Oneika Raymond: “Traveling on a budget? Here’s how”
Oneika Raymond is one well-traveled woman. The TV host and content creator has visited a staggering 120 countries—and done much of that on a shoestring budget. Before becoming an on-air host and correspondent for NBC and Travel Channel, Raymond was a teacher, putting her hard-earned dollars into a travel fund each month.
“I never owned a designer handbag. I took my money and spent it on life,” she says. “Travel is the best education outside the classroom. Not only do you learn about other people and cultures, you learn about yourself.”
She got the travel bug growing up in Toronto. “It’s extremely multicultural and I was surrounded by people who spoke different languages, had different religions, different cultures, and different foods,” she says.
“That made me extremely curious about the world. I went to France to study and that changed everything for me. I met people from countries I didn’t even know existed.”
Raymond recently settled in Miami, after an 18-month spell traversing the globe with her family. Today, traveling is her career, hosting shows like Big City, Little Budget and One Bag and You’re Out for Travel Channel.
“A solo adventure changed my life”
“A memory I treasure is Mongolia. I traveled solo and stayed with a nomadic family in a yurt. It was an incredible experience. We didn’t speak the same language—there was a lot of smiling at each other—but it was nice to come together with people so different from me and learn how they live,” she says. “For me, travel is all about connection.”
Oneika’s travel tips
01
“Travel with purpose”
I travel to meet new people. I travel to connect with their cultures, and I travel to communicate with them. Travel has always been a passion, but the goal is really to learn more about people and how to connect better with them.
02
“Be savvy about destinations”
For a great, affordable destination, I go to Mexico or Thailand. I recently spent a month in Thailand: I stayed in a 6-bed, 7-bath villa with an Olympic-sized pool for $45 per person per night. There’s so much history and culture and the food is absolutely divine, not to mention the beaches. And the people are so nice: It’s called the land of smiles.
03
“Use your feet”
The best way to see a city is on foot. There are free walking tours all around the world; all you need is a pair of shoes and enough money for a tip. It’s the way I discovered Istanbul. The alleyways are so intricate, there are great markets, so many things to see, do and eat. It’s one of my favorite cities.
04
“Get off the beaten track”
Take Miami. It’s a super-expensive city, but go to Little Havana and you can walk into any bar and there’s free live music, or a salsa lesson for the cost of a soda. Traveling on a budget not only makes you get creative, you go off the usual tourist path.
05
“Prioritize travel”
Life is about choices. I choose to travel, to make travel a priority. Some people buy shoes and smartphones. When I was a teacher, I took my money and went to Guatemala for five weeks to learn a new language. Travel is always worth it.
06
“Let the destination choose you”
Travel based on the deal. Knowing the right times to travel will save you a lot of money. Paris is never a bad idea, right? But if you travel between June and August, it’s going to be busy and expensive. I recommend October. You save so much, avoid crowds and, ultimately, have more money to travel again and again and again.
Lara Kilner is a lifestyle journalist, who has contributed to The Times, The Telegraph, and more. She has traveled extensively through five continents, but her most memorable trip was the one on which she met her Malaysian husband.
