By: Erik Ronson

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers dock in Curaçao, snapping photos of the island’s pastel-colored architecture and turquoise waters before returning to their ships. Few notice the stray dogs wandering the streets or the abandoned animals struggling to survive just blocks from the tourist districts. But what if luxury travel could do more than just extract value from these destinations? What if the cruise industry could actually give back to the communities that make these experiences possible?

One travel advisor in Southwest Florida decided to answer that question with action instead of words. By wiring charitable giving directly into his business model, he’s proving that premium travel and community impact aren’t mutually exclusive—and his results are turning heads across the industry.

Cameron DeJong’s company, CamJon Travel, operates as a Virgin Voyages-exclusive ocean-cruise specialist based in Southwest Florida. In an industry where most agencies will book anything that floats, CamJon Travel focuses on a single ocean cruise line, delivering what DeJong calls “platinum standard” service to clients seeking Virgin’s adult-only, all-inclusive luxury experience. The approach has earned him recognition as a Top 100 First Mate in North America for 2025—placing his boutique agency among the highest-performing Virgin Voyages advisors in the country.

But what makes CamJon Travel unusual isn’t just the specialization. It’s what DeJong does with the proceeds. Every quarter, a portion of the agency’s earnings flows directly to Rescue Paws Curaçao, an animal welfare organization working to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome abandoned animals on one of the Caribbean’s most popular cruise destinations.

“When you’re sending clients to the same destinations repeatedly, you start thinking about those places differently,” DeJong explains. “Curaçao kept showing up as one of our clients’ absolute favorite ports. I started asking myself: what are we giving back beyond the tourism dollars?”

The answer was Rescue Paws, an organization operating with limited resources in a region where animal welfare infrastructure lags far behind the tourism economy. Every cruise ship that docks brings thousands of visitors and millions in economic impact, but the island’s stray and abandoned animals remain overlooked. Rescue Paws works to change that, one animal at a time, and CamJon Travel’s quarterly donations help fund the medical care, shelter operations, and adoption programs that make their work possible.

From Corporate Sales to Purpose-Driven Travel

DeJong didn’t start in travel. He spent nearly two decades in corporate America, climbing through sales and marketing leadership roles in telecommunications and healthcare. Those years taught him that relationships drive everything, and expertise commands premium value in ways that commoditized services never can.

In October 2019, DeJong launched CamJon Travel as a side project. Virgin Voyages was making waves with its design-forward approach and unapologetic focus on adults-only sailing. While most travel advisors tried to sell everything to everyone, he would master one brand completely.

For five years, he ran CamJon Travel alongside his corporate career, building client relationships and developing the systems that would differentiate his service. In February 2025, he finally made the leap to full-time. The timing aligned with Virgin’s fleet expansion, but the decision reflected more than just financial viability—it reflected a belief that travel advising could be something more than transactional.

“I watched the travel industry race toward commoditization,” DeJong says. “Online booking engines, price comparison sites, call centers where turnover is high and expertise is low. Everyone competing on price because they’d given up on competing on anything else. I thought there had to be a different path.”

CamJon Travel’s service model reflects that philosophy in concrete ways. Clients get custom cruise playbooks tailored to their specific sailing, detailing everything from optimal shore excursion timing to which restaurants require advance reservations. They get proactive price monitoring, with DeJong actively watching for rate drops after booking—a service that has saved clients hundreds of dollars per reservation. They get status match assistance, helping them leverage existing loyalty tiers from airlines and hotels. Most importantly, they get direct access to someone who actually knows the product.

“No call centers. No hold times,” DeJong emphasizes. “When you call CamJon Travel, you get me or someone on my team who has actually sailed on these ships.”

The client testimonials bear this out. One Florida couple noted that CamJon Travel “thought of things before we even did.” A Texas client praised the agency for managing a hurricane disruption so effectively that “I never worried if the storm was impacting the vacation.” Another said simply: “Their insights resulted in a great cruise experience AND saved us money.”

