The morning Jamaica changed me

This smile is why I travel.

Some trips stay with you long after the tan fades. I've been to Jamaica many times. I know the beaches, the people, the way the island feels like a deep exhale the moment you arrive. I love it there. But my most meaningful morning in Jamaica didn't happen at the resort.Through the Sandals Foundation's Reading Road Trip, I spent a morning at a local preschool — reading to children, practicing numbers and letters, drawing and coloring pictures. The classroom was one room, built on stilts. No computers. No air conditioning. Just the basics — and a room full of children who were absolutely thrilled to be there. I used to be a teacher. Ten years as a school library media specialist. And I hadn't seen that particular kind of joy in a child's eyes — the moment learning clicks and becomes fun — in a long time. Those kids didn't need the bells and whistles. They needed someone to show up, sit down, and open a book. That morning reminded me why I got into both of my careers. Travel, at its best, doesn't just take you somewhere beautiful. It shows you something true. About the world. About people. About yourself. Let's plan your next trip to give back!