Still on February edition of Wander Lover Series, and I’ve got yet another couple traveler for us to find out about their love story. 🙂
This time, I’m excited to connect with Anisa from Two Traveling Texans and Russell, who runs his own blog with some contents about his passion: origami, which is called Origami Expressions.
Yup, the latter is not a travel blog, but the blogger behind Origami Expressions also loves to travel like the rest of us. And also, it’s because Russell has been christened as the third of the Two Traveling Texans. So yes, Russell is still a part of this travel blog industry, guys! 😀
Besides, on the February edition, we’re not gonna be too specific on the blogs as I want to focus on their love story instead. On how two people who love traveling could end up together, through work… Yup, the kind of job that made me cringe back in the day to face the 9-to-5 scheme! 😛
About Anisa and Russell
Anisa is the original Texan out of Two Travel Texans blog as she spent much of her formative years in Texas, although her career took her to Phoenix after college before she ended up in New York City, where she was based when she got connected with Russell the first time.
Russell was born and raised in the United Kingdom, although I was a bit confused as it was mentioned on his About Me page on Two Traveling Texans that Russell is actually Texan. Hmm. So, is he a UK-born American? But then why Anisa mentioned about him being British citizen? Hmm.
We shall wait for the answer until this piece got live on my blog and Russell got a chance to read the question. 😛
So, if there’s anything that I got from these two in the first glance of their profile on the Two Traveling Texans blog, I gotta say it’s their love of sports that probably got them together. Both of them support and follow Dallas Cowboys despite how much I don’t understand about American football.
As for Russell, there’s something interesting that I’ve read on the profile as it was written that he supports Liverpool Football Club and hopes to live long enough to see one of them win something for a change.
I gotta giggle a little, as I’ve been friends with my ex who’s also The Reds supporters and I’ve got a million jokes to throw about this statement. That’s the person I am, even though I’m probably at the lowest point as a gooner. Bummer. 😛
Anisa and Russell as a Couple
And here comes the love story! 😀
While our previous couple travelers, Jareena/Ari from Barefoot Backpackers and Matt/Tilbe from Lagoon With A View got connected in high school, Anisa and Russell met through work.
Anisa joined the company in New York office after Russell, and Anisa’s boss kept telling Russell that they had got this new person starting and they would be working closely together. The first time they were introduced to each other was over the phone, when most of the communication have been done through the company intranet.
However, Russell remembers clearly that for a long time, Anisa was just a voice with a photo of a purple flower because she didn’t have a picture on the company intranet. He was curious about what she looked like until one day they got into a video conference together.
“Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren’t you already there?”
-Richard Bach
According to Russell, it was ages before he got to meet her properly in London. However, Anisa said that it was only a few months later when she met him in person after the introduction. Needless to say, I think it’s Russell who had a crush on Anisa in the firsthand. 😛
They met properly in London as Anisa went there on a business trip.
According to Anisa, the relationship at that point was purely professional, but there was definitely chemistry between these two and maybe not that professional for Russell. 😛
Anisa
What she likes about Russell: It’s hard for me to pick one thing. I think I would have to say it’s how sweet he is. He is constantly doing things to show how much he cares like hiding notes where he knows I will find them or waking up early to cook me a full English breakfast.
What she dislikes about Russell: His taste in music. We both like 80s music but I really wish he liked country music too.
Russell
What he likes about Anisa: She’s genuine, thoughtful, funny, intelligent, classy, smart, and her face lights up when she smiles.
What he dislikes about Anisa: Nothing! I love her for who she is.
Since Anisa mentioned that she wishes Russell liked country music too, then I’d suggest Russell to read and play all the songs that I’ve listed in my post about country music. Please get back to me if the list could help on this situation! 😀
Long story short, they hit it off until Russell proposed a couple of years ago and they got married in New York City Hall. After struggling a long distance relationship for quite some time, Anisa has moved to England to live with Russell in 2017.
Are they still working for the same company? Well, that’s another question! 😉
All About Romance
Their answer is matched when I asked about the most romantic moment they’ve had as a couple: it was by the time Russell popped the question. 🙂
According to Russell, Anisa is very fond of picnics, so when they got engaged last year it was over a champagne picnic on the beach. And Anisa really appreciates the idea as he put together a gourmet picnic on the beach – two of her favorite things.
It was in March, so they pretty much had the beach to themselves that made it so intimate and special.
As for the place that is memorable for them, the answer is slightly different as Anisa said that it would be Niagara Falls since they went there for their minimoon and had a fabulous time.
