Cruise Chatter and Caribbean Highlights with JetSet Sarah

This time, the effervescent Sarah Greaves Gabbadon, better known as Jet Set Sarah, joins me to share her knowledge, expertise, and recommendations. As a travel journalist who has been all over the Caribbean and the world, Sarah inspires and educates thousands not only with her written words but also with her colorful pictures and videos on Instagram. 

In this episode Sarah and I reminisce about our chance encounter that led to a lasting bond and we dive into her impact on Caribbean travel reporting. Sarah's flair for fashion and commitment to the cultural diversity of the islands bring an insider's perspective that is quite refreshing.

Our conversation takes you from luxury cruises to the simple pleasures of Caribbean KFC. It is as diverse as the islands themselves.  Sarah lends her expertise, highlighting the importance of finding the perfect cruise match for an authentic local experience.

Join us for this memorable episode full of laughter, insights, and island adventures.

Follow Sarah on Instagram and make sure you visit her website for more travel stories and recommendations.

Awaken your BEST LIFE  and join me, your host and island friend, Riselle at my island home St. Maarten for 5 amazing days of luxury, fun, wellness and  personal growth.

The Island Awakening Luxury Retreat is a retreat like no other and a unique way for you to dedicate some time to yourself in the company of like-minded people. Don't hesitate because space is limited. Visit the website to secure your spot.

Top Villas has the best selection of luxury villas in the best spots in the Caribbean. Visit Top Villas now to start planning your dream Island Getaway. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 2:04

Hey, it's your island friend, rizal, and I am not only grateful you could make a time to listen to this episode, but I am also super happy that you're here, because today's guest is no stranger to the Caribbean travel scene at all. She is the colourful Sarah Graves Gabbadon, also known as Jet Set Sarah. She's a well-known, well-traveled and very well-liked travel writer. She's a fashionista and she's a dear friend of mine. Funny story actually I met Sarah some years back when I spotted her during one of her layovers here in C-Martin and I totally sprinted up to her, not ran, I sprinted to, just to tell her that I was a fan of her work. At that time I was gobbling up whatever she was posting on social media I still do, by the way and she was definitely one of my idols. So I had such a girl crush on Sarah back then and I think to this day she is one of my favourite people. But at the time I was aspiring to be a travel writer like her. So we started talking and we became friends. So fast forward to years later and she is still someone I admire deeply. I love her work ethics, her dedication to the craft, her attitude, her professionalism and definitely her fashion sense.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Before we go into today's conversation with her, I want to again tell you how grateful I am for you listening to Paradise Perspectives, because I know you have so many options when it comes to podcasts. Today and this time you chose this particular show, so I thank you. If you were listening on Apple Podcast, I would love it, absolutely love it if you could leave a review and let me know what you like about this particular podcast. So now, without much further ado, here is my conversation with the fabulous woman, sarah Graves Gabadon. Take a listen In the virtual studio today virtual, I'm having such a difficult time, but I have work right now. So in the virtual studio is none other than the delightful. Sarah Graves Gabadon, I'm so happy you could make the time.

Speaker 1: 4:27

I'm so, so happy that you're here.

Speaker 2: 4:30

I am so happy that we get a chance to talk to each other, because we haven't talked for a while. Oh my God, I feel like we have a lot to care for one Caribbean wise too. I'm really thrilled to be here, so thank you for asking me. It's my pleasure.

Speaker 1: 4:43

Oh my gosh, I am really, really happy you said yes because I know how busy you are, I know you're traveling all the time and I also know that you and I have been friends and, like you said, I was like we've been friends for a while but we haven't actually connected. I think the last time that we saw each other was a few years. It was going to be like almost two years ago, and Anguilla ain't that crazy, that is absolutely crazy yeah wow, that is absolutely amazing.

Speaker 2: 5:10

But you know, Anguilla is one of our favorite islands, right? We both love Anguilla and try to get there as much as we can, and now we have direct flights from Miami to Anguilla. So what can I tell you? It makes it so much better.

Speaker 1: 5:21

No, really, I don't have an excuse, because Anguilla is, for me, just a 20 minute ferry ride away, so we need to make this happen, girlfriend.

Speaker 2: 5:30

We're going to call our mutual friend Trudy, yes, and we're going to tell her we're coming over. Yes, the three musketeers together, I'm going to keep. Anguilla, all sorts of red and blue, turquoise, blue, Caribbean blue.

Speaker 1: 5:44

Poor Anguilla is all I can say. Oh my gosh, it's three of us together, not good thing, but okay. So I want to. Before I introduce you officially, or before I let you introduce yourself officially to our friend that's listening right now, I want to just tell you how beautiful you look right now and you're always super colorful. You are always like. You know. Your eyes. You have that blue which inspired me to start using blue eyeshadow for you know, for a change. And yes, you are looking magnificent and now you've done something new with your hair.

Speaker 1: 6:26

I don't know what you're doing, but it suits you, and I don't know if it's because it's Valentine's Day at the time of recording this, but you are like oh, it's a vision.

