I have traveled to several destinations alone, with my husband, and with my kids. And traveling with my siblings is also one of my treasured moments. From spending Christmas in Singapore, having a blast in Disneyland Hong Kong, going to the Underground River in the Philippines, sand duning in Qatar, and exploring Kuala Lumpur, my brother and sister are one of the best travel buddies.
Here are some of the reasons why I love traveling with my siblings.
1. I can be myself.
I can be myself throughout the trip, and I know they won’t judge me. I can be childish and stupid, or be cranky and miserable, my siblings will forgive me. I can be an ill-mannered godzilla while I enjoy our travel.
2. No need to impress them.
There is no need to make up small talk or keep up with the conversation. I can be silent if I want to.
3. We know what to expect
Even though I haven’t lived with them for 8 years now, I still know what to expect. We know our personal habits. They know that I am a neat freak. So they know I am going to fix everybody’s stuff (they better hide what needs to be hidden). I know that none of them likes to wake up early. So forget about checking out the sunrise or going somewhere early in the morning.
I know already that my brother likes to eat at a mid-range restaurant, so don’t bother searching for a budget restaurant. My sister has skin problems, so necessary preparations are needed if we want to go hiking. I know we all love theme parks, so Disneyland is always the best option! Cool, isn’t it?
4. Less to no embarrassment.
I can wear whatever I want, sit however I want, and eat however and whatever I want. I won’t feel embarrassed. If I prefer eating a Mcdonald’s burger over the local cuisine or if I forgot to shave my legs or slip out loud farts, I won’t feel embarrassed. I am just that comfortable with my siblings. And I am sure they feel the same way.
Doha, Qatar
5. We can borrow things (constantly and even without permission)
This is what I like the most! I can always borrow clothes from my brother. My brother and I are of the same size. So I can borrow his tees or sweater, and wear them as house clothes. That’s why whenever I go to the Philippines, my bag is always lighter. And when we travel, we can just bring one set of toiletries. Practical, right?
6. Easy to communicate
From my extensive traveling, I realized I have no patience when traveling with friends or group. I will put up with it and be polite just because we are a group. I don’t like staying in one place for more than 1 hour, I want to move on to the next item on the list. With my siblings, I have no fear of telling them how much I am enjoying an experience so we have to stay longer. Or how much I am not enjoying an experience so we better go. I can also tell them to take hundreds of photos of me until I get the ‘right’ photo.
7. We become more responsible
I am the eldest, so it is a given that I’ll be responsible. However, when we travel, everybody seems to be a map expert. It’s not only me who become more responsible. My brother and sister become more responsible too – making sure that we are walking or traveling in the right direction, or riding the right bus or train, or waiting at the right boarding gate.
We also become responsible and accountable for our actions. We don’t go to a bar or club. I and my sister don’t smoke or drink. My brother doesn’t drink irresponsibly when we are all together. We also don’t engage in any extreme activities.
Thus it can be reassuring to know that they will try their best to keep everybody safe, and that I have their back and they’ve got mine.
8. Easy to ask our parents’ permission
I remember when I asked permission to go swimming with my friends, my mom asked a lot of questions. My dad even checked out the place to see if it was safe and no suspicious persons lurking around. But traveling with my siblings? They approved almost instantly. Sometimes, they are the one urging me to bring my brother and/or sister with me on one of my travels.
Bohol, Philippines
9. Quality time
As I have mentioned above, I have not lived them for 8 years. So traveling gives us a chance to catch up and bond more. Yes, we talk over the phone via FaceTime or Skype, but it’s still better when I see them in person. We get to talk about our lives, work, school, personal matter, family issues, politics, etc. I can see their facial expression and nonverbal cues clearly. I can easily hug them or kiss them.
10. I can easily talk about money
There will be no conscious money talks, no splitting, and no fuss. I can easily plan our budget and can tell them without inhibitions their share. I am a stay-at-home mom but I have money. My brother has work. But my sister is still a student so she won’t be able to contribute that much. I usually ask my Mom for my sister’s share. Lol.
We usually buy our own tickets. I always shoulder the hotel expenses because I am a little bit picky. The rest of the expenses like food and transportation will be divided among all of us. Or sometimes, they take care of the other expenses. Either way, it’s very easy to talk about money with them and also easy to ask if they haven’t paid their share. Plus, if any of us run out of money, we can easily ask each other for some money.
Don’t get me wrong: traveling with my siblings isn’t always fun. We argue. My brother picks on my sister. My sister cries. We annoy and irritate each other. It can be frustrating. But we are good after a few minutes. We’ll be fine and we are always ready to carry on with our adventure.
Have you been on an adventure with your siblings lately? How was the experience? Share it with us!
