My passion for travel sparked when I was twelve. I was a St. Ann girl watching my parents glow with joy and pride as they boarded their very first international flight, from Jamaica to Canada. In that moment, something stirred in me. I knew I wanted to travel too.
My first plan was simple: become a flight attendant. Back then we called them air stewardesses. When my uncle visited from New York and heard my dream, he dismissed it as a glorified waitress in the sky. His words didn't discourage me. If anything, they made me more determined.
After graduating from Ferncourt High School in Claremont, I stepped straight into the travel world. Within weeks, I landed my first job at Martin's Jamaica in Ocho Rios, a tour company with customer service desks in major hotels along the North Coast, from Boscobel to Runaway Bay. I worked at nearly every location, and when needed, I conducted guided bus tours as well.
Sharing Jamaica with the World
Those tours became my classroom and my stage. I shared Jamaica's history, culture, landmarks, language, food, music, and adventure with visitors experiencing it all for the first time. Watching people fall in love with the island I called home was something special, and I loved every minute of it.
Still, I wanted broader experience, so I moved to Hertz Rent A Car at the Kingston airport. That step brought me closer to my childhood dream, and soon after I joined Air Jamaica as a flight attendant.
Those were the days of full meal service and in-flight fashion shows on both short-haul and long-haul routes. The work could be demanding, and sometimes precarious, but I carried Jamaican hospitality with pride on every flight. Even on the most challenging days, I loved the job.
The golden age of Air Jamaica — when Jamaican hospitality took flight across the world
The Loss of a National Treasure
The loss of our national airline has felt deeply personal. Air Jamaica was more than an airline, it was national pride. It was respected across the industry and cherished by travelers around the world. Even now, whenever I pass the Air Jamaica building on Harbor Street in downtown Kingston and see the sign still standing, it feels like a reminder of something we lost as a country. Almost like losing a member of the family.
My hope is that Jamaica will one day again have a national airline flying our flag with pride and strengthening the connection between home and the diaspora. I also look forward to the continued outreach of the Jamaica Tourist Board overseas, keeping Jamaica front of mind for travelers and celebrating everything that makes the island special.
A New Chapter
In 1982, I relocated to the United States, but I never left the travel industry. Over the years, I worked in various roles with major travel companies, serving both business and leisure travelers.
Then in 2017, drawing on a lifetime of experience, I helped create Ajala Group, LLC, a travel tour company. Through Tours by Ajala, we curate travel experiences to destinations across the Caribbean, Latin and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Yet Jamaica remains at the heart of everything we do. There is nothing quite like introducing travelers to our culture, our history, and the beauty of home.
Travel is both educational and joyful. It connects people. It highlights both our similarities and our differences. Most importantly, it opens the mind.
Sharing Jamaica's quiet corners — where the real beauty of the island reveals itself
The Quiet Corners of Home
I also believe there is still so much of Jamaica that many Jamaicans themselves have not experienced. There are quiet corners of the island, remote, peaceful places that invite reflection and appreciation. Some of my favorite tours are the ones that take people deeper into Jamaica, because it feels like sharing something personal. I get to show others a side of home that is familiar to me but new to them.
And along the way, it is the small details that stay with you. The familiar scent of roast yam, saltfish, and breadfruit cooking over a stone and wood fire. The cool mountain air that fills your lungs. The calm of a river that slows your spirit the moment you step near it.
In those moments, I am reminded that home is not only the place we come from. It is an experience we can share.