When the very first memory a person can recall is of traveling, it’s bound to play a prominent role throughout the rest of their life — at least that’s been the case for Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, also known to some people as JetSetSarah. She remembers being on a plane at an early age traveling from England, where she was born, to Jamaica, where her father was going to be for three years on contract.
“My first memory in life is of looking out the plane window and talking to my mother and saying ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, the clouds are upside down!’ because of course, as a three-year-old, it was just mind blowing to me that the clouds I had always looked up at were now out the window,” Greaves-Gabbadon said.
It didn’t take long for her to be captivated by the magic of travel, and her fascination only grew throughout her childhood. She recalls hanging out in hotel lobbies and being mesmerized by the flight attendants she’d see come and go.
“I remember thinking … I want to be part of this industry. I want to be part of hotel lobbies where nothing bad ever seems to happen. All these foreign people — it just seemed so glamourous to me as a child,” she explained. All this allure led her to pursue a degree in hotel management in England, followed by internships in Jamaica.
After working in hotels, Greaves-Gabbadon transitioned to editorial. She’s currently an editor and writer and successfully created her own brand in 2012: JetSetSarah. One of the most important parts of her work is being a communicator. She calls herself a “carivangelist,” or someone who spreads the gospel of the Caribbean. Each island is unique in its own way, and she finds it important to portray the message of each one.
The Caribbean may be where she travels most, but she also covers destinations around the world. Through video, print and digital work, she communicates her travels in order to show people the world through her lens — and she actually gets as much enjoyment from sharing her travels as she does from taking the trips herself. Although travel is a large focus, she rounds it out with her other passions of fashion, running and shopping.
While travel was the norm for her growing up, Greaves-Gabbadon realizes this wasn’t the case for everyone. One positive in the industry she has recently noticed is an increase of Black travelers. “There has been this wave of Black travel and this sudden realization that we can go places too,” she said. “I think it’s really good that people of all generations now, particularly Black people of all generations, are realizing the world is ours, and you don’t just have to go to one place. The world belongs to us all to enjoy.”
When it comes to the secret to her success, the biggest factor is that she’s doing something she loves while staying curious along the way. “I really think the secret to anyone’s success at anything is that you have to choose something you enjoy, and I really love this,” she said, adding that although there are tough times, even on her worst day of work, it’s never too bad of a day.
As for what’s on the horizon, Greaves-Gabbadon is excited to continue building her brand while also working for other brands. Her dream for several years has been to be a travel expert on television, and it’s something she’s actively working on. “Let’s face it, your own brand is the only one that you’re going to have your whole life,” Greaves-Gabbadon said. “Building JetSetSarah as I continue to work for other brands is really important to me, and the way I’m going to do that is more television, more time on the screen.” And she has not only done two sets of satellite media tours, but also recently made her Canadian TV debut on “The Social.”
If one thing has come to light for Greaves-Gabbadon over the past few years, it’s that nothing can be taken for granted, and working in the travel industry is an honor that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“I hope that even when the pandemic is fully behind us, people still remember that it is a privilege to travel; it’s a privilege to see the world, and we’re really so very lucky to be in this industry.”
Originally appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of The Compass magazine.
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