{"id":156660,"date":"2018-03-14T19:21:12","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T23:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=156660"},"modified":"2018-03-14T19:22:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T23:22:32","slug":"oneika-the-traveller-an-influencer-broaches-complex-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/03\/14\/oneika-the-traveller-an-influencer-broaches-complex-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Oneika the Traveller: An influencer broaches complex issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cIf<\/a>
\u201cIf I travel to places where they don’t have a large black population, I get a lot of stares,\u201d Oneika Raymond said. \u201cI get people trying to touch my hair and touch my skin and take pictures in a way that many white travellers may not have experienced. In TV, in film, people all over the world are bombarded with images of white people. But that’s not necessarily so when it comes to someone who looks like me. So I get a lot of attention in places like China or India, where local people have not had as much contact with black people.\u201d (Photo:<\/a> Oneika Raymond \/Facebook)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Influencers are seen as having a lot of clout in the travel industry these days. Their ranks include Oneika Raymond, known as Oneika the Traveller, who’s been to more than 100 countries. She blogs and Instagrams about travel and hosts two Travel Channel shows on Facebook: \u201cBig City, Little Budget\u201d and \u201cOne Bag and You’re Out.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Raymond also broaches complex issues that aren’t always covered by mainstream travel media, including what it’s like to travel as a black woman and how, as an influencer, she tries to balance transparency while promoting the destination she’s hired to represent. Raymond shared tips and thoughts in the latest episode of AP Travel’s weekly \u201cGet Outta Here!\u201d podcast . Here are some excerpts, edited for brevity and clarity.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Travelling AS A BLACK WOMAN<\/p>\n

Raymond hashtags some of her posts #blackgirlmagic. She also acknowledges that black travellers may face some unique challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I travel to places where they don’t have a large black population, I get a lot of stares,\u201d she said. \u201cI get people trying to touch my hair and touch my skin and take pictures in a way that many white travellers may not have experienced. In TV, in film, people all over the world are bombarded with images of white people. But that’s not necessarily so when it comes to someone who looks like me. So I get a lot of attention in places like China or India, where local people have not had as much contact with black people.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does she respond to that attention?<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so used to it that I actually enjoy engaging with people,\u201d she said. \u201cWe travel because we want to discover. That is what fuels me every time I go on the road. When I encounter these situations where people are very interested or attracted to me because of the way I look, or because of the differences in the way I look, I am really happy to have that dialogue and to engage with them. … We are both learning. I am learning about their culture and they’re learning about me and by proxy my culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

LET THE LOCALS TELL THEIR OWN STORIES<\/p>\n

Raymond takes issue with the all-too-familiar photos of white travellers posing with local children on voluntourism trips. \u201cWhen we go somewhere, we are visitors in someone else’s home and we need to be respectful of that,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m very sensitive to the optics of a Western traveller going to a developing country and showing images of people from that developing country without necessarily having their consent. … As privileged Western travellers, we fall into the trap of framing the narrative instead of letting the people in the place we’re in share their own stories of their own culture and frame their own narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

STAYING SAFE<\/p>\n

As a woman who’s travelled solo to places like the Middle East, Mexico and India, Raymond knows the importance of safety. \u201cIf somebody is beckoning to me on the street and I feel uncomfortable, it’s perfectly fine for me to not engage and just to keep it moving,\u201d she said. \u201cI also recommend women to not compromise their safety to save a dollar or to prove a point. I tend not to explore when it’s dark outside. I stick to very well-lit, highly populated areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

TRANSPARENCY<\/p>\n

Raymond is the rare influencer who describes the challenges of being transparent about being hired to promote destinations. \u201cWhen I write about places that I’ve been to and have paid for on my own dime, you can expect 100 per cent that I am giving my complete unbiased opinion,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, if I am being paid to market or promote a tourism destination, then I am operating in a paid capacity and I’m a spokesperson for that brand. While you will get as honest an opinion as I can give, you have to realize that I have a very specific function and that function will be disclosed to you because it’s important to be honest. … People contact me every day saying they want me to come to their destination but I don’t accept jobs or freebies I feel will not align with my brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

WHAT’S NEXT<\/p>\n

Where’s Raymond headed next? In April, she’ll be taking her \u201cBig City, Little Budget\u201d show to Texas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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