Speaker 2: 6:37

Oh, thank you, I listen, I am very, if you know me at all from you know, in real life or on social media. The thing is I am very invested in my appearance, right, I mean, I know no shame about that. I say to people you know, I get dressed for myself, I wear all my bright colors and my accessories and my blue eyeliner for myself. But I like to say it's also a public service, because I just look at myself for five minutes before I leave the house, but other people have to look at me all day. So I like to give your eyes something interesting to rest upon. So really it's a public service and I'm glad to know it's an appreciated result. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1: 7:14

It is definitely appreciated and inspiring because you inspire. I think since you started doing this, I bet blue eye pencils sales have gone up tremendously. Listen, I want to talk more. You need a cut of that. You definitely need a cut of that it was an incident.

Speaker 2: 7:33

We have social media actually to quote unquote blame for it, because it started on. Instagram started to feed me all these ads for a Shiseido blue mascara and I bought the mascara and then I thought oh, I love this so much, what about an eyeliner? And then I went whole hog and then we had the pandemic and we couldn't you, everyone had a mask. And so I said wait, a second. Listerner is a new lipstick, and that was my permission. Brilliant, brilliant.

Speaker 1: 8:01

So the bright blue.

Speaker 2: 8:03

I was in it and I still love it, and now I'm branching out to other colors too. I like a good green, like a green, but really and truly blue is my favorite.

Speaker 1: 8:13

Oh, and it suits you so well, girlfriend. It suits you so, so well. All right, so I want you to tell our listener today a little bit about yourself and how you got into being the Caribbean travel icon that you are right now. You are the person that has been inspiring people to travel to the Caribbean for so long, and since recently, you'll have now started inspiring people to travel outside of the region as well, to so many other places you know. So how did this start for you?

Speaker 2: 8:46

You know that's a very long story because I'm not a young person. I am going to be 58 with you. Good to say, it's important to say. I'm just setting you know. For those who cannot see me, I'm going to tell you I'm 58 years young and so I've been in this game for a long time. And really, in a nutshell, I was born in England, but my parents are both from the Caribbean. My mother is from Barbados, my father is from Jamaica. I was born in England but I spent a lot of my time in Jamaica. I went to high school, I went backwards and forwards between England and Jamaica for my whole childhood. I went to high school in Jamaica, I went to university in England and then I ended up working in Jamaica for a while. Blah, blah, blah, and I came to Miami where I live now South Florida, if you can believe it, 21 years ago 2003, somehow 21 years ago. I don't know how that's possible.

Speaker 1: 9:38

How is that even possible? Like, I saw something the other day that somebody said you know, back in the 90s, like what, 30 years ago? I'm like what? No, no, it's 30 years ago, what yeah?

Speaker 2: 9:51

Well, anyhow, you know I think this all comes from, I'm someone who likes to be happy. I feel like that's my number one job is to be happy. So I like to follow my passions. And my passion for travel, I think, was stoked by my parents. They're the one who gave me it, because my first memory in life ever of anything is when I was probably three and a half years old and we were taking a plane from England to Jamaica and I had the windows and I looked outside and I remember this clearly the cloud. I looked at the clouds passing by and I said to my mother mommy, mommy, the clouds are upside down because, of course, as a three and a half year old, we used to keep looking up and seeing them, and now I could look down and see them and it blew in my mind. So I think that's what started my love of travel.

Speaker 2: 10:37

And you know, we were a typical Caribbean family where we always had we lived in England but we always had relatives coming backwards and forwards from the Caribbean to us and we would go to the Caribbean, I would go to Barbados, I would go to Jamaica. So you know, travel wasn't even anything that special. I mean, everybody was doing it and then I just realized. So I did a degree fast forward. I did a degree in hotel management and I had to work for a year at Hedonism Resort in Jamaica, which is a. So that was interesting.

Speaker 1: 11:13

You did it.

Speaker 2: 11:13

You did it On my website I need to go and look that up, you just want to bring that up and you, you in your family, and it helps to keep those friends here.

Speaker 2: 11:19

I wrote about it because I went back 30 years later and it was interesting to see how it had and had not changed and how I had and had not changed. But anyway, so I did my year long internship there, ended up working in PR for sandals and then crossing over, just really kind of burning out on PR and really leaning into the writing part of it, and so I started to write, probably oh gosh, I don't know in the late 90s, I don't know, but anyway I started to write and my whole mission as Jetset Sarah I call myself a caravangelist, right, because I'm spreading the gospel of the Caribbean and the gospel of the Caribbean, as you and I both know, rizel, is that the islands are not the same.

Speaker 1: 12:03

Oh my gosh Spraych.

Speaker 2: 12:05

It's not the same as Antigua, it's not the same as Aruba, right, and people have never been to the Caribbean, but it's just all palm trees and beaches and it's all the same and it's not at all. So my mission is to show people the diversity of the Caribbean our culture, our food, our people, yes, our beaches, yes, our attractions. But I want to get across to people. Look, I mean, I love the beach just as much as anybody else and I understand you book a Caribbean vacation, you want to spend a lot of beach time.

Speaker 1: 12:37

Of course.

Speaker 2: 12:39

My job is done if I can encourage you to take an afternoon a day, maybe, maybe just a couple of hours, step out of the resort and experience the culture of where you are. Because if you go to the Caribbean and all you do is lie on the beach, you do yourself such a disservice and you do the people who live there such a disservice because we are so much more in the beach. Right Way back in the way back, the Jamaica Tourist Board used to have an ad and it went we're more than a beach, we're a country. Now, I don't know who remembers that, I don't even know how I remember that it was probably the very early 80s, but I've always thought about that. That applies to all of the Caribbean. We are so much more than a beach. We are diverse, distinct countries, and that's my mission. And so now fast forward to now. I write for some really prestigious publications like Travel and Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler, food and Wine. Even. I also do on camera stuff, so I am a travel expert.

