LET THE LOCALS TELL THEIR OWN STORIES
learning about me and by proxy my culture.”
Raymond takes issue with the all-too-familiar photos of white travelers posing with local children on voluntourism trips. “When we go somewhere, we are visitors in someone else’s home and we need to be respectful of that,” she said. “I’m very sensitive to the optics of a Western traveler going to a developing country and showing images of people from that developing country without necessarily having their consent . ... As privileged Western travelers, 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.”
STAYING SAFE
As a woman who’s traveled solo to places like the Middle East, Mexico and India, Raymond knows the importance of safety. “If 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,” she said. “I 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.”
TRANSPARENCY
Raymond is the rare influencer who describes the challenges of being transparent about being hired to promote destinations. “When I write about places that I’ve been to and have paid for on my own dime, you can expect 100 percent that I am giving my complete unbiased opinion,” she said. “However, 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.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Where’s Raymond headed next? In April, she’ll be taking her “Big City, Little Budget” show to Texas.