Booked: Where I’m off to this summer

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

An update on my summer travels.

Can you tell it’s been a busy school year? A new teaching job and a new life in fast-paced Hong Kong have left me with little time to indulge in my creative pursuits — ye olde blog being a prime example.  Posting over the last 10 months has been scanty, at best, and even the travels have slowed down: weekend eurotrippin’ and extended breaks in far flung destinations like Peru and Guatemala are but a distant memory.

389255_10101079305684832_114149882_n

#sigh #suchislife #worldssmallestviolin

But don’t feel sorry for me just yet.  Because while I haven’t been doing much travel (or writing much about it), I have been quietly plotting my well-deserved summer holiday.  I have seven (yes, seven!) weeks of vacation and plan to make the most of them.

Curious as to where I’m going?  Read on…

United Kingdom (London)

A few weeks ago I confessed my newfound appreciation for my former home base of London.  I was there this past Easter and had such a good time that sharp pangs of regret pierced my heart as I boarded my Hong Kong-bound plane at Heathrow (maybe I’m being just a little dramatic, but I digress).  At any rate, I’ll be back in Londontown for a couple of weeks this summer and am looking forward to it.

P1180364

France (Bordeaux and Biarritz)

Liebling and I managed to snag some cheap plane tickets to Bordeaux and will spend a few days touring the region.  I don’t drink wine but plan to fulfill my civic duty by eating every baguette in sight (as one should do in France).  A stop in the seaside town of Biarritz is also in the cards, so I’ll have the chance to lounge on the beach and work on my tan. Comme la vie est belle! France is never a bad idea.

Biarritz Beach
Biarritz beach via Tony Hisgett on Flickr

Canada (Toronto)

I haven’t been to my hometown of Toronto in over 18 months, so I’m super excited to catch up with family and friends.  I’m also super excited to eat at all my favourite restaurants… namely Randy’s, which I’m convinced makes the best Jamaican beef patties in the city.

312759_10100655862034302_800384047_n

USA (New York City)

No trip to North America is complete without a jaunt to the Big Apple, so it’s no surprise that NYC figured into my holiday plans.  I’ll be painting the town red with my best friends and hopefully will have the opportunity to meet up with a few of my favourite bloggers/vloggers based in the area.

205942_10100607812525902_8253738_n (1)

Germany (Berlin)

Remember when I casually mentioned getting engaged in Berlin last Christmas? Well, I perhaps should just as casually mention that I’m getting married this summer! I will officially become Mrs. Liebling in an intimate civil ceremony in Berlin at the end of July *cue girly squeal of excitement*.  Since we’re eschewing tradition and having a relatively small and simple wedding (only four guests! no church! no wedding reception!) I have been pretty successful at staying level-headed and avoiding Bridezilla-ville. While the paperwork involved with marrying a German was a bit of a doozy (fodder for another post!), the other prep has been a breeze.  All that’s left to do now is find a dress… and learn how to say “I do” in German!

P1200061

Austria (Hallstatt and Salzberg)

Liebling and I will finish out the summer with a mini-honeymoon/road trip through the Austrian Alps.  From Berlin we’ll drive to the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria known for its stunning views. Salzberg (birthplace of Mozart) and  Hallstatt (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) are found here and I’m already envisioning living out my “Sound of Music” fantasy in an alpine meadow.  Just call me Oneika Von Trapp…

Halstatt
Halstatt, Austria via nclint on Flickr

The adventure starts the Friday after next and it can’t come fast enough — I’m dubbing these 7 weeks the Supreme Summer of Fun!  My plan is to dust the cobwebs off from the ole blog and post prolifically so stay tuned for dispatches from the field. Got Instagram? If so, you can follow me there, too, at http://instagram.com/oneikatraveller.

Do you have any travel planned for this summer?

 

SHARING IS CARING

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

305 Comments

  • WOW! What a summer you have planned! Wedding!!

    I only saw a smidgen of the Salzkammergut — you will love it. So beautiful, such blue lakes. And you’ll have to come see our new place in Balham!

    • Gracias!!! I am most looking forward to the clear air and blue skies (of which Hong Kong is sorely lacking at the moment). Can’t wait to catch up and check out your new place!