Speaker 1: 13:43

Yes, you are.

Speaker 2: 13:46

Making us all so, so proud by the way, oh listen, I have never been a shy person and the other thing I wanted to be was an actress when I was young. So, as you can tell, not shy and retiring.

Speaker 1: 13:56

Why am I not surprised? Why am I not?

Speaker 2: 13:59

surprised. So I do. I have a guest spot on a show called the Social in Canada, which is sort of like their equivalent of the view that we have here in the US. I go on and I talk about travel, mostly Caribbean travel, and I love it. I mean, I keep saying I get so much joy and I find it so rewarding to travel the Caribbean, but I get equal amounts of joy sharing those travels with people, which is why I just love social media, because that allows me to take you along with me in real time in my stories to whatever, whichever island, whichever country I'm experiencing at the time and I love, love, love. That I know. For a lot of people, social media is a chore. For a lot of content creators and writers they feel, oh my God, it's a chore for me. I love it, I will stay up till two o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 2: 14:50

You know, just kind of filling you in through my stories on what happened today.

Speaker 1: 14:55

And it's so funny you mentioned that because I was thinking the same thing Sometimes I follow. I love your stories, by the way, which are every day. You're posting something that's like you know, that's so captivating. You want to know about this story from the beginning till the end, especially when you're traveling. But sometimes I'm even. I'm looking at this and I'm like how, how does she do it? How do you actually think? Now, I know you do spend time all the way in the early morning hours to actually get all the stories up. Wow.

Speaker 1: 15:27

That's dedication, but that means you love it.

Speaker 2: 15:31

Yes, I don't feel like work to me. I do feel a responsibility. I do try to. I try not to be up at two o'clock in the morning posting those stories. As you may know, I'm an early morning person, so I see my seventh sleep because usually by nine o'clock I'm out. But I just feel a responsibility and I also don't want to have to do it the next morning. I like to keep us on track. So in the 24 hour period you're going to see my 24 hours as live as we can possibly get it.

Speaker 1: 16:00

Oh, fantastic, and we love you for it. Thank you so much for all of the stories that you post every day, and also the posts because and now you have a second account as well, which is more about your style, which is also captivating. You know, we spoke about the eyeshadow and the eye pencil and the hair. Oh, my gosh, love the hair, but you always wear such bright colors, so it had to you had to.

Speaker 2: 16:30

I wore it once and it never worked for me. I had to go home in the middle of the day because I felt like a different person, literally. That's no joke. That's it. That's the. That's the truth. But yes, I have an account on Instagram called Jet Set Shops and it's really my style and OOTD feed and I just, you know, I just one of the ways that I express myself as a creative person is through how I look, what I wear, what I'm carrying, the makeup, my hair. To me, that is a that is just a fantastic way to express who I am without even saying a word. I don't have to open my mouth. People see me and immediately will have an impression of me before I've even spoken to them, right? So, and I told you, I'm very invested in my appearance. So, yes, if you go to Jet Set Shops, you can see all the stuff that I'm wearing. I'm very much a sneaker head in my old age. I love a good sneaker, love a good eyeshadow. Oh, love a good hat, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:29

Oh, my God, don't forget the hat.

Speaker 2: 17:31

Yes, with a new hat. I don't know how we're going to fit the hat, but anyway, yes, I love hats. I think, just like our friend Trudy, who loves her festive headgear, she does I too, like a good hat or a fascinator. I wear these hats that are. Listen, let me tell you something the quickest, if you're feeling socially lazy, like if you go out sometimes I go out and I'm really in the mood to talk. If I put a hat on, it does all the work for me, because people I could stand in the corner and people come up to me and say, oh, I love your hat, where's it from? And so it does all the work for me. So I love hats too. I don't know how they're going to work Fantastic With the new hair because, as some of you may know, I have had dreadlocks for the longest time.

Speaker 2: 18:19

This was my second or third set and this set is about six years old and I always wear it up in a bun and it was very much my security blanket. But I just felt like, especially as you get older, it's easy to fall into a style rut, and my friends are like Sarah, you're never going to fall into a style rut, but I kind of felt like you know what, it's time to change it up. I am still who I am, regardless of whatever hat I'm wearing. So it took four days, but I combed out my bun.

Speaker 2: 18:53

Yeah, it took a long time, but here we are with this fabulous fro which is rapidly graying, and I'm actually looking forward to being a fully silver fox and having it Me too.

Speaker 1: 19:03

I am so looking forward to that. I get so jealous of people who actually have this like complete gray and I'm like oh that's what I want right now, you know.

Speaker 2: 19:14

Instagram has so much inspiration in terms of people, women, who are fashionable and of a certain age and fully gray and look amazing. When I first cut off my locks about 10 years ago, it was because I was going gray and I did not see any any role models out there for gray hair. There was only Toni Morrison who had gray locks, and this is like 30 years older than me. So I cut it off because I thought, no, I can't have gray locks. But now you want to see gray locks, gray froes, whatever I mean, it's all there.

