After a year long hiatus, I’m so excited to bring back Featured Blogger Friends here on Life in Wanderlust. I’ve missed having my blogger friends here and I can’t think of a better person to introduce to all of you than Reesa from ReesaRei.com!
I’m fairly confident Reesa is one of the first few travel bloggers I started following when I first created my IG account. Her positive and kind nature is contagious! Her feed is so colorful, carefully curated and her stories are always so fun. So of course I couldn’t wait to get to know her more for Featured Blogger Friends! Let’s get started with her interview.
1. Tell us about yourself!
Hello, everyone! I’m Reesa Rei! I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger based in Houston, TX! I enjoy featuring female solo travel guides, luxury/boutique hotel reviews, and fun local restaurants. I also share lifestyle content that focuses on fashion and beauty as well. When I’m not blogging, I’m actually a musician! My skills range in voice, piano, and guitar.
2. What inspired you to start your blog, ReesaRei.com?
I never really traveled often growing up due to music lessons, rehearsals, and vocal competitions – I only visited my relatives in the Philippines every 3-4 years, so it has always been a dream of mine to explore the world! After graduating college in 2015, I took a leap and started traveling solo. That year, not a lot of influencers and bloggers had created content based on solo female traveling, so I felt compelled to share my adventures online (and assure my close friends and family that I’m still alive)! My blog started out as a hobby but quickly grew into a passion of mine. In less than a year, my blog was featured in local press and I had the opportunity to work with travel brands, tourism boards, and local restaurants.
3. How have you been during this pandemic? What are things you’ve been enjoying while travel has been put on hold?
After constantly traveling every month for the past 5 years, I have found a lot of peace with being in isolation! In a way, it feels like a vacation since it’s abnormal for me to stay in Houston for more than 2 weeks at a time. Initially, it was an adjustment trying to learn how to connect with my loved ones, but I’m happy with my decision to stay home and prevent the spread of the virus.
Since I’m not traveling often, I have so much more free time to write! I was worried about how I was going to create content for social media, but so far, I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback on my random, everyday life – which consists me of doing singing covers, dance challenges, and sharing more personal thoughts about blogging and photography in general. I’ve been creating more than ever, and I enjoy fostering relationships with my audience. It feels great to pause and find ways how I can be productive – and staying home has made me learn so much about myself in the process.
4. Where are 3 places that are on the top of your travel list and why?
The first place on my list is Santorini! Like, who doesn’t want to go to Greece?! I’ve always been in awe of the beautiful culture, amazing food, and blue/white architecture! Plus, I’ve never seen an ugly photo of Santorini online – so if the photos are stunning, I can only imagine how beautiful it is to be there in person!
The second place on my travel bucket list is London because the city looks so fun! Also, my audience has always recommended me to visit – I think it’s because the pretty floral cafes, London’s fashion style, and ambiance aligns with my colorful, cheery content. When I travel to London for my first time, I would love to pay a visit during the spring season so I can see all the flowers freshly blooming and the seasonal baked goodies.
Lastly, the third place to want to visit is Morocco (or Marrakesh)! The country looks so captivating to me – and I’m particularly fond of their marketplaces and traditional food. I’m really interested in working with a sustainable/ethical tour group so I can support those who are helping with protecting Morocco’s natural resources and animals.
5. As a solo female traveler, what are some tips or advice you have for someone that’s nervous about traveling solo?
Not only should you do it, but plan for it now! I can not tell you how much my life has changed from traveling, and the amount of personal growth I’ve gained from traveling solo would not have been possible without taking that initial leap of faith. If you feel nervous, then I think that researching and pre-planning your itinerary will ease your mind about the idea of traveling (it would also give you an idea on how much to budget). If you’re ever stuck, I truly believe that there are more good people than bad in this world – so allow yourself to embrace all cultures in an experiential way.
6. If you had to live abroad for the next year, where would you move to and why?
I might be biased, but I would love to live in the Philippines! I am so close to my relatives back home and I don’t see them often, so I would love to move there in order to spend more time with them. Plus, I’m not fluent in Tagalog, so it would help me be more encouraged to learn the language more! While living there, I would love to form workshops to teach blogging and how to monetize content as well.
7. Since you’re Houston’s Travel Darling, share with us 3 spots in Houston you recommend people to visit, experience or eat?
Great question! My favorite place to see in Houston is Hermann Park! I personally consider the park to be the equivalence to New York City’s Central Park. It can easily be accessible with public transportation and it’s a nice getaway from the city. If you’re into Texas history, they also have the Sam Houston monument in the front the park as a landmark that’s great for photo-taking. During the summer and fall seasons, the park is a popular venue for outdoor theater performances and many fun holiday festivals.
My second pick would be the Graffiti Park in Houston. Don’t let the name mislead you – it’s actually a block of clustered buildings (so you won’t see a swing set there at all). Instead, every building has a ton of great street art that is AMAZING for photography! So, it’s a fun way to appreciate Houston local artists and admire all the bright colorful murals around you!
Lastly, I would recommend visiting Market Street Square. It’s a small area in downtown Houston that has a ton of bars, local restaurants, and boutiques. It has a charming historical feel that is unlike other parts of the city. I think it’s a great place for dates, families, and night-time outings!
8. I absolutely adore your pup, Rajah. Tell us more about him! If you’ve traveled with him, how has traveling with him been?
Omg, thank you so much!!! I’m so glad you adore Rajah as well! What’s sad for me to admit is that he gets carsick easily, so it’s hard for me to travel with him – even within my state. I’ll keep monitoring his behaviors though, because I would love to one day do a cross country road trip with Rajah! Currently, I take him on one-day road trips during the weekends to different areas of Houston, so he does get a sense of the pet travel life! I noticed that Rajah really enjoys a lot of the outdoor parks. He enjoys running through open fields and interacting with other people/dogs as well – so he is definitely not a shy dog at all!
9. What do you hope to accomplish through your platform?
I hope to endlessly create with my platform and continue to grow! I see myself doing this full-time with a small team to build on my content and to travel more frequently. However, I enjoy the pace of where I’m at, and as long as I’m fostering my working relationships, then the world is my oyster. Maybe one day I’ll create original music, write a book, or do a TED talk about my experience. For now, I’m just grateful of the fact that I inspire others daily to live their lives authentically and do explore the beauty of this world.
10. Share a fun, cool or random fact with the readers!
Once the pandemic is over, I’m actually interested in moving outside of Texas! Would love to move up north for personal growth purposes and live in a different city for a few years. Follow me on my social media to see if I ever make the move! haha
Follow Reesa everywhere:
Blog: http://www.reesarei.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reesarei
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reesarei/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/reesarei/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReiReesa
LIKEtoKNOW.it: https://www.liketoknow.it/ReesaRei
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Reesa, thank you so much for being here and letting me interview you for my Featured Blogger Friends series! Even though we’ve never met, I feel like we’ve been blogger-friends forever and a half. Maybe you can consider Los Angeles as an option for moving? 😉
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