  • Congratulations on the upcoming wedding! I am sure you are so excited! I will be in Europe this summer as well and in Salzburg from July 30-August 1, so I cannot read what you will share about it. Happy travels! 😀

    • Cool! We’ll be there at around the same time, catch you in the town square?!

    • Thanks April! I haven’t done a proper road trip in a while so very excited about it!

  • Wow! You have quite the summer of fun ahead of you! Congrats on your wedding and I can’t wait for the post to roll in 🙂

    • Thanks Ruby! Stay tuned for the wedding recap. 🙂

  • Wow, what a whirlwind summer you have planned! I’m positively green with envy at how much PTO you get. And Halstatt? How beautiful!

    Belated congratulations on the engagement and soon-to-be nuptials!

    • Thanks Katrina! It’s true teachers get an extraordinary amount of time off but boy do we need it! It’s been a long school year. 😉

  • WOW! Congrats! You have a GREAT summer planned. Kudos on the low-key wedding, the best brides are then ones NOT stressed. I also will be getting married in July in Scotland, VERY small and intimate and spending time in London, Paris and Belgium for the honeymoon. I’m super excited can’t wait to see pics.

    • PhillyGirl you ain’t lying! We were initially planning to do the whole white wedding thing but it was stressing me out so much we decided to go for the no-fuss, no-muss low-key option! So glad we are doing it this way in the end. 🙂

  • You just made my current stay in Lisbon and previous shorter stay in Barcelona seem like a year living in Arkansas (which is unfortunately where I teach :(((….). I wish I could be getting married to a European and traveling to Germany and Austria this summer. So jealous!! Congratulations!

    • Lisbon and Barcelona are amazing! And Germany and Austria are a relatively short hop away. 🙂 Thanks for your well-wishes.

  • This sounds like a fantastic trip Oneika and of course the highlight of your wedding! Fingers crossed to catch up with you on your return to London 🙂

    • Yes let’s definitely meet up in London this summer!

  • Sounds like a wonderful summer of travel. I look forward to your posts ( I so dearly miss them) Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, so exciting! *squeals*

    • Thanks Chanelle!! I’ve really missed blogging, too, so I guess you could call this a comeback.. 😉

  • Have a great one girl and praying all goes well with the ceremony and such. I am looking forward to the epic blogs coming. Oh I wish I could see summer vacation lol

    • Thanks lady!!! Does that mean that you’re working over the summer holiday?!

  • what an interesting itinerary! only 4 people at the wedding? your family won’t be included?
    Funny I live in “little Jamaica” area and i’ve walked into Randy’s a few times, but never bought anything. the place is always packed with people selling other “stuff” that it discourages me. and I was shocked to see Asians behind the counter too. Now i’m convinced to go try them out, including Raps.
    no Paris this time around? Hey, how come you have meetups with your New York fans but none for your Toronto fans? I think you should have one 🙂

    my current summer travel plans are only to the states 🙂

    • Our immediate family will be at the wedding. 🙂 You should definitely try Randy’s! I don’t know how familiar you are with Caribbean history, but there are a number of Jamaican-Chinese people from the island, which might explain why you saw an Asian face behind the counter. As for a Toronto meetup, I’m not opposed to having one, didn’t know/think there would be any interest!! Something to think about for sure!

  • Congrats on the wedding!! This is going to be an awesome summer for you both! 🙂 I’m planning on going to the Canadian Rockies, Alaska Cruise *crossing my fingers* trying to get a friend to come along to get out of paying the Single Supplement fee! And will also be in NY this December! 🙂

    • Oh wow that itinerary sounds amazing! I *still* haven’t made it to see the Rockies, tsk tsk. What a bad Canadian I am… I am crossing my fingers that you find a travel buddy because paying extra to travel solo is not cool!

