* This post was written by me through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of Southwest Airlines. Although I received compensation for participating in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
It all started with a box that showed up in the mail with a message on it.
The box was from with specific instructions to not open until December 2nd when I would find out where I would be traveling with Southwest Airlines for a mini-getaway.
Do you know how hard it was to resist opening up a box that specifically is not meant to be opened until a certain date?
Very hard.
But I did it. I waited. And on December 2nd I opened the box on a livestream,
and discovered a plethora of awesomeness like…
…a new pair of Rayban sunnies!
a handy travel water bottle, and most importantly
that I would be going to Montego Bay, Jamaica!
So exciting! I had never been to Jamaica so the prospect was extremely enchanting. I actually hadn’t realized that Southwest flew to a number of international locations prior to this so it was pretty cool to know that an airline I enjoyed immensely could get me to a fun tropical place like the island of Jamaica.
And so on December 12th, I took Southwest Airlines to Jamaica.
My hotel room at had quite a lovely view:
I ended up spending the next day on an all-day adventure through the hills and mountains of Westmoreland Jamaica. A tip I always have for travelers is to get off the beaten path and explore the area you are visiting with a local:
And that’s what I did. Above is Oneil, my wonderful host who not only drove with me for hours on end but also told me what it was like to grow up in Jamaica. We stopped quite a bit to talk to people and enjoy the views of the lush inland area of the island.
Our ultimate goal was to get to Negril for sunset.
And we made it! Another tip I like to share is to let the day unfold without having too much planning. When the day started, we both wanted to see how far we would drive inland and see how we felt by the late afternoon. And spontaneously we decided to head to Negril to check out some beautiful sunset spots that Oneil knew about.
This was what greeted us in Negril…
The sun was already low in the sky and we walked along the 7 mile stretch of beach to wait for the sunset.
One other tip is to be patient and to let nature do its thing. Photography is an art form of patience and surprise. You never know what the sky will do, for example.
We certainly did not know that the sky would go from how it looked above to this…
…in just a matter of a half-hour!
It was one of the most memorable and beautiful sunsets I have ever experienced.
I made sure to not skip out on drinking copious amounts of the local Jamaican coffee before I left the next day. Always make sure to find out what a place is known for and try out the local specialties. In this case, the coffee in Jamaica is some of the best in the world.
Mmmmm. So good.
I left Jamaica with many beautiful memories which is how I like to leave any destination I travel to.
I would like to thank Southwest Airlines for this incredible opportunity and trip of a lifetime. It was a great experience and was fun to take everyone on my social media along with me for the journey (there was also a giveaway that I posted about in which was so fun too!).
Hope you all have experiences as wonderful as the ones I had in Jamaica at some point in your traveling!