Speaker 1: 19:50

So much inspiration, so much, and the look is looking fabulous again. It's just the change was great, the locks was great. We love the locks as well, but this totally works with your face so fantastic, I am loving it. Now, obviously, since this is a travel podcast, we need to talk about travel. We need to talk about Caribbean travel, and I'm so, so happy that you mentioned you know your reason for wanting to inspire people to travel to the Caribbean and share all that you know and all the places that you visit, because you want people to know about more than just some sentencing. So, so value that. It's the reason why I started doing what I'm doing too, so that's where we align.

Speaker 2: 20:32

And you do it so well?

Speaker 1: 20:33

Seriously, I did not tell you oh, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2: 20:36

And what, what everyone is going to set. Martin, I'm like you need to get in touch with Rizelle. She needs to take you on a tour. Here's the truth you and I need more time together in Saint Martin. Oh, my gosh, I would like to a Rizelle tour because I see those photos you post on my oh, I don't know where that is.

Speaker 1: 20:53

I want to go there Exactly. It's like every single time you have been here it has been for like an hour or less. We never had. It was always like when you're on your way to somewhere else, so we need to have that full day. But I'm just going to let you know that we are here to stay, so we'll do that. But you've been telling me that for some time. It's just for real now.

Speaker 2: 21:10

It's a 20, 24 hour year 2021 is our year Podcast listeners. Oh my gosh, 2024. I am coming to St Martin and I will be staying in St Martin for a protractive Amalka Center.

Speaker 1: 23:08

So, rizelle you and me. I'm going to be your official guide. You know I'm going to be picking you up from the airport and I'm going to be like next to you, like glue. You know that. Okay, so continue in this conversation. Like, you and I are very much aligned when it comes to that. There is, however, one thing that you and I are not exactly on the same level with, let me hear, and that is cruising. I just haven't been able to, but I so admire and I love your stories whenever you are on a cruise. Cruise is not for everybody. It clearly isn't. I'm not. I'm not a cruise person, but I thought this was very interesting to ask you, especially now that we have the cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger. Icon of the seas Just actually was just here yesterday, oh God really, with a whole fanfare.

Speaker 2: 24:04

Exactly.

Speaker 1: 24:07

And this is actually one of the reasons why I don't like it, because I see what it happens on the island when we get like a multitude of tourists arriving. But I've only had one cruise experience in my entire life and I was 13. Got seasick, never went back on board. The cruise ships at that time were the size of mega yachts right now. So you know, this is back in the early 90s, so we can't even compare. This is like apples and pears. You can't even compare it to cruising now. Now I have this question for you If you were to convince me to go on a cruise one, how would you convince me? And two, which cruise would you tell me to go on?

Speaker 2: 24:50

Okay. So yes, I am. I have cruised a lot. I live in Miami. It's a cruise capital of the world so I've cruised a lot, not just in the Caribbean but to other destinations further afield, including the Arctic last summer.

Speaker 1: 25:04

But anyway, we'll get to that. I love the island, by the way.

Speaker 2: 25:08

Right. So here's the thing about cruising. It is not for everybody, but the cruise industry has a very loyal following, and the cruise industry has also recognized that its core market older people with time and money to spend is aging out, and so they are marketing themselves to people your age, my age and younger as something cool. You only have to look at Virgin voyages.

Speaker 1: 25:38

Oh my gosh yes.

Speaker 2: 25:40

I also only line. I will tell you I've never actually never been on Virgin voyages, but every single person I know, whether they're a civilian or whether they're a traveler, it was amazing. I would spend my money and do it myself In the case of travel writers. So I will just say here's the thing not every cruise cruising in general is not for everybody. I mean, if you don't want to be surrounded by people and you get seasick all the time, clearly it's not for you. But I will say it's just like picking the right cruise is crucial, and so I always recommend to people that they go with a cruise specialist in terms of a travel advisor, because it's an art to match the right person with the right cruise line, with the right ship and with the right itinerary.

Speaker 2: 26:26

When you get all those things right, it's a love connection. Get any one of those things wrong, it's disastrous. So for someone like you, first of all, the sea sickness. You went when you were 13, and I know that you recognize that ships are different now, but they're not just bigger. Ships have such stabilization technology now, but honestly, the sea has to be so rough for you to feel the motion. For me that's a bit disappointing, to be honest, because I love that rocking, I love it. I don't get seasick, not good. But yeah, I think that seasickness would be less of an issue for you. And you should also know and I didn't know this until late in my cruising career when you go to the ship's medical bay, when you go down to the doctor's office like they have a big bowl outside the doctor's office of anti-sea sickness- no way.

Speaker 2: 27:17

It's obviously not prescription, but you can just go there and just take what you need. So, anyway, you don't have to worry about that. I will say if I were advising you or anyone else. I mean, I know your personality. I know you are going to want to go to smaller places, places where you're not going to be one of 5,000 people and you're going to end up descending on the port and going to the nearest straw market. So I would recommend you something. What I prefer, actually, was the smaller ships that are able to get into the smaller Caribbean ports. Now here's the caveat the smaller ships tend to be the more expensive premium lines.

Speaker 1: 27:54

Now, you know, I'm a fancy girl.

Speaker 2: 27:55

I'm not pretending I like fancy, it's okay, and that's okay.

Speaker 2: 28:02

Lines like Silver Sea, lines like Seaborn, that would be like the biggest, like a 300, 400 passenger ship, that would be the biggest, I would say anyone. But I would encourage you to go somewhere with a really small ship Like Sea Dream. Yacht Club only has two yachts Sea Dream One and Sea Dream Two very creatively named but they all have this local hunt. I think it's somewhere between 80 and 100 people on board and I've done that with their cruises. Yeah, and it feels like it honestly feels like you are on a very rich friend's private yacht, like for an event, like you went for a wedding, and so there are 70 other people, but you're on this big yacht I would recommend Okay that is definitely more my style.

