Hello, there!
I’m Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon—aka JetSetSarah. And I’m thrilled to be Recommend’s new columnist, and to have the opportunity to share my favorite place on the planet—the Caribbean—with you.
On the personal side, I’m a single, blissfully child-free 50-something who can always find a “shopportunity,” wherever in the world I happen to be. Running is my jam, and during the pandemic I discovered a love for hiking. Professionally, I’m a writer and editor who also appears as a travel expert on TV and radio in the U.S. and Canada. But my favorite job is the one I’ve given myself, that of being a “Carivangelist.”
I’m an evangelist for the Caribbean, with a calling to spread its “gospel”—that the islands are NOT all the same—around the world. The region spans more than a million square miles and is incredibly diverse, with different languages, topography, culture, cuisine, history and music. If you’ve visited, you know that Aruba is very different from Antigua, Anguilla isn’t the same as Abaco, and neither of them compare to Anegada! I want everyone to know that the Caribbean is so much more than swaying palm trees, sandy beaches and colorful umbrella drinks—although who doesn’t love all three of those things?! And as someone with Jamaican and Bajan parents, and who lived in Jamaica for decades, I consider myself its biggest fan. Sharing its places, people and lifestyle through my writing and on-screen appearances (check out my website, JetSetSarah.com) is work I feel honored to do. Because the Caribbean is much more than my beat; it’s my passion.
And in this monthly column I hope to share that passion with you, and, by extension, with your clients. I want everyone to feel the excitement that I do when I first glimpse the emerald carpet of Jamaica’s mountains, the white-sand scallops of Turks and Caicos beaches, or the red roofs of St. Barts through the aircraft window. I want to show you the best parts of “my” Caribbean, like quiet Smith Cove on Grand Cayman, where local chickens may be your only company. Or Pebbles Beach in Barbados, where Cuzz has been serving up his delicious deep-fried fish cutter (sandwich) for more than 70 years. And Mount Scenery on the tiny Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. Climb 2,910 ft. to the top and you’ll not only be at the highest point on the island, you’ll also be at the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands! From private-island resorts (Petit St. Vincent is a favorite) to local art (I love St. Lucian artist Zaka’s colorful wooden sculptures) to unique island quirks (did you know Jamaicans stand for the national anthem before every movie?), if it’s Caribbean, I want to talk about it!
And I’d love for you to join the conversation. Let me know what island intel you want in future columns. Slide into my DMs over on Instagram @JetSetSarah or into Recommend’s DM @Recommendmag. Because, as the saying goes, life needs the Caribbean. And I’m here to deliver it!
