Traveling with My Sister

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child." -- Linda Sunshine

Having grown up with my sister for 26 years, I knew what I was getting myself into when she and I decided to travel to Europe for two weeks a few years ago.

Those of you who have older sisters know what it is like to be picked on, ignored, have your hair pulled, and even tricked to do some pretty humiliating and/or stupid things like stand by the side of the road and wave at various cars driving by the house. Oh, and did I mention I was three years old at the time!

Anyway, as we grew older, and she moved away, our relationship has become much stronger as we respect one another and actually listen to what each other has to say. When planning our trip to Europe, we talked on the phone for hours, plotting and planning each day -- we're planners, that's how we grew up.

When the day came to leave for Paris, the last thing my mom said to the two of us, besides "I love you," was "Remember, this is a trip you'll remember for the rest of your lives. Make good memories and don't be fighting!"

Naturally, we gave her the whole ho-hum answer of "Okay mom, we know, we know" but little did we know, we actually did get along throughout our trip. For some reason, while she was living in New York, I would go to visit and by the third day, every single time, we would be so mad at each other. This time, we made it two solid weeks and had only one minor spat. We were arguing about a sign in one of the Paris subways -- a very confusing one at that -- and I was saying we should go one way while she was saying we should go another. Graced with the art of direction, she managed to prove me wrong -- figures.

All in all, my mom was right. Our two weeks in Europe was an experience I will never forget. I got to experience some of the most amazing, humbling, and eye-opening places with her. Some people prefer to travel alone, not wanting to mess with the plans that someone else might have. I can understand and respect that.  I've often thought about traveling by myself and have absolutely nothing against those that do...who knows, I just might one day.

Until then, I prefer to share my worldly travels with those I love, whether that be my parents, my sister, or my friends. Hey, at least I won't have to worry about some stranger running off with my camera when I ask someone to take my photo!