Speaker 1: 28:41

You're right, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 28:43

Because it's going to small ports like Becway in the Grenadines, going to Guadalupe, going to Martinique. You're going to places that are not, you know, not the big Marquis islands, Aruba, Jamaica, that everybody goes to Say Martin.

Speaker 2: 28:59

And they seem to have a lot of those lines. I would encourage you also to look for cruise lines like Asamara Cruises, for example, where they have longer stopovers. So there are some cruise lines where, for a couple of ports, they'll actually stay overnight, Like Oceania Oceania, another expensive line, but smaller ships they stay overnight in St Bart's. Or there are other lines that either have a longer you know, either you're there for eight hours, you arrive in the morning, you have time to explore, you don't have to get on until after dinner, or they're overnighting. So that's what I'd recommend. But I agree, cruising is not for everybody and I, honestly, I am conflicted about these larger ships. I mean, many people message me and said oh my God, when are you going to icon the seas? We really want to follow you and I'm like I'm sorry I'm never going on. Icon of the seas.

Speaker 1: 29:51

Yeah, it's just too much.

Speaker 2: 29:53

Right, my personal preference is to be on a very small and very fancy ship, and nothing wrong with Icon. But you know it's not. It's not my personal preference. But I can see how if you're a family and you have young children or you make it, I can totally understand how this is very appealing to a lot of people. So that's after Royal Caribbean and all the big ships. But, like I said, you have to find the right ship for you. Small ships are the right ship for you, I think.

Speaker 1: 30:24

Result and, for me, fantastic. Thank you so much for that tip and, honestly, I didn't even know about these, these lines that you are talking about, so this is fantastic. The only small ones I saw were the ones that you did in Europe. I think that was more of a river cruise, which was also fantastic.

Speaker 2: 30:42

Trying to remember which one it was.

Speaker 1: 30:43

So it was two. You did one in the Netherlands.

Speaker 2: 30:46

Yes, I went to. My first river cruise was with Amar Waterways and we started in Holland, in the Netherlands, and we ended in Switzerland. But, yeah, yes, we ended, which was that was amazing. And then the second one was with Viking and I did that with my father, so it was really special and that was all along the same. So we started in Paris and ended in Paris. It was fabulous. But, yeah, river cruising is something I'm really, really into and particularly, I think, if you're a cruise person, you know this is not Caribbean we're talking now, but just talking cruise, river cruising.

Speaker 2: 31:25

Oh, my goodness, the ships are small. The ships are. You know, nobody has more than 150 people on board. When you arrive in a port, you are literally right there. You can step off onto the step off the ship onto the towpath and you're in the middle of Cologne or you know wherever it's. I highly recommend it. If you get a chance to take a European river cruise, definitely do it. It's great. I'm really good for multi-generational groups Like, if you're, my parents are a bit older, a little bit slower. Oh, they love the fact that it's smaller, it's not as intense, it's an easier, softer, gentler cruise experience.

Speaker 1: 32:03

Yeah, and since you opened that conversation, how are the Chatsat parents doing? Chatsat mom and Chatsat dad.

Speaker 2: 32:12

Chatsat. Parents are doing very, very well. I am an only child. They live 45 minutes away. We're very close. We have our little WhatsApp group. We're WhatsApping all day, every day. My parents love to send the memes. They love those memes.

Speaker 2: 32:28

But, yeah, they're doing very well and actually I am working on a story and a trip about us taking what likely might be our last family vacation together. As I told you at the top of the show, they were the people who started the travel bug in me and the desire, passion to travel. But my parents are older now. My father will turn 80 later this year, my mother is going to be 85. And so the time that we have is limited. Right, the time we have together is limited, and a river cruise is going to be absolutely a beautiful way for us to sort of bring full circle our travel experience. I'm really looking forward to do it. I'm going to write a story about it and, yeah, we'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to that. But that is what I put on my goal for this year. I want to make it happen.

Speaker 1: 33:18

Good, and we're looking forward to the stories, because you know it's going to be all over your stories, fantastic. So now I'm going back to the Caribbean, and I won't even bother asking you which one is your favorite island, because I already know you already mentioned it also. Shout out to Anguilla.

Speaker 2: 33:37

I have four because we're not going to forget Jamaica.

Speaker 1: 33:40

Hello, oh hello, yes, and to this day, I know that you have also said in. Always, whenever you're traveling in the Caribbean, you try the KFC, because you have not been able to find one that actually is as good as Jamaica.

Speaker 2: 33:59

This is a while ago.

Speaker 1: 34:00

So now I need to ask you have you been able to find one that comes close or is better than the KFC in Jamaica?

Speaker 2: 34:09

First of all, there is no better than Jamaica.

Speaker 1: 34:11

There are more people that come close. It's because you're biased. But you're a little biased, aren't you?

Speaker 2: 34:17

Listen, I am slightly biased, but you know. Let me just say first of all for the uninitiated yes, I always recommend that people go to the Caribbean and eat local food. So people are quite flummoxed when I say, oh, if you go to Jamaica you have to go and get a piece of original KFC. But you have to understand Caribbean people are serious about our KFC and our case is not the same as US KFC. Us KFC is no temptation to me here. I find it's quite tasteless.

