Husband-wife duo Jessica Serna and Ismail Mpiana need their affect to increase past social media to actuality. At Casa Kumwesu, their Waco, Texas-based trip house that’s accessible for lease, the couple desires to share their love for the Lone Star State—particularly their love of Texas ice cream—with guests from numerous components of the world.

Vacationers visiting Waco can e book a keep at their whimsical ice cream-themed Airbnb, which accommodates eight visitors, options vibrant ice cream-inspired decor at each flip and is bedecked with cozy and colourful furnishings all through. The house is good for adults needing an escape and for folks who need to give their children a “candy retreat.” 

Casa Kumwesu opened April 2023 on 5 acres of property in Waco. The retreat’s title comes from phrases for “house” and “neighborhood,” combining Serna’s Latina tradition and Mpiana’s Zambian tradition. 

“We at all times wished a home to start out with,” Serna says. “We journey a lot that after we had an condo, we had been simply paying to lease out a spot we had been by no means at. We knew we at all times wished a spot that was ours, however that we might lease out after we weren’t on the town.”

My Curly Adventures creator, Jessica Serna, and her husband be a part of forces

Earlier than Serna and her husband started influencing full-time by way of their respective Instagram handles, My Curly Adventures and My Culinary Adventures, Jessica labored a nine-to-five job however maintained a burning need to journey the world. Since work saved her tied down, she and Mpiana opted to take brief weekend journeys.

Although most of their posts had been natural, with out the expectation of reaching a big viewers, the couple’s weekend journeys turned a part of their model. 

“We had been courting, and we’d simply take these enjoyable weekend journeys,” Serna says. “We simply appeared round, and we had been like, ‘Oh, there’s this place to go sand browsing in Monahans,’ or ‘Let’s make just a little weekend getaway out in Fredericksburg or these English gardens… .’ I had a pictures background, so I used to be posting on social media simply because that’s what individuals do. After which my buddies began asking about all these locations we had been visiting, and on the time, there wasn’t actually a social media presence for issues to do in Texas, so individuals had been simply coming to us for what we had been sharing.”

At the moment, the couple has greater than 300,000 followers mixed on Instagram, the place they share reels and pictures of enjoyable locations to journey and dine close to the Dallas-Fort Price space. 

Casa Kumwesu celebrates native taste as the world’s first ice cream-themed Airbnb

Serna and Mpiana are conscious that Waco is synonymous with beloved Texans Chip and Joanna Gaines and Magnolia Market—an enormous draw for vacationers that has seemingly introduced portion of tourists to Casa Kumwesu. The 2 have equally been intentional about incorporating Texan tradition and artwork inside the home, with a lot of the furnishings designed by native artists.

The home itself is minutes away from a river, the place guests can discover ways to kayak. Friends also can choose to go to an indoor surf park, Cameron Park Zoo and a number of other domestically owned companies. Although there aren’t any ice cream machines inside the home, visitors usually buy ice cream from native companies to go away within the freezer for the following vacationers. 

Casa Kumwesu isn’t only a backdrop—it’s a dream come true

Serna and Mpiana need Casa Kumwesu to be greater than only a photograph op.

“I feel individuals consider it quite a bit as an Instagram home, and sure, it’s nice for photos,” Serna says. “However children find it irresistible. We hear from visitors on a regular basis that their children need to transfer there. They’re speaking about it for months to return. It’s a colourful wonderland. I feel as adults, we consider it as this Instagram factor. However as children, they’re simply dwelling their dream.”

The important thing to longevity is a capability to evolve and adapt

Having been within the influencer realm for nearly seven years, the couple have seen social platforms evolve. From attention-grabbing photograph posts to fascinating reels, they’ve maintained their footprint within the digital world and say the important thing to longevity is to have the ability to transfer in tandem with every platform.

“At any level, one thing that labored yesterday might not work right now,” Mpiana says. “There’s a problem in that, however we’re open to adapting. When movies got here on board, we pivoted, and that’s now grow to be a part of what we do. You simply should be keen to adapt.”

Images by Jessica Serna.