The Bajan Equation

KATY HILL + her family + a warm, laidback Barbados way of life = an experience she longs to bottle and take home with her

- 

The Eastern Caribbean island of Barbados was, for me, the one that got away. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit but, in the same way I generally shun a film if everyone tells me I must go to see it (such a rebel), Barbados always felt – well – a bit populist. So, I’d never been.

Until now. And it’s safe to say, I’m now regretting every single wasted year of my past when I haven’t visited this incredible island.

Landing with my crew in the capital, Bridgetown, after our 81/2-hour flight I realised that two other jumbos had landed within 10minutes of us. Hearing the ‘queue’ klaxon sounding alarmingly loud in my ears, and fearing the snake of a line that loomed in front of us, I anticipated a good hour of waiting. Like most kids, if there’s one thing my eight-year-old son, Akira, doesn’t love about travelling, it’s waiting in line. I'm with him – who does? As a parent who travels a lot, a customs line is one of the sights guaranteed to make my ‘Are we nearly there yet, Mum?’ heart beat that little bit faster.

Then, just as I was gearing up for a sweaty hour of I-spy and ‘Who’s rocking the best Trunki?’ (not a classic, but desperate times and all that), a knight in shining armour marched purposefully towards us with a name board – sporting our names! In that moment, I could easily have busted out some Rihanna moves (she’s local) and given this wonderful stranger all our worldly possessions. None of which was thankfully required, as it was part of the service of our luxury travel company. It was one of those ‘Oh, so this is how the other half live’ moments, and I was so glad the experience fell to us this time.