 'Wish You Were Here' style film.

Course tutor Jo Turney says "Students behaved impeccably and were a credit to our College. They were immensely enthusiastic about all elements of the trip and this helped them gain a valuable insight into the tourism industry as a whole and Malta as a tourist destination. Overall, the trip was a great success and students are now looking forward to planning next year’s trip!"

Student Sammy-Jo Denham adds, “As I had never flown before I was excited and nervous. I was a bit wary of what to do in the airport, but my tutors reassured me with what I had to do. It was good to actually be checking in myself, as I had never done it before and just being told about the checking in process was a whole lot different to doing it in reality.”