Flight 5: traveLin W/ Primrose Granville

I am currently on a flight back to Jamaica with well over 2 hours to go. I have a layover in New York City for a night and then I’ll be heading back home for a quick second. I am currently listening to this song. I legit decided to listen to the music we get from SIRIUS XM on the flight.

I confidently had a plan to produce bi-weekly newsletters for #TraveLin, but fell short back in December. Why? Life happens and guess what? I just got a new spark to pen this piece so voila!

Welcome to 2024 (Happy Delayed New Year LOL) and I hope it’s off to a fantastic start for you. Just a quick nudge to pay some attention to your passion project – at least, get it off the ground. I’ll definitely take my own advice and get back on track with this publication – I am happy for the feedback, support and discoveries I’ve helped with (oh yes, I shared one of my articles with a friend who took a trip to Colombia and she found some good spots).

Enough rambling. This time around, I am #traveLin with someone special – Primrose Granville (Aunty Primrose/Prims for me).

How We Met

I met Aunty Primrose over a decade ago. In high school, I was a part of Key Club International , which is an international youth-led service organisation. Admittedly, most of my interest in social impact was crafted from the plethora of community-driven projects I participated in while in Key Club.

Aunty Primrose became a beacon of support and mother to the majority of our Key Clubbers. She was not only integral to our growth but was very firm in motivating us to hold on to the principles of building our home, school and community (OMG the latter part of that sentence is actually from the pledge – it just dawned on me).

Since then, she’s been a part of my growth and a fellow travel pal – our most memorable trip being Northern Ireland in 2023.

About Primrose

Aunty Primrose is a multi-award-winning Broadcast Journalist, Health Campaigner, Community Advocate and former Educator. Jamaican-born, she moved to the UK nearly 28 years ago.

A freak accident in 2003 left her with mobility limitations and forced her out of the classroom. Not to be daunted, Primrose found radio and has been an integral part of Bristol’s radio fabric since 2008.

A prominent figure in Bristol's Diverse communities, Primrose dedicates much of her time giving back in many ways. Afflicted with polycystic kidney disease, a familial condition, Primrose underwent a life-changing kidney transplant in 2018. This fuelled her commitment to healthcare advocacy further, leading her to work in health research, and blood and organ donation advocacy. Her journalistic focus extends to reshaping medical narratives, emphasising inclusivity in research and delivering equitable outcomes in many respects.

A Joint Birthday Celebration

So, this is where it becomes exciting. Whenever Aunty Primrose is in Jamaica, I assume the immediate role of her personal chauffeur and tour guide. To kickstart the best month of the year (January) we decided to take on our shared birth month road trip and celebration. Aunty turned 55 on January 10th, and the only gift she wanted was a photo in a Jamaican-styled flying dress.

We visited the beautiful Pineapple Beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica to make this happen with the help of Her Dress Jamaica, a fashion company making women celebrate beautiful occasions. Not only were we blown away by their incredible customer service, but the photos came out G-R-E-A-T.

Next on the list was to soak up some sun, sand and sea. One of my favourite things to do is plane sighting, and the Doctor’s Cave Beach is the perfect spot to get the best views of the jumbo jets flying into Montego Bay. TBH, I bought this Fujifilm camera last year to kickstart my love for photography, and I’ve only found joy in capturing photos of these aeroplanes only (LOL).

I hope one of these brands gifts me with a free trip for the beautiful shots I’ve been compiling so far. Actually, Southwest Airlines did give me 5000 miles sometime last year – Now that I remember, it might be time to plan a quick trip.

A Tale of Rustic Souls

One of the best things about having a good travel partner is when you both have shared interests. Aunty Primrose and I are huge fans of off-the-grid properties that exude a nice rustic, yet modern feel.

We journeyed to Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth. St. Elizabeth is regarded as the breadbasket parish in Jamaica and is home to some of the best fruits and veggies. As the name suggests, Treasure Beach, this town is a magical getaway from the hustle and bustle of the capital.

We stayed at Lashings Boutique Rooms & Villas for a night and spent some time basking in the pool and the natural aura of the property. My best friends, Akeem and Sarah also came down for the evening.

The Hooray!

Our road trip brought us back to Kingston, where we hosted over 70 of our closest friends to celebrate our birthdays. I was also happy to announce my very own 30th birthday plans, which will be a children’s book coming in 2024.

Our birthday party was everything we needed – good food, great vibes and nice gifts. One thing we spoke about the entire trip was the importance of living urgently. Don’t delay those experiences with your loved ones and if you can, take on the world in travel!

I now have a little over an hour left in the flight and can’t believe I got this piece finished! I think I’ve found the secret. More flights = productive newsletter.

I have an upcoming brand trip with interCaribbean Airways to Barbados (my first time visiting) and I get an opportunity to finally meet my distance media twin, Joel Manning .

In my next newsletter, I’ll be #traveLin with Joel. Talk soon!

Tips

Doctor's Cave Beach is open pretty much all week. There's an entry fee + a separate fee for chairs and umbrellas. Food spots are on property.

You can find Lashing's Hotel & Villas on IG @lashingstreasurebeach

If you're visiting Jamaica and would love to get a photo shoot with Her Dress, you can reach them on IG at @herdressjamaica // 1-876-546-6336