Speaker 1: 34:51

Did you try to one in Europe, because that's even worse.

Speaker 2: 34:56

Oh, I've not tried that yet. I consider myself something of a Caribbean KFC Connoisseur, so whenever I go to a Caribbean island I have to go and see if it's good as Jamaicans. Now Jamaica's KFC. Let me just tell you this quick anecdote A few years ago I knew the lady who was the regional manager for KFC in Jamaica and she told me that when she goes to the KFC sales meeting international sales meeting she's a rock star, because there is a particular KFC in Montego Bay, jamaica, and there's more than one, but there's a particular KFC in Jamaica that sells the most chicken per capita of any other KFC in the world, are you?

Speaker 1: 35:36

kidding. So this is not just because you're biased. This is actual truth.

Speaker 2: 35:42

Well, there's some facts. There's some facts. I think it tastes so good because we use local chickens, right? What? I'll also tell you that a birdie told me that in the 70s, when the Jamaican franchise holders first got the franchise and started to cook the chicken, the chicken didn't do so well and they talked to the colonel and got permission week there's 21 herbs and spices and add a little bit of salt. Now, I'm sure KFC is never going to tell you that this happened, but I have it on good authority that it did. And so our batter is slightly different from everyone else's. And when you combine the salt because if Jamaican free range chickens I mean no, actually no, they're probably not free range, but those good Jamaican chicken I'm telling you it's the best, and I was.

Speaker 2: 36:31

Trinidad, I will say, is a very close second and Trinidad, I believe, has only 24KFC, 24 hour KFC. The Trinities love their KFC. There's a big fight between Jamaicans and Trinidad about whether it's a wet, but I will say where it was good and I was so surprised was Aruba. What Aruba's feeling.

Speaker 1: 36:51

Yeah, yeah, but I have a feeling is because you didn't try the KFC in Curacao.

Speaker 2: 36:58

That's true. I haven't been to Curacao. That one's not bad Really. Yeah, Take it from me.

Speaker 1: 37:03

I remember as a kid my mom used to. When it was the day that she wouldn't cook, she would actually drive us to McDonald's for the fries and KFC for the chicken, and that was dinner. So she'll drive through to drive through and then to the both places. Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2: 37:21

So if you liked the one in Aruba, I'm sure you're gonna like the one in Curacao.

Speaker 1: 37:25

It's very, very similar, if not the same.

Speaker 2: 37:27

I'm gonna try it.

Speaker 1: 37:29

Okay, you have to, you have to, and, of course, the Martin as well, which we already established you are doing this year. So, continuing with this conversation, I had to ask you about KFC because it's just so weird. I no longer eat KFC, by the way, because now I went into, I became a Pascatarian and unfortunately. But as soon as KFC starts selling fish, I am there. You know, only the KFC not do a fish burger?

Speaker 2: 37:57

No, I guess not. It is Not that I know. Well it is. We took a fish.

Speaker 1: 38:01

No well, yeah, we could. But yeah, that's a whole other story If the camera is listening.

Speaker 2: 38:07

Maybe add some fish to it.

Speaker 1: 38:10

See if that works. I wonder if that works.

Speaker 2: 38:12

The kernel is dead right. The kernel is dearly departed, you do know.

Speaker 1: 38:19

Well, yeah, but you know he's got like family left. I don't know, I'm just saying it's the idiots of the kernel. Somebody needs to be managing the big, big, big KFC right, the big corporation of KFC. So let's go back to the Caribbean travel. Now. What I love mostly about what you do is that you get to some of these exclusive islands that mere mortals don't always get access to, and there has been one in particular and I'm trying to remember.

Speaker 1: 38:50

I know it was in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but I'm trying to remember which island it was and it was kind of like a private resort on this. Which one was that?

Speaker 2: 39:01

I think, if you're talking about my last private, island experience was a Guana Island in the BVI in Nova Scotia. Guana Island in the BVI in November. I love a private island. Can I personally afford any of them? No, but I do love a private island. I'm a private island girl.

Speaker 1: 39:21

So I have to ask this, though, because you're talking about Guana Island. You and I were actually at Guana Island when we did the. That was it called the Catamaran cruise in the BVI. I don't remember anything on Guana Island then. Is this new?

Speaker 2: 39:38

We might.

Speaker 2: 39:39

No, no, no, guana has been there. The whole Guana has been there for a long time and I think we might have been nearby. We might have passed by, because when the boat on an island is, you will have to be a guest there, even just to get on the island. Like it's not, like you can come by in your yacht and go up to the beach bar and have lunch. It is exclusively for people who are staying on Guana and it's only, I think, maybe 30 or 40 people.

Speaker 2: 40:06

But, yes, I love a private island and I have three favorites really in the Caribbean. You all know what they're talking about. So Guana, I love Guana Island, so the most private of the private islands for the reasons that I just told you, and they also have I think it's either five or seven beaches. I've only managed to go to two of them and they're the one that most people go to. White Bay is spectacular. It's the quintessential, iconic Caribbean beach. It's the beach everybody wants to be on. Love it gorgeous. I also really, really love Petites and Vincent in St Vincent and the Grenadines Also very small.

