Why did we go

• to Malta? -- It's a new country on our list
• to Sardinia? -- It's Italian (and we haven't been there before)
• to Corsica -- A friend of ours arranges bicycle tours there (and we haven't been there before)

How big are these countries?

Place	size in miles squared	population	density (p/sq mi)
Malta	122	431,333	3536
Sardinia	9,301	1,663,000	179
Corsica	3,351	322,120	96
In contrast:
Gabriola Is.	22	4500	202
Vancouver Is.	12,079	748,937	62

Thoughts

• Malta is reasonably priced, the people speak English, it's warm/hot, has an extensive bus system and plenty of stuff to see for up to a week.We didn't need to arrange tours as the bus took us everywhere and sights were described in English.
• Sardinia is a little more expensive, has reasonable public transport, Cagliari is a great place to arrange tours (in English) and it's easy to spend at least a week here.
• Corsica is as expensive as the continent, is lightly populated (so little interurban transport), impossible to arrange day tours without being there. If you greet people in French and ask if he/she speaks English, that person may talk to you or at least work with you. It's best to bring or arrange your own transport and speak French. As mentioned, it is a wilderness country that requires local support to explore.
• It was possible to book hotels or apartments, ferries, flights and car in advance of the trip.