According to her, she will always remember their helicopter ride over the Falls, their Hornblower Niagara Cruise, visit the Cave of the Winds, and tour of the wineries on Niagara on the Lake. And only by reading her description, suddenly I want to go to Niagara Falls as well. 😛
However, New York is a memorable place for Russell as not only does he love the city, it’s also the city where Anisa had lived for 13 years. I think there’s something about the guys, they tend to put some simple answer that is actually sentimental, I figure. Hmm.
About Their Plan
As I wander around Two Traveling Texans, I found out that they’re actually planning out their honeymoon and I think I’ve read somewhere as they consider South East Asia as their destination, especially Vietnam.
Hmm, I know no one asked my opinion, but here’s my two cents: YES!
I love Vietnam and there are some places in Vietnam that I am still yet to visit. I heard that Dalat is one of the most romantic places in Vietnam, so I’d totally suggest it if it’s still in your options. 🙂
As for the long-term plan, they would also like to build their own business so that they can have more flexibility for traveling. Anisa has never been to Africa, but Russell wants to go back there someday with her. They both also want to see the Northern Lights.
Russell is also interested in Incas and Mayans, so South America is also on their list.
Recommended Place to Visit as a Couple
As for the recommendation for a romantic place, they agree that Paris is the one as there are so many romantic things for couples – a picnic in the park by the Eiffel Tower as the sun goes down, champagne cruise on the Seine, and even only wandering around Montmarte.
I think it’s quite easy to see Paris as an ideal destination for go-to-place when you’re a couple. Is that why I’m still single? Because I have almost zero interest to visit Paris? 😛
About Two Traveling Texans and Origami Expressions
The original Two Traveling Texans was created by Anisa with her friend, Katherine as they were planning out their trip to St. Martin. Katherine did some research about their plan for the trip but couldn’t find a clear information about the things that they exactly wanted so in result, they want to provide a clear, detailed and useful information related to travel on their blog. So voila, Two Traveling Texans!
Currently, the blog Two Traveling Texans is in the progress of making some changes as I see that due to other commitments, Katherine has taken a step back and no longer be able to be very involved on Two Traveling Texans. Hence, the existence of Russell as the third of the two. 😀
As for now, Anisa handles most everything with the blog and promotion, while Russell is more like the guy behind the camera. He does a lot of the photography, filming and editing. In addition, he also helps Anisa with the proofreading as Russell’s grammar is better than hers.
In addition, Russell also runs his blog on origami contents, Origami Expressions. He has done origami for about 30 years ever since he found the diagrams for a flapping bird in a Rupert Annual in the early 1970s that fascinated him big time. It’s his passion, and I’ve skimread the blog and it has a lot of informations about origami.
I mean, did you know that no two origami models will ever be exactly the same?
Tips for other couples who aim to travel together
As Russell said, no matter how well you plan things out, sometimes not everything will go as it should, so the essential part about traveling with your partner is that you just have to roll with it and not let it stress you out.
The mantra is, again and again, communication is the key! Discussing expectation and wishes before the trip to get on the same page are also doable to avoid gaps on the differences between the two.
It’s also important to speak up if something is bothering you so that it can be addressed before it becomes a problem.
To sum things up, there’s some advice from Russell that makes a lot of sense: work with each other’s strengths, give each other a break, and laugh a lot! 😀
The BeauTraveler on Two Traveling Texans
On this feature, I will only focus on the blog run by Anisa, Two Traveling Texans.
I came across Anisa’s blog long before we got connected for the feature. I think I got to visit her post on Moving to England. I suppose this post will be really useful for those who are planning to move to the UK with a spouse visa. Especially for Americans, as I heard that the requirements are even more complicated for those from developing countries like me. Hmm.
As the destinations listed on the blog are mostly the countries that I have never been or planned about to go, I think by far, geography-wise I am not their target readers.
However, there are a lot of useful tips that I can refer to. One of them is their post on travel fees we hate and how to avoid them. If not necessary, we just don’t want to pay extra for a preferred seat on the plane, right?!
As Two Traveling Texans is in progress to make some changes, I can’t wait to see their new version of Two Traveling Texans. If you’re like me, then stay tuned and check out more contents from Two Traveling Texans here.
Okay, so that’s a wrap for today’s feature… Are you and your spouse also a couple that connected through work and love to travel like Anisa and Russell? Or are you two in a long distance relationship? Maybe you should get some tips from this two!
Meanwhile, goodbye for now and safe travel wherever you are… Happy Friday! 😀
