Get Paid To Travel: This Company In Malta Is Literally Paying Its Employees To Go On Holiday
Imagine if your boss came to you one day and said they’d pay for you to go on holiday?
This is literally what happens at Blexr, an iGaming company whose HQ is in Malta. Their employees are given a pretty hefty travel allowance per year that they can use to take a break and travel the world.
And when we say hefty, we mean it.
Blexr employees are given a benefits package made up of €3,600 and 5% of their annual salary
They can splash this cash on a variety of things to make them happy, including exciting travels, wellness (which means they’ll never pay for a gym class again) and tech gadgets –new phone anyone? Using this brilliant benefit for holidays is highly encouraged, as the company’s owners want their staff to explore the world and broaden their horizons.
We caught up with four Blexr employees (a.k.a Blexrians) to find out how they use their travel benefit and to get their top travel tips. And keep reading to find out how Blexr could send you and a friend on your own adrenaline-filled holiday – for free!
Cherrys Ann Sciberras – Finance Assistant
Scotland
I used my travel benefit to explore the Highlands in Scotland. I rented a car with my friends and we visited the Isle of Skye, Glencoe and Portree. We stopped for a quick photo at the Glennfinnan Viaduct on our journey, and being a huge Harry Potter fan, visiting the railway (where the train to Hogwarts was filmed) was a must.
The Isle of Skye is another must-see – safe to say it’s the most beautiful part of the Highlands. We did a lot of hiking when we were there but I particularly enjoyed trekking the Old Man of Storr, Brother’s Point. The fairy pools there were phenomenal – surely another highlight from the trip.
I fell in love with Scotland’s breath-taking views and landscapes – and believe me, there’s no better way to see them than by renting a car and driving around at your own pace.
Think smart when you pack and brace yourself for all kinds of weather, no matter the season. Be sure to pack waterproof, comfortable clothes and bug spray as the hiking can get a little intense.
The Highlands are huge and pretty cut-off from everything else, so you could drive for ages before finding a restaurant. In these situations, your best bet is to meal prep and stock up on food and snacks from supermarkets.
One last thing, if you’re an under-25 driver renting a car there (like us), get ready to pay a lot of money for car insurance. It was very expensive which took us by surprise.
Yana Vella – Company Accountant
South Africa
I used my travel benefit on a South African adventure. We really did a bit of everything on this trip – from safari at the Kruger National Park, to wine-tasting at Stellenbosch. We also couldn’t miss out on some of the must-see attractions like the Victoria Falls and Zambezi river.
Cape Town was by far my favourite place, simply because there was so much to do. The overall atmosphere alone was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. It’s a vibrant town with bright buildings and friendly people.
Horse-riding on the beach in Cape Town was surely one of the top moments for me, having never trotted over sand on horseback before. Boulder Beach was picture-perfect, with amazing views and the opportunity to get up close with some cute African penguins.
If you love good wine – like I do – you must book a wine tour in Stellenbosch. We went there and tasted some excellent limited-edition wines which you won’t get in Malta.
Looking back on the trip, it’s safe to say that it was an overall fantastic experience!
Kuba Bogdanski – Design and Creative Manager
Nepal
Nepal has always been on my list of top five destinations. I’ve dreamt of going for years, then I came to work at Blexr and used the staff travel benefit to make my dream come true.
My hobby is climbing mountains. I went there to come close to Annapurna, which I had read about in one of my favourite books by a fellow mountaineer. It’s one of the deadliest mountains in that area, standing at 8,000m, and I followed the same path to the Annapurna Sanctuary described by the author. I trekked through the Himalayas to get to the base camp, which is about 4,130m high.
The people in Nepal are very friendly and welcoming, the landscape is beautiful, and the food is simple, yet amazing.
One of my highlights has to be the on second night of the trek when we spent the night in a lodge in a really beautiful area. It was just after sunset when the weather cleared up and I could see the very top of the south-side of Annapurna peeking out of a ring of clouds. It was the biggest mountain I’d ever seen in my life.
Another fantastic moment was when I flew really close to the three highest mountains in the area, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu, in a microlight plane. We flew for 40 minutes and I had a great pilot who knew a lot about them and he gave my travel buddy and I extra time in the air. It was amazing!
Seeing Annapurna in real-life after reading about it in a book was honestly a dream come true. Although, I was disappointed and shocked by the amount of pollution in Kathmandu.
It was overcrowded with tourists, there was trash by the river and people were wearing masks because of all the pollution in the air. Also, I was struck by all the poverty next to the luxury hotels – it was quite a contrast. I don’t recommend spending too much time there. I much prefer being out in the natural environment.
I strongly suggest taking your time on a trip to Nepal. Don’t rush your stay. Have a rough idea of your plan but don’t stick to it – the place has its own rhythm.
Gilbert Zerafa – QA Team Leader
Iceland
My journey started by renting a 4×4 car from Keflavik airport and driving to Reykjavik. From there I headed to the Golden Circle, travelling to the volcanos and glaciers in the south of Iceland. I visited beautiful lava fields and amazing spots in the northern part of the country, before driving through the west peninsula and back to Reykjavik.
I spent 10 days going from one place to another, where I covered almost 2,900km and didn’t stop for more than two nights in the same place. That way, I managed to travel around the country and see all of the best spots.
I did several day tours, including one in Landmannalaugar in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, which was one of my favourite places. I saw volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs, geysers, and a very memorable iceberg close to Diamond Beach.
I even went whale watching at Dalvik and came across a wonderful waterfall every couple of miles. It was all incredible.
The landscapes and nature of the place amazed me the most. I saw different scenery every day; from lava fields, to black beaches, ice and snow, mountains, lakes and so much more. It was breath-taking. To be honest, I felt like I was in Game of Thrones or Vikings.
You won’t find any of those natural wonders in Malta, so it was all new to me and that’s why I loved it. The people were great too, and fluent in English so it was easy to communicate. They practically sounded like native English speakers.
One of the only downsides was that dining at restaurants was often pretty expensive and it was also hard to find places to eat when I didn’t spend the night in a proper town.
There was a lot of planning involved before hitting the road each day. It was important to search for supermarkets along the route and plan my meals that way.
Some of the places I visited were very far from each other, sometimes about two hours away, so it’s wise to refuel frequently and ensure that your phone is fully-charged. I recommend sharing the mileage between the people you’re travelling with as it can get tiring at certain points.
Do you want to travel the world? Or are you looking for a job?
If the answer to either question is “yes” then why not check out Blexr’s open positions and apply to become a Blexrian today?
And if you also want to have your holidays paid for, then head to Blexr’s Facebook page where they’re running a competition to send you on a thrilling trip abroad.