  • Wow! Many congratulations on your coming-up-fantastically-soon wedding. What an amazing summer you’re going to be having!
    For the summer, I’m going to Thailand and Indonesia. What with the civil unrest and volcano explosion, it’s going to be an adventure LOL!
    I live in Berlin so if you want to meet up for a drink or something (possibly a sausage since you don’t drink LOL), give me a shout. 🙂

    • Thailand and Indonesia, how fabulous! Just my humble opinion, but I think the reports from Thailand are slightly exaggerated and most tourists are fine; my coworker just got back from a long weekend in Bangkok and from all accounts the trip passed without incident! I would love to meet up in Berlin, email me so we can arrange something!!

  • New reader, here. That photo of Halstatt looks stunning, and congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! I really wanted a small “destination wedding,” but my husband’s parents refused last-minute to travel anywhere, so we ended up having the big schindig in their hometown. I STILL regret not doing a small wedding of our own or, in all honesty, just paying for his parents to travel, because it still would’ve been cheaper than what we ended up doing! And we just celebrated our 8 year anniversary, so yeah. I should probably let that go. 😉

    • Hey Katie! Thanks so much for reading. 🙂 You can still do an intimate vow renewal — might be a good compromise lol!

  • you are from the nature which could not help rest at home always go for wandering here and there for tripos having relaxation

  • What an awesome summer you have planned! And congratulations on your wedding plans..you two look so cool together..you should have had a big fairytale wedding..I think you deserve it, and you have so many fans all over the world (speaking for myself as one)..anyway, wishing you and Leibling marital bliss as you start a new page of your lives together!! So excited for you..I know you’ll post pictures…:-)
    I will be headed to the Balkans with my lil one!

    • Thanks so much Caroline!! We are super excited!

  • Congratultations on your upcoming nuptials, you definitely got the perfect summer..

  • It sounds like you have a packed summer ahead of you, and congratulations on getting married! I have yet to spend a summer in Europe!

    • Thanks so much! Europe in the summer is fabulous, you should definitely look into a trip!

  • Congratulations! I am so excited for you. I have a friend who married a girl from Germany and the wedding took place in Germany. They are still living there. I hear the paperwork isn’t pretty, but I am so happy for you regardless. I love that 2 avid travelers found each other.

  • Wow Oneika! It sounds like it will be an exciting summer! And yay for getting married to Liebling! 🙂

    • It’s going to be a fantastic summer! What are your summer plans?

  • Oneika….go ahead and live it up girl. I wish you all the best with Liebling. You guys make a great couple. Also, your vacation plans sound amazing. You only have one life and I see you’re determined to make the best of it. That’s the way everyone should live. Stay healthy and keep loving life. You’re absolutely inspiring.

  • That is quite the 7 week jaunt if I say so myself! Also, congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

    I don’t know German myself, but I am pretty sure “Das is Good! Das is Supa!” mean Congratulations! 🙂

    As for myself, I will be heading down to Brazil for a couple of weeks to check out the World Cup in person!

    • Wow!! I was also supposed to be going to Brazil this week but the trip fell through! I’m gutted!

  • Congratulations to you and Mr. Liebling.

    I’m taking a 14 day tour through Europe and another jaunt of London. I wish we could cross paths when I head home to the US.

    I’m looking forward to all of your posts.

    • Thanks Reginia! What part of the US are you from?

  • Wow that’s an amazing 7 weeks worth of travelling and wedding thrown in for good measure! Salzburg is beautiful and you do feel like breaking out into song like Maria in the Sound of Music when you visit. xx

  • Hey! Today is Royal Ascot and it reminded me of our wonderful day last year and I realized I’ve been out of contact for awhile but just checking out your adventures! Btw CONGRATS on getting engaged and the upcoming wedding! Exciting news! Sounds like life is going well for you! You’ll love Austria-it’s beautiful! I was there in December so it’s a different kind of beautiful then but Salzburg is stunning! Enjoy the next few months lady!!

    • Thanks Sarah! I’ve been to Austria twice before but never to this part (only Vienna), I’m looking forward to it so much!

  • New York City would still be my number one choice whether on a summer vacation or whatever season it may be. I don’t know there’s just really something special in the concrete jungle where I am totally in love of. Right now, my kids are old enough to try and explore the place. I am excited to visit New York City again. Thanks for sharing this post.

    • I’m thinking of planning an NYC meetup, stay tuned!!

