Why It Began...
Rex Angel is a travel blog whose goal is to empower women to travel the world.
I’m Poonam, the blogger behind Rex Angel. I’m a 30 something, Toronto Raptors loving Canadian who firmly believes every woman should travel somewhere alone at least once in her lifetime. While it can be intimidating, anxiety inducing, and even feel embarrassing, it will most importantly be one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you have been dreaming about traveling to a certain country, what is holding you back? Seriously. Are you waiting for the right partner or a friend to become available? Are you hesitate due to safety or money? I know the answers can vary. Well, my hope with this travel blog is that sharing a bit about my travel journey will inspire you to begin your own.
When It Began...
The Blog: RexAngel was transformed into a travel blog in March 2021.
I wanted to start a travel blog in 2014. But this was the same year, I started a wedding planning business. (FYI, events and travel are my two passions). This side hustle was my focus for several years. However, the desire to start a travel blog always stuck with me. Every year I would think “should I just do it?” So finally I did.
Sometimes (okay, all the time), I want to kick myself for not starting earlier. There are tons of established (and amazing) travel bloggers out there. How do I find my place? Is it too late? When these thoughts occur, I reminder myself that there is only one travel blog out there by me. And I want to contribute my voice.
The Solo Travel: March 2014 is when it all began for me.
At this point in my life, I had traveled a fair amount with friends. But in March 2014, it was different. This time I was alone. I decided to go to my dream city at the time: Paris. (Yes, I was THAT girl). Truthfully, my mental health was not doing too great and Paris felt like my saving grace. Within three weeks, I booked it and jetted off. I still remember the anxiety swimming in me the sleepless night before.
Fast forward years later, I can honestly say that first trip alone changed my perspective on life. My confidence grew. I felt empowered to keep seeing the world alone. And I learned you cannot wait for anyone else to turn your dreams into reality. (Okay, I did not intend to sound like an inspirational journal cover here, but I don’t know how else to convey this).
Why Rex Angel...
Rex Angel was the name of my first website started in 2004.
I was a rather proud self-taught teenage (mediocre) website and graphic designer. We’re talking Yahoo Geocities turned into a hand-coded HTML, hosted domain website. My greatest accomplishments included learning to code i-frames and understand FTP. Rex Angel was not a travel blog back then, but a cartoon doll and fun graphics website. (If you remember cartoon dolls, PLEASE let me know!) I also designed MSN Display Pictures, AIM icons, Myspace graphics, website cursors, and oh so much more. Fun fact: despite this self-learning, I never actually got an education or paid gig in website or graphic design. Instead I got a Bachelors of Art. I majored in history and sociology, and minored in anthropology. (Don’t ask). And I eventually built my career in different aspects of event planning.
And now what you have been waiting for….
What does Rex Angel mean?
Rex is short for Rexdale, an area in Etobicoke (which is a suburb in Toronto) where I spent my teenage years. And Angel, well, it was a seemingly ‘cool’ username when I was in my teens. And while I clearly am not a teenager anymore, Rex Angel has always felt like my place on the world wide web.