Speaker 1: 40:43

I think that's the one that I was referring to, mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 40:47

I think 22 stone cottages, great hiking, a really cool beach bar called Goaties, and everywhere, and they all. And they have seven beaches there too, I think yes, with all with hammocks. I love that place. I've been there three times, once on a personal trip or two on work trips, and the fun thing about Petites and Vincent is that they have this fleet of mini monks, like little beach buggies, and each when you're staying in a cottage they have a little bamboo flagpole and letterbox outside and so if you need something, you write it down on the form, you put it in the bamboo letterbox and you raise the green flag, and every 15 minutes or so, this fleet of mini books is circling the island and if they see that, your green flag is.

Speaker 1: 41:33

That is fantastic.

Speaker 2: 41:34

They know that you need something. They come, they open the letterbox, they take it, blah, blah, blah. It is fantastic. It's simple, but so fantastic. And then, of course, if it's just you and your sweetie and you want some alone time, or just you and you want some alone time, you put up the red flag and nobody comes. You will not be disturbed. Housekeeping isn't gonna knock on your door. It's honestly beautiful, wow yeah. And then my other favorite is Foul Key in the Bahamas. It's actually owned by the same people who own sandals. There are only seven villas there, so really small. And here's the thing. So this is all inclusive, and in fact, all of the resorts I've just told you about are all inclusive. We're looking at $1,000 a night and up, so definitely a splurge. But when you stay at Foul Key, not only do you have your beautiful villa on the beach, but each room, each villa, comes with its own 15-foot speedboat and you're allowed to take that speedboat out as many times as you want they give you a little lesson on how to fly it.

Speaker 2: 42:39

And then you're just zipping around these, all these beautiful blue Bahamian waters and little eyelets. I mean you're really enjoying the Bahamas where it should be, which is out on the water. It's incredible. I haven't been there for a long time. It's completely. You wanna go back, but yeah, there's my-.

Speaker 1: 42:55

Yes, you're making me wanna go now and but wait, you're talking about about $1,000. Definitely a splurge, yes, but it's $1,000 per person all inclusive, Correct, which is not I mean, yes, it's a splurge, but it's yeah, but what you get and the memories, absolutely, oh yes, wow, okay, there was also one that I saw that you got to.

Speaker 1: 43:22

You got actually dropped off in a boat. I'm trying to, I'm going back a few years. I'm trying to remember if this was close to Belize perhaps, and it was a cottage on this tiny, tiny key and it had this little dog.

Speaker 2: 43:37

Oh God, it's called the Ispanto. Yes, oh, Ispanto is a Belizean island. Very famously, leonardo de Capro stayed there a few times and this, actually, I would say it's even more private than Guana, to be honest, because there are only seven villas there and you can't see any of them from the other villa. It feels like it's just you on the island, and each villa has its own dock, its own plunge pool, and all the meals are served in the villa, on the terrace or inside.

Speaker 2: 44:11

So literally, when you come, I think you fly into Belize's airport and then I can't remember which I think you have to fly to San Pedro. Anyway, there's at least two flights involved and then you get a boat and the boat will bring you straight up to the dock of your own villa, where it's kind of white lotus-ish, where like five people or members of staff are waiting to greet you with your cocktail and your jail towel and, yeah, you spend all your time in the villa. So it's right for some people, but not for others, because if you're a social person like you, if you want to meet people at the bar, there is no bar, there's no dining room, there are no communal areas. It's just you and yourself or you and whoever you went with, so a great place to be.

Speaker 1: 44:57

Yeah, this would be a perfect, perfect place for, since we're talking Valentine's Day, since this is Valentine's- Day as we're recording this, that would be more of a romantic splurge of just you and your partner.

Speaker 2: 45:10

Yes, and you want to do this. We will do this in the early stages of your relationship. Yes, please, because all you're going to have is each other, right? You don't want to do it necessarily after you've been married for 10 years. And you know what he's going to say and who you say, and you need the interaction of other people.

Speaker 2: 45:28

No do it when the relationship is fresh and new and you can't keep your hands off each other and you just want to be in each other's company all the time. Kyo is spanto, that's where you need to.

Speaker 1: 45:37

OK, or if you need like for a solo person to kind of like go out there and just kind of like meditate every day, and yeah, you want to do it yourself.

Speaker 2: 45:46

If you want to write that book, if you want to have a small nervous breakdown, have it. Have it. You have to do it when to have it. That's a good place.

Speaker 1: 45:57

All right now, sarah, before I let you go because I know you're super busy, you have so much writing to do and so much traveling I want to first know where are you headed next. Are you allowed to tell us?

Speaker 2: 46:09

I'm going to tell you because by the time this airs right, I will have come and gone. Yes, correct, so I'm going to tell you on Monday. So last summer I went for some background. Last summer I went to the Arctic. So I went as far north to Spalbard, which is the northernmost place in the world. Well, on Monday I will be going to the southernmost place in the world and I will be spending two weeks in the Partica. Yes, yes, two weeks. The trip is two weeks. The cruise is 12 days, but from here in Miami we fly nine hours to Buenos Aires. We have 24 hours in Buenos Aires and then we take a charter flight to Ushuaia, which is basically the southern most town in the world. That's where we get on the ship. I'm sailing with Viking Polaris. Viking does river cruises, they do ocean cruises, some to the Caribbean, and they also do expedition cruises, so more rugged cruises to further form cruises. So, yeah, I'm going to be doing this 12 day cruise in Antarctica, so I'm so excited about that, oh my gosh, I can imagine.

