To Drive or Not to Drive…

Whenever we travel, one of the major questions during the planning phase is - do we rent a car or use public transportation? One must consider many factors before they jump into a one-ton piece of metal and venture into the land of the unknown. Cost tradeoffs, the availability of public transportation, and time considerations are just a few of things that needed to be mulled over before we made our decision. Going into this trip it appeared to be a simple decision:  a) A car would give us the flexibility we desire to explore the island on our schedule.  b) A car hire in Malta was just too reasonable to pass up.  c) And although there is great public transportation, time was our major factor.  Rent a car for this trip - Check that off the list of things to do!

We did pause to weigh the British factor. Malta does follow the UK rules of driving on the left with the steering wheel on the right. I have driven on the left in the Caribbean with no problems, and the availability of automatic transmission cars made the decision easier. I do not think I would be comfortable driving on the left and shifting gears with my left hand in reverse order. I am ambidextrous, as well as, dyslexic so things on the other side and backwards sometimes make sense. However, in this case, a manual shift car just seemed too big of challenge. With the automatic just a few euros more, I was comfortable with reserving a vehicle.


Fast forward a few days… Janet begins looking at the latest copy of Virginia Living Magazine and lo and behold, the travel section’s featured article is “Marvelous Malta”. The publication has beautiful photos splashed all over the pages making us say - YES, we made the right decision! Janet begins reading aloud and in the first sentence (I am not kidding) the author writes, “…whatever you do, do not rent a car”. There is a pause in her reading as we both stare at each other. The author goes on to recount where he has driven, (some of which I have said sorry no car... we will be using public transportation) and why Malta is the worst place he has ever driven. He gets the rent a car from the airport to his hotel where he parks it for the rest of the week. Uh Oh – do we need to cancel the car? It is time to do some serious research on driving in Malta!

So querying the repository of all information in the world, GOOGLE, the first item I find is the following quote:

"In the United Kingdom they drive on the left, in the United States they drive on the right. In Malta we drive in the shade and try to avoid the potholes!."

Even the official tourist website for Malta states, “If you intend to rent a car and drive in Malta, it is advisable to take out comprehensive insurance.”

(Picture from Malta Today 29 September 2015)

Drilling down further into the subject, I was amazed to find a plethora of YouTube Videos documenting driving experiences in Malta.  One of the videos captured a US driver and a Maltese driver squaring off in a small back street.  Not a pretty story... Not sure I would call the American an ambassador of good will either.

After watching just a few of these video shorts, I was second guessing my initial decision regarding driving. I am positive Janet’s ankle would not be able to take the pressure of slamming her foot to the floorboard continuously, and I was concerned that my ears would have a constant ringing from my name being screamed at close range frequently and often.  So real were these concerns that I had a dream last week where I was back in Cairo during rush hour.  Cars were everywhere, and my iPod was on full volume.  The cars horns beeping and the rock opera Tommy blaring in my ears...

Honk Honk Honk Tommy Honk Tommy Honk Tommy Tommy Tommy can you hear me?

HMMMM… what should we do?

I am glad we had the foresight and were wise enough not to pick up the rent a car at the airport after 20 hours of traveling.  Experiencing the roads on Malta for the first time exhausted is and would be a bad plan. A cab driver will be waiting at the airport for us with one of those nice little signs saying Tom and Janet.  Ahh... the music in my head stops.

Malta does offer an Explore Card for €21 (€15 for children) that gives you unlimited bus travel for 7 days around the island. Sounds good, but these buses stop everywhere and a short 20-minute drive can become a 1 hour 15 minute adventure. However, I would guess the chances of arriving safely increases dramatically, and the frustration of looking for a parking place disappears.

With unlimited travel, the 7-Day Explore Card offers the transportation needed to explore all parts of the islands, and it also includes buses on Gozo. One can hop on or off as many times as you want, at any time. It appeared an alternative plan was developing.  So I reached out for advice on a travel board (TTOL) which I participate on.  My hope was to receive some advice or words of encouragement on this topic.  Only received one response, but it was enough.  At last we made a decision to stick with the car and be in control of our own density.

With our driving decision made, my other conundrum with vehicles in Malta needed to be addressed. I did some research, and may have found a way to eliminate my concerns about parking. I discovered that Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini) is the unofficial patron saint of parking spaces. She is also known, and more importantly, as the patron saint of immigrants. God knows she is a busy woman these days, but hopefully she will hear my prayer when I say, “Mother Cabrini, Mother Cabrini, please find a spot for my little auto machini.” 

Now I know some of you pre-Vatican II Catholics will go with St Anthony as your stand by for parking places, but it appears Mother Cabrini, the first US citizen to be canonized as a saint, has moved into his spot. (excuse the pun) 

So now, I am no longer worried about parking or driving in Malta! However, thoughts and prayers are still welcome.