Jamie Biesiada
Hurricane Beryl brushed past the southern coast of Jamaica in the summer of 2024. It caused billions of dollars in damage and several deaths on the island.
Fishers, Ind.-based travel advisor Sarah Sadowski, an affiliate of Pink Pineapple Travel, was on the island just before the storm hit. In fact, she caught one of the last flights out before the airports were shut down on July 3.
Sadowski was hosted by Sandals on that trip. Particularly memorable was a private drive to Negril from Montego Bay with a local driver. He showed her the different parishes and shared more about life in Jamaica. It was one moment of many on that trip when Sadowski found herself having meaningful conversations with locals.
When the fierce Hurricane Melissa barreled through the island earlier this year, Sadowski wanted to do something to help.
"I wanted to have something that would have a meaningful financial relief to them," she said. "I wanted to inspire travelers to not cancel their bookings if they already had something booked. And really, for it to bring attention to Jamaica when all the headlines and news and all that had already died down."
Making an impact
Sadowski has pledged to donate 5% of all commission she earns on Jamaica bookings through October 2026. That includes new bookings and Jamaica trips already on the books.
Donations will go to the Sandals Foundation and CX Cares, a nonprofit made up of 300 travel advisors dedicated to giving back to communities and destinations around the world.
"I wanted to make sure that 100% of the dollars that I was donating were going directly toward funding that was going to be impactful," Sadowski said.
She has shared the initiative via an email marketing campaign to current and past clients, as well as on social media.
Going back to the island
Sadowski has several clients with Jamaica trips on the books for 2026. They haven't canceled yet, and she hopes to convince them to keep the bookings.
She also hopes to convince even more clients to head to the island once it has reopened by taking a trip herself next summer.
"This was meant to be more than just, 'Oh, I'm going to do a quick donation,'" she said. "It was me taking action with gratitude."