Why Charitable Giving Isn’t Just Marketing

The Rescue Paws partnership isn’t corporate social responsibility checkbox ticking. It’s a genuine commitment that emerged from DeJong’s involvement with SWFL Rotary, where he’s surrounded by business leaders who view community impact as fundamental rather than optional.

When clients return from Curaçao sailings with stories about the island’s stunning beaches and vibrant culture, DeJong thinks about what sustains those experiences beyond the tourist economy. Rescue Paws is part of that answer. The organization rescues animals from desperate circumstances, provides medical treatment, and works to find them permanent homes.

“Tourism is huge for Curaçao’s economy, but it doesn’t solve every problem,” DeJong explains. “Animal welfare has been an ongoing challenge, and organizations like Rescue Paws are doing critical work with very limited funding. When Curaçao kept showing up as a favorite destination for our clients, supporting Rescue Paws felt like the right way to give back.”

The quarterly donation structure ensures consistent support that Rescue Paws can rely on for operational planning. Every booking contributes. Every client who sails through Curaçao is, in a small way, supporting the work.

Clients appreciate knowing this. They don’t book with CamJon Travel because of the charitable component—they book because DeJong knows Virgin Voyages better than anyone—but the Rescue Paws partnership reinforces their decision. It’s the difference between hiring a service provider and partnering with someone whose values align with your own.

Why Specialization Beats Scale

CamJon Travel’s business model challenges conventional wisdom about how travel agencies should operate. Most agencies chase volume—book everything, serve everyone, compete primarily on price. DeJong chose the opposite path: specialize completely, serve a specific market, and compete on expertise and service quality.

The Virgin Voyages-exclusive focus means turning down business. When someone calls asking about Royal Caribbean or Disney cruises, the answer is no. The agency only books Virgin Voyages ocean cruises—nothing else.

“The cruise industry is incredibly complex,” he explains. “Every line has different ship classes, different policies, different loyalty programs. If you’re trying to maintain expert-level knowledge across six or eight different cruise lines, you’re either lying about your expertise or you’re not sleeping.”

By focusing exclusively on Virgin, DeJong can know everything. He knows which cabins have obstructed views, which restaurants book up first, which shore excursions consistently disappoint. That depth of knowledge commands premium value. The Top 100 First Mate recognition validates this approach, proving that focus can beat scale.

“We’re not the biggest Virgin Voyages agency,” DeJong acknowledges. “But we might be the best at what we do. And for clients who value expertise over convenience, that matters more.”

What Comes Next

As Virgin Voyages continues expanding its fleet and itineraries, CamJon Travel will grow alongside it—but growth on DeJong’s terms. No pivoting to generalist status. No adding other ocean cruise lines to chase volume. Just deeper expertise, better systems, and expanded impact.

The Rescue Paws partnership continues with quarterly donations. Future group cruises will explore additional charitable partnerships tied to Virgin’s destinations. And DeJong’s Rotary involvement with the new and fast-growing SWFL Rotary ensures the community focus remains both local and global.

Client demand suggests the model works. Referrals drive most of CamJon Travel’s new business, with satisfied sailors telling friends about their positive experiences. The agency attracts exactly the demographic Virgin Voyages targets: adults seeking premium experiences, willing to pay for expertise, and increasingly conscious about where their money goes.

“I spent 20 years learning how to build relationships and deliver value in corporate sales,” DeJong says. “The only difference now is I’m helping people plan incredible vacations instead of selling telecom services. And I get to support organizations doing meaningful work in the destinations we all love.”

The cruise industry will keep chasing volume. Online booking engines will keep competing on price. Big agencies will keep trying to be everything to everyone. CamJon Travel will keep doing something different—specializing completely, serving intentionally, and proving that profitability and purpose aren’t mutually exclusive.

About the Author

Cameron DeJong is the founder of CamJon Travel, a Virgin Voyages specialist travel agency based in Southwest Florida. A CTA/CLIA-certified travel advisor, Cameron holds Gold Tier First Mate status with Virgin Voyages and was named a Top 100 First Mate in North America for 2025. He is an active member of SWFL Rotary and makes quarterly donations to Rescue Paws Curaçao. Learn more at camjontravel.com.

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