  • Just my kind of wedding, ”four guests! no church! no wedding reception”, congratulations Oneika 🙂 wishing you both happiness and love always

  • Hello to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this website, and your
    views are nice designed for new users.

  • Does your site have a contact page? I’m having problems locating it but, I’d like to send you an e-mail.
    I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing.
    Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it improve over time.

  • Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored to tears at work
    so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break.

    I love the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take
    a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how quick
    your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G ..
    Anyways, great site!

  • Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of information on your
    page. Im really impressed by your blog.
    Hi there, You’ve done an incredible job. I will definitely
    digg it and in my view suggest to my friends.
    I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this site.

  • Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your site, how could
    i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal.
    I were a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear idea

  • I just couldn’t go away your site before suggesting that I actually loved the standard
    information a person supply on your visitors?
    Is gonna be again ceaselessly to check up on new posts

  • You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the greatest sites on the net.
    I most certainly will recommend this blog!

  • Just want to say your article is as surprising.

    The clarity on your submit is just nice and that i can assume you are a professional on this subject.
    Fine with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to
    keep updated with approaching post. Thanks a million and
    please carry on the gratifying work.

  • I have read so many articles about the blogger lovers but
    this piece of writing is really a pleasant piece of writing, keep
    it up.

  • I am extremely impressed together with your writing skills and also with the layout for your weblog. Is that this a paid theme or did you customize it your self? Either way keep up the excellent high quality writing, it’s rare to peer a nice blog like this one nowadays..|

  • I like it whenever people get together and share opinions.
    Great blog, continue the good work!

  • Very shortly this web page will be famous amid all blogging visitors, due to it’s pleasant content

  • Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a stuff!

    existing here at this webpage, thanks admin of this site.

  • If you are going for most excellent contents like I
    do, only go to see this site everyday for the reason that it
    offers quality contents, thanks

  • My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different website and
    thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you.
    Look forward to going over your web page again.

  • Because the admin of this website is working, no question very
    soon it will be renowned, due to its feature contents.

  • After looking at a handful of the blog posts on your web page,
    I seriously appreciate your technique of blogging.
    I saved it to my bookmark webpage list and will
    be checking back in the near future. Please check out my website too and
    let me know how you feel.

  • It’s not my first time to go to see this web page, i am browsing this site dailly and obtain pleasant information from
    here daily.

  • Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers?
    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no data
    backup. Do you have any solutions to protect against hackers?

  • I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it
    up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
    Cheers

  • Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains.
    If you know of any please share. Thanks!

  • Thanks for a marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it,
    you happen to be a great author. I will make certain to bookmark
    your blog and will come back at some point.
    I want to encourage one to continue your great work, have a nice morning!

  • Hi there! This is my first visit to your blog!
    We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
    Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!

  • I blog often and I really appreciate your content. This article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to book mark your blog and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.

  • I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I really hope to see the same high-grade content from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own blog now

  • I’m a housewife significado de decacordio en la biblia Appearing at the Cheltenham Literature Festival to speak about her last novel, A Commonplace Killing, he said he still finds himself asking her advice in a “challenging situation”.

  • เว็บการพนันออนไลน์อันดับ 1 สุดนอดเว็บแทงบอลออนไลน์ที่นักพนันติดตามมากที่สุด สล็อตออนไลน์ ไม่ได้มีดีแค่แทงบอล แต่เว็บของเรราได้รวบรมเกมคาสิโนออนไลน์ มาให้บริการทั้ง สล็อต บาคาร่า เกมยิงปลา แถมยังเข้ากลุ่มลับกันฟรีๆ

  • You should take part in a contest for one of the highest quality blogs on the net. I am going to recommend this blog!

  • Asking questions are really nice thing if you are not understanding something completely, but this piece of writing gives nice understanding even.

  • Generally I do not learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it!Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you,quite great article.

  • Really appreciate you sharing this article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.

  • Its fantastic as your other articles : D, thanks for posting . «To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice.» by Kahlil Gibran.

  • fantastic issues altogether, you just gained a brand new reader.What might you suggest in regards to your put up that youmade some days in the past? Any positive?

