5 Reasons Why Siblings Make The Best Travel Companions

Updated February 2021

As I have been lucky to travel to a few countries at this point in my life, and for the many more that I have planned, I have been lucky enough to experience some new corners of the world with some of the most special people in my life; my siblings. Whether for better or for worse, I have come to see that siblings can make some of the best travel companions out there, so if you’re wondering how or why you should plan a trip with your siblings, keep reading to see my 5 reasons why siblings make the best travel companions 🙂

A little piece of home is always with you

Solo travel is amazing and all, so is travelling with your significant other or with your childhood best friend, however travelling with your siblings is something unlike anything. Not only are you travelling with people that you love and share a familial bond with, but also with people that know you and that you have known for the entirety of each others lives. You know each other better than anyone else; the good and bad.  It’s an amazing feeling to know that your travel companions have seen you through the ups and the downs, and love you either way.  So when you travel with your siblings, all expectations or pressures to be a certain way are out the window. Also, it is like a little piece of home is with you, which can make the experience comforting and fun. 



You’ll argue but you know you have each others back

Whether you are the one directing everyone in the wrong direction, or if it’s your sibling not wanting to partake in the same activity that you want to, arguments are bound to happen, especially while on a trip where you’re all navigating different things. The beauty of travelling with siblings is that you know that no matter what, whatever the argument, it’ll blow over soon enough and within an hour or so you’ll be marveling together at the beauty around you because you’re travelling the world together! Also if this isn’t the case and they’re still upset over something, you can always call your parents and make them change their attitude lol. 

One of my favorite ways of decompressing after a full day of travel and being social is meditating. Having a quiet space to go within, breathing deeper, and becoming present to feel into where I am currently in the world, has seriously been such a game-changer! I personally love meditations from Mimi Method, as she has a plethora of sitting, writing, walking/running meditations, and so much more! If you’ve thought meditation isn’t for you, these meditation sessions are worth checking out!


You learn more about each other 

I along with many others would agree when I reiterate that there is no other better way to get to know someone than by travelling with them. When you travel altogether, sh!t can hit the fan real quick i.e you miss a connecting flight, you get your passport stolen, you get lost and the only way to get wifi is to buy an 8 euro cup of tea (true story). The point is that you will have to act under a variety of situations both good and bad, and through these experiences, you’ll learn more about each other, and how you all react to alllll sorts of situations. The bad, the funny, the uncomfortable, and the unbelievable. Through travelling with my own siblings, I’ve come to find that my younger brother is actually a lot more responsible than what I give him credit for at home, and that my sister is actually extremely good at directions and hardly gets lost. So proud of these kids!


It’s easier to talk about money and expenses 

You know how at the beginning of planning a trip (with siblings or friends or anyone) you plan out all your places to visit, ticket entry costs, living expenses, and how everything will be split and all? Yeah, that goes out the window a few hours into the trip after paying for a few things; it can get messy with who owes what, especially when travelling with siblings.  Money and expenses can be a touchy subject in general, however when you travel with siblings, this topic can become more easily discussed with them.   If you realize half way through a trip that you only have a certain amount of money that won’t help carry you over (or vice versa) through the duration of the trip, you know you can count on each other. If one of you owes the other money and you really need it back to buy something, you know you can feel comfortable enough to let them know. Anyway you spin it, talking about money and expenses can be a lot easier to talk about with siblings because at the end, it all ends up coming together and it becomes the sibling travel funds, AKA: the-only-money-we-got-which-isn’t-a-ton-so-let’s-put-it-together-to-feel-like-we-have-more-than-what-we-think. It’s all about mindset, right? 

One of my favorite ways to save money for travel (literally in the background) is through Acorns. Acorns is an investment and savings app that rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and saves that spare change in an account for you. Through this app, I have been able to save a little over $1,000 at this point, and it’s been through the spare change from my day-to-day purchases and investing $10 monthly. It’s super easy to get started, and if you sign up through my link, you’ll get your first $5 investment on them!


Expanded wardrobe

Imagine this: It’s about half way through your trip, you realized that in downsizing your suitcase you didn’t pack a ton of variety for your wardrobe, and you finally start understand and accept the saying “what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine” haha. I am guilty of this and so is my sister when we did our mini backpacking euro trip, and it worked out well because we have similar style and sizes. Even if it’s a little, it’s a perk to be able to have an extended wardrobe when you and your siblings are willing to share clothing haha.


Simplified travel plans 

Sometimes (not all)  it can be hard to express how badly you want to go to certain places, or how you may want to avoid going to expensive places. It’s hard, we’ve all been there in some way, shape, or form. When you travel with your siblings however, that can automatically encourage you all to be honest and up front about things. You can be honest with each other to say what you really want to see and do without feeling like they’re judging you haha. So if you want to ditch the expensive sit down restaurant with tip for a modest, but hearty sandwich, a few snacks at the park while checking out the view of some beautiful part of the city, you can feel free to just let them know. They’re your siblings after all. Especially if you decided to join your funds together at the end, and they’re running kind of low haha, they’ll definitely understand if you want to make alternative plans. 


Experiencing the world and personal growth together

You’ve heard about it here and there that when you travel, you have the possibility to learn about yourself, your limits, and how you can navigate life under different social structures, cultures, languages, etc. When you travel with your siblings, you also get to learn about them and you get to see the excitement in their eyes glowing and their smiles forming when they see places they have only dreamt about visiting one day. I would go so far as to say that it’s a privilege to be able to travel with your siblings solely for this point and this moment. To see the world through their eyes, to see their growth and go through experiences together abroad that will later make for funny inside jokes and stories, and to see how happy they become at experiencing travel and the world; it’s priceless. Travel as you all know if you’re on this site, is a beautiful thing and experience that I believe is amazing to do solo, but incredibly special when you can do it with those whom you love, like your siblings. *cue the corny violin*


Have you traveled with your siblings?? How was your experience? Would you say you also really enjoyed the experience or found it hard to mesh with them? I’d love to know so remember to leave a comment! 🙂

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2 Comments

  1. I like how you said that traveling with siblings lets us learn more about them. My husband and I have talked about using a bus rental service to do some traveling soon. I’m glad I read your article so I can invite my siblings to go on the adventure with us!

    1. Thank you for your comment, Eileen! This sounds like so much fun!! I find that traveling with siblings not only allows us to learn about them more (by catching up) but also see how good they are at certain things by taking certain roles: the one who leads, the one on top of their budget, the one who has the itinerary memorized, etc. You will definitely learn more about your siblings, and that’s part of the adventure. Enjoy your trip with your family! ?

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