Speaker 2: 47:23

Yeah, yeah. So that's a really big deal for me. It's something. I've been invited a few times to Antarctica but it just never worked out and I honestly didn't feel that huge a desire to do it. But I think that, having gone to Africa for the first time last December and doing my six continents, then I thought, gosh, what if I do Antarctica? That would be all seven Exactly. Oh, yeah, maybe. So you kind of have to. And I have a very good friend, yeah, yeah, and I have a friend who's a great travel companion and will be leaving on his birthday. So it's kind of like a birthday present to him, perfect. And he's a journalist that I know and love. So I think it's going to be a great trip. I'm really excited to see how tall I am compared to the penguins, because I think they're more than half my height.

Speaker 1: 48:15

I hate them. Yes, I actually want to. You need to document that in the stories. I need to see that. Of course, you need to go with one of those measuring tapes. I want to know.

Speaker 2: 48:31

Well, I am 9 and 1 half Don't forget the half and I think penguins are like three foot tall and a bit. So I feel like I don't know that I'll be able to get close enough. I don't know that they allow you to get close enough, but we'll try and set up a shot where you have some good perspective. Yes, please. And you will know me different from the penguin, because the penguin is in black and white and I will be in the bright colors you can imagine. In Antarctica my snowsuit is bright pink.

Speaker 1: 49:01

So there's going to be? No, of course it is.

Speaker 2: 49:04

It will be white continent, black woman in front of color.

Speaker 1: 49:09

Oh my gosh, my listening friend. That is the delightful, delightful, Sarah. Thank you so much, Jetsat Sarah, for making the time to being on the show, but also for sharing some of your favorite places in the world and, of course, your incredible stories. I am going to be glued to your Instagram stories as of Monday because I do not want to miss a thing, Just like I was glued to it when you did that hike of five days. Girl, I have no idea how you survived that. That was in Sweden.

Speaker 2: 49:44

Yeah, in Sweden two years ago I did that and many times I thought to myself why am I doing this? This is crazy, but it actually started a hiking bug in me, and now I love hiking and I've just last summer. I did a three day hike in Denmark. I'm big into the hiking now, surprisingly, because I was very in Jersey before I find myself to be outdoors, very good.

Speaker 1: 50:08

Now, before I let you go, that is last question that I ask everybody, and that is what would be your best tip for somebody who has never been? What would be one of the don'ts that you would advise to somebody going to the Caribbean, whether it's for the first time or it's somebody that's going again and again? It's one of the don'ts.

Speaker 2: 50:30

Don't. Oh my gosh. I would say the Caribbean has beautiful beaches and all of that stuff, but I feel that the Caribbean's biggest asset is its people. The beaches will bring you to the Caribbean for the first time, but I guarantee people will bring you back for the second, the third, the 10th, the 15th time, because you connect with people. So my advice would be don't miss the chance to connect with local people, whether that's the housekeeper who comes in the morning, whether that's the bartender, the taxi driver, your bellman, on this business owner yeah, the business owner you really need to connect with people because it's going to enrich your vacation so much and, instead of just coming back from the Caribbean with a tan, we're going to come back with a meaningful experience, an unforgettable experience, a uniquely Caribbean experience.

Speaker 1: 51:34

Ah, that was so wonderful and so so true. Thank you again for being on the show. Thank you so much. I love you on this Valentine's Day and I cannot wait to have you back on this show.

Speaker 2: 51:48

It's a deal. Thank you so. So much for inviting me.

Speaker 1: 51:53

Wow, time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? That is one thing about Sarah and I. We may not see each other often, and whenever we do, it's super brief, but it is always so much fun and filled with so much laughter. She is just born to entertain she really is and she's so talented and so funny. So I really hope that you have enjoyed this conversation as much as we did and that you got some valuable insider's information into the Caribbean and, of course, into cruising, which became part of our conversation today. If you are not yet following Sarah on Instagram, take this as your sign to do so now, especially for our Instagram stories, which are always super entertaining, or, in the very least, check out her blog chat set Sarahcom, and you can head on to the show notes after this episode because, as always, I have links to everything right there.

Speaker 1: 52:50

And as we near the end of this particular episode, I want to take the opportunity to tell you that I am soon since you know it came up that I give Island tours on St Martin I want to be completely open and honest with you that I will soon be retiring from being an Island tour guide, unfortunately, as much as I love meeting new people and taking them around the island and showing them everything that St Martin has to offer and why I love this Island so much and why I live here. It has become very, very clear that I no longer have the time for it. So if you are heading to St Martin soon, I really hope that you can book with me before I retire from doing that in June. But I will be replacing that with something else. As you may have heard or noticed, or maybe you saw it on my socials, I am now entering into the world of retreats. So I started hosting retreats right here in St Martin and soon I will be taking it to the nearby islands as well.

Speaker 1: 54:01

The first one is happening this June, from the fourth until the ninth. So if you are interested, just go to the link in the show notes and get all of the details there. I do hope that you can join us, because we only have a few spots left and it is going to be absolutely fabulous and you should be there. Well, my friend, that's it for today. I'm back next week, thursday, with another interesting episode of Paradise Perspectives and some more Caribbean travel tales and tips from those who know the Caribbean best. So thank you so much for listening. I'm Rizal, the Traveling Island Girl. I hope to see you, or welcome you soon to the Caribbean. Bye.