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Traveling can be so much fun! I have always been a solo traveler, but siblings traveling together sounds like so much fun!
Have just taken a trip with my sister, I can say yes to the above!
I wish I could travel with my sisters now that we’re older. I feel like we never get to do things together anymore!
I know what you mean. When we were young, we told ourselves we will travel when we grow older. Now that we’re older, we don’t have the time because of family and work. I really wish we can still travel at least once a year.
I love travelling with my sister and I can’t wait to do that again in a couple of months! Awesome post, made me really miss my sister though 😉 Best go call her now 😉
Enjoy! My brother and I are planning to go to Siem Reap next month! *cross-finger*
Great post. I am planning a trip with my siblings next year. I haven’t seen them over a year and I can’t wait. No need to impress them like you said. You get to be silly and enjoy the moment
I know right? I hope you enjoy your time and have a wonderful trip.
Sounds like fun and you have an adorable family!
Thanks, Jennifer. Appreciate the kind words.
My mum holidays with her eldest brother & his wife quite often. I couldn’t imagine going on holiday with my sister as adults – we are chalk & cheese!
Haha. I wonder how we’ll be when we grow a little bit older ?
I’m a lot older than you – but I still like travelling with my brothers. And I’d never really thought about why – but you have got it absolutely when you talk about that ease of being with someone…
That is awesome! I hope I’ll still like traveling with my siblings in the future. ?
It is awesome that you all enjoy traveling with each other. We can barely get all of us in one room for holiday dinners let alone travel together.
I hear you! I think we have passed that stage already. I hope in the future you get to travel with your siblings at least once.
I love traveling with my brothers too. Now that we are getting older it really is a lot of fun and there’s something to be said for traveling with people that you are super comfortable with and have the same travel planning style as you!
Yup! I think if we traveled when we were younger, we would’ve frustrated each other. lol. Traveling now is the right time.
Awww! The pic of you and your siblings are so cute! I wish my siblings and I would make it a point to travel more often together. Everytime we’ve been together for away functions like weddings we’ve had a blast and made memories that last a life time. We always say we are going to do it “just because” but we never do. This post has motivated me to make it more of a priority. Thank you!
I totally understand. Sometimes, I had to push them or else we will never go anywhere!
Such a heartwarming post. As an only child, I wish that I had the same. I make do with my cousins, because I do have many though 🙂
That’s close enough!
sounds great I never traveled alone with my siblings. Loved reading your post.
Thank you. Appreciate the kind words.
What a great post! I wish my siblings could travel like I do, but they can’t! 🙁
It’s ok. Thanks for stopping by.
I love this post! It’s so true! I love traveling with my siblings too. It’s just easy and comfortable at the same time!
Yasss! You nailed it!
Wow, you are so lucky. It would be nice if my brother and I could travel together but I know we would just be frustrated with each other the whole time.
Lol. It’s ok. I totally understand
My two sisters are my best friends. I feel exactly the same way!
That’s awesome!
so much yes to all of the points you mentioned there. i travel solo most of the time, and i’m personally not a big fan of traveling with friends because my friends are good to hang out but not really great traveling companions. so far, since i’m single, the best traveling companions that i’ve got are my siblings. and pretty much like you, we’re 2 sisters and 1 brother as well. 😀
Same here! I’d like to hang out with my friends but not travel. Because even before, during and after our trip, we are still siblings / family no matter what. Aren’t they the best?!
I love the relationship you have with your siblings. You all look so very happy in your photos. Beautiful post, Maria! xx
Thank you so much, Erin. Appreciate the kind words.
You sound like a lovely group together! I have only one sibling so travelling with her is great as it is rare. The whole being yourself thing rocks
Thank you. Appreciate the kind words.
This is such an enjoyable read! I laughed at the last paragraph (back to being kids). ?? I don’t have sisters but I want my two best friends to adopt me as their sister. What you describe above is mostly how I feel when I’m with them. Except I wouldn’t borrow their stuff without asking- that would be pushing it! ?
Thank you so much! They are sweet, aren’t they?
Sounds like you’re very fortunate to be able to spend quality time together and enjoy travelling too!
Yes. Thank you. We try to travel at least once a year.
No, I just can’t imagine doing it with mine, we are at different life stages :-). Great that you had can do it. My sister in law is from the Philippines and it is one place I would like to visit due to the family connection.
Yeah, I can see why it will be hard esp when you’re at different life stages. Wow! A Filipino sister-in-law? That is so awesome!
She is a qualified nurse and keeps my brother on his toes 🙂 They make a good couple!
Agreed wholeheartedly! Some of my fave holidays were with my siblings
That’s wonderful!