  • Thank you ever so for you blog article.Much thanks again. Awesome.

  • Thanks for the good writeup. It if truth be told used to be a enjoyment account it.Glance complex to more delivered agreeable from you! However, how could we keep in touch?

  • Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!

  • I wanted to thank you for this fantastic read!!I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I have gotyou book marked to look at new stuff you

  • The story doesn’t really have any meaning to it or have any importance of some kind but it does the job of entertaining you and killing some time.

  • Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this blog.

  • Hola! I’ve been following your blog for some timenow and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out fromDallas Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the good job!

  • I really liked your post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.

  • You need to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the web. I most certainly will highly recommend this website!

  • Whoa tons of terrific facts!higher english critical essay help inspirational college essays help with writing a speech

  • I need to to thank you for this excellent read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…

  • I?m not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent information I was looking for this information for my mission.

  • Thank you ever so for you article.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.

  • สำหรับการเล่นเกมสล็อตที่อยู่ภายในเว็บไซต์ คุณสามารถทดลองเล่นเกมต่าง ๆ ได้ หากสนใจเล่นเกมสมาชิกใหม่สามารถฝากเงินได้ไม่จำกัดจำนวนเงิน และสามารถลงเดิมพันที่จำนวนเงินตามแต่ละเกมกำหนดได้

  • There’s definately a great deal to know about this issue. I love all of the points you’ve made.

  • Hi there! This post could not be written much better! Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I’ll send this information to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  • This page truly has all of the information and facts I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

  • Hi, I do believe this is a great web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may come back yet again since I book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.

  • Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article.I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info.Thanks for the post. I will definitely return.

  • Your style is unique compared to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this page.

  • Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will come back yet again since I saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.

  • I absolutely love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you build this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my own blog and would love to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Kudos.

  • Everything is very open with a precise clarification of the issues. It was really informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing!

  • Hi there, this weekend is nice for me, since this occasion i am reading this wonderful educational post here at my house.

  • Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a very good articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I hesitate a lot and don’t seem to get anything done.

  • whoah this blog is fantastic i love reading your articles. Stay up the good work! You understand, a lot of individuals are looking around for this info, you can aid them greatly.

  • That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate info… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post.

  • After checking out a few of the blog articles on your web page, I honestly appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website too and let me know what you think.

  • I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

  • It’s actually a cool and useful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this usefulinfo with us. Please keep us up to date like this.Thanks for sharing.

  • An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was doing a little research on this. And he actually ordered me lunch because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this matter here on your blog.

  • Can I just say what a comfort to uncover an individual who really understands what they are talking about on the net. You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people have to check this out and understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.

  • A First Class stamp indocin used for pda It’s always sunny in Hollywood, and these celebs love flaunting their picture-perfect beach bodies almost as much as they love getting all dressed up for the red carpet. Whether they’re splashing arou…

  • whoah this blog is wonderful i like reading your articles. Keep up the great work! You understand, a lot of people are searching round for this info, you can aid them greatly.

  • Hello there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one?Thanks a lot!

  • When some one searches for his vital thing, so he/she needs to be available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over here.

  • Can I simply just say what a comfort to discover someone who really knows what they’re discussing on the web. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people need to check this out and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you’re not more popular because you surely possess the gift.

  • Very good post! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our website. Keep up the good writing.

  • Howdy! I simply wish to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent information you have got here on this post. I am coming back to your site for more soon.

  • Hello there! I simply would like to offer you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you have got here on this post. I will be returning to your blog for more soon. Basia Henrik Laurentia

  • Howdy! This article couldn’t be written any better! Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I will send this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  • After looking into a number of the blog articles on your web site, I truly like your technique of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my website too and let me know how you feel.

  • An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this topic here on your internet site.

Comments are closed.

Travel More, Spend Less

Sign up now and get a FREE copy of Oneika’s Top Tips for Saving Money on Accommodation!

Browse By Continent

The Americas

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

Browse By Continent

The Only Question:

Where to Next?

@ONEIKATRAVELLER
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Pinterest Rss

COPYRIGHT 2022 ONEIKA RAYMOND. WEBSITE DESIGN BY PINKNEY CREATIVE