Things that happen when you travel with your sibling

It’s been a decade since I started living away from home. At the time I first moved away for studies, my brother, a tween at the time, was seemingly concerned about who would be helping him with his projects then on. As time flew by and we grew up, some things changed and some didn’t. Sure, it’s one thing to stay connected with your family via phone and internet, but in spending all of one month out of twelve staying with your sibling means you miss out on a lot of things that go on in their regular life. From dates and mood swings to daily habits, new found interests, their current playlist, likes and dislikes – you might think you know most of it, yet you might not. But, when you get the chance to travel with them, you realize how different this experience is. It’s the familiarity of having a travel companion you’ve known all your life, yet it’s also like getting to know a friend better. Here are some things that might happen when you travel with your sibling, , why it’s a good idea to do so and how to deal with the challenges:

“Travelling with anyone is difficult, siblings or otherwise. Although I have a lot of people that I can call friends, there are only a few friends that I think travelling would be completely easy with. For all of those other friends – and for most of us, siblings fall into this category.” – James from Portugalist

Things that happen when you travel with your siblings- Picture:Aaron,nomadsnation.com

1. Sibling Bond

You get a chance to bond more with your sibling, as you will likely be in an unfamiliar environment, though familiar with each other’s habits, fears etc.

“I grew up the oldest of three sisters: playing, keeping each other’s secrets, and then, as often happens, leaving my hometown to build my life. It’s so special to share the same bedroom again, wake up and have breakfast together, and spend time not just sightseeing but doing the mundane details of everyday life with each other. It’s the little things we did as kids that we get to enjoy doing together again as adults on our trips.” – Magaly from BorderFreeAdventures .

 

“I recently travelled in Mendoza in Argentina for the Vendimia grape harvesting festival with my boyfriend and my sister. As well as being an incredible festival, with plenty of new wine    discoveries, it was the perfect sibling bonding experience, not only for me and my sister, but for my sister and boyfriend -to who I proposed shortly afterwards.” – Stefan from NomadicBoys

Brother-sister bonding – Stefan and Natalie in Mendoza,Argentina. Picture credits: nomadicboys.com

2. Getting to know your sibling better

You will learn a lot of new things about them because even though you grew up together, you probably didn’t spend as much time travelling with them as you did with your friends.

You might be surprised to know they are curious about culture and folklore the same way as you are , or the fact that they are even interested in attending an Opera performance when you clearly had no idea of this side of them. Their dating pattern might seem amusing to you and at times, you might even wonder how you two, with such different habits, are even related. Travelling together will give you both an opportunity to get to know each other better.

“Travelling with your sibling allows for quality time to get to know each other better.  In my case, our normal family interactions as adults leave very little opportunity to delve deeper.  So being together 24/7 for a few days does add some satisfying depth to the relationship. ”  – Carole Meyers from Berkeleyandbeyond

 

3. Catching up with your sibling

Train journeys will never be boring as you will have so much to catch up on, especially if you have not been living in the same city. Old family jokes and stories will be in abundance. 

Thanks to all the family antics , funny incidents and childhood memories , you’ll probably not get bored at all while travelling with your brother or sister. In fact, I well remember staying up late night catching up on stories and playing board games with my brother while on a side berth in an Indian train and more recently, indulging in some sing-alongs while temporarily being in an empty cabin in a Deutsche Bahn train.

4. No family worries

You don’t have to worry about updating your family back home if they have communicated with your sibling and vice-versa!    

 Your parents would be glad even if one of you corresponds with them via call or text. They know both of you are fine and you don’t have to worry about necessarily updating them. Right?

5. No awkwardness. No judgements. No drama.

There will be no awkwardness if you suddenly break into a dance or start singing a completely off tune song while making breakfast or while waiting for a train. In fact, they will probably join you and you will have fun together. True Story! Have you had a similar experience?

“We may grow up or grow old to the world outside of us but never to our siblings. Your brother or sister is a living caricature of all your inside jokes and childhood memories and grown-up dreams. The time freezes when you are with your siblings, just like in this picture.”

– Anshita Koul (or Anshita Crazy Koul on YouTube! )

Crazy Siblings – Picture: Anshita Koul                                                                                                                                                          

6. Spontaneity with siblings

You can count on them for joining you on your spontaneous plans.                           

“I took a memorable trip with my sister Connie once –  it was a last-minute road trip to Los Angeles from San Francisco area,  motivated by the opportunity to watch a Mick Jagger video being directed by my son, Dave Meyers.  It turned out to be super exciting and fun, and we got along well. A spontaneous trip with your sibling allows for little time to fret about the negatives of such an adventure.  As Nike says, just DO it!”

– Carole from Berkeleyandbeyond.com .

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH YOUR SIBLINGS

Sometimes, you might also face some challenges while travelling with your brother or sister.

“Traveling with sisters isn’t always easy- sometimes they get on your nerves- just like they did when you were kids! And that’s part of the charm. You make real connections and unedited memories that carry you through life. And there’s nothing better than getting together and laughing about that time your sister almost got you kicked out of the Vatican for getting your kid to break the rules!”

– Magaly from BorderFreeAdventures.com  .

Have you ever travelled with your siblings? Where did you go and for how long? Let me know in the comments below and share this post with your siblings!

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