I traveled solo across Jamaica in 14 days

In October of last year, I was telling a friend I had planned to spend my Christmas in New York, as I had never been to New York and wanted to experience it. After talking to him for some time, I came up with the unthinkable. Why not travel around Jamaica for 14 days instead? 14 Parishes in 14 days? He said, “that would be a great experience”. It was decided. I would travel around Jamaica for 14 days.

I went through the list of attractions I would go to for each parish, the hostels and Airbnbs I would stay. Did you know there were hostels in Jamaica? I didn’t. Believe me, there are quite a few.

Sometimes, I think I talk too much. Telling people my bright idea didn’t seem like a good idea, as people said I was crazy. I was told, don’t do it. It’s not safe as a female and a long list of reasons why I should not do it. But as always, I’ve never made my decision based mainly on what people thought, and the reasons they gave, were not convincing enough to not do it.

I must admit that I was a bit worried the days leading up to the trip as I was traveling alone but the experience that I knew I would get, was greater than any fear I had.

There are quite a few things that happened along my travel. I got overcharged, I got lost a few times, overspent on transportation because I didn’t know where I was going, I got harassed and almost got scammed. However, the good experiences outnumbered the bad. I met great friends, built fantastic relationships, got really good jokes from locals, ate good food, went to amazing places and saw things in Jamaica I didn’t know existed.

I made a few mistakes along the way, and made a few wrong turns but I have no regrets as it made my story that more authentic. I would definitely do it again.

One thing I’ve learnt, is to not have all your plans all written in stone, as things don’t always go as planned. I was using public transportation to get around; buses, cars, walking, running and even bikes so that made my trip even more unpredictable.

I took my little brother along with me for some of the journey so I didn’t feel completely alone. I learnt how to enjoy my own company as well appreciate that of others.

I found out so much about myself I didn’t know I knew or could do. Bravery is on top of the list because it took some seriously huge balls to do what I did.

Looking back at all of what I experienced, I would implore everyone to travel and experience everything that the world has to offer. It will make you a more rounded and open-minded individual. It will also allow you to appreciate other cultures outside the one you know.

Over the next couple weeks I will be sharing the experience got in each parish, both good and bad, so stay tuned.