WHY YOUR SISTER IS THE BEST TRAVEL PARTNER TO HAVE IN YOUR 20s
- Janissa Romero
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Traveling in your 20s feels like a unique window in life — you’re figuring yourself out, exploring new places, and learning what type of traveler you actually are. And in the middle of all that, there’s one person who somehow makes everything easier, more meaningful, and honestly more fun: your sister.
What makes traveling with your sister so special is that it’s both comforting and exciting at the same time. There’s a bittersweetness to it — you’re growing up, becoming your own people, building different lives and routines, but the second you’re together in a new place, it feels like home again. It’s familiar and new at the same time.
One of the biggest perks is how naturally in sync you are. Not identical, but aligned in a way that takes zero effort. You don’t have to negotiate every tiny decision or worry about clashing personalities. If one of you wants coffee, the other is already searching for a cute café. If you want to wander, shop, rest, explore — you usually fall into the same rhythm without needing a plan. When you travel with a sister, the day just flows.
And yes, sometimes you’ll argue. It happens with anyone you travel with — friends, cousins, partners, parents. But with sisters, the fights don’t linger. You can go from annoyed to laughing in the span of a walk. You make up over shopping, over coffee, over some random inside joke that comes back at the perfect time. There’s a softness to it because even the arguments feel temporary.
MY EXPERIENCE
I recently had the chance to go to Barcelona to visit my younger sister, who’s been studying abroad there this semester. I stayed for two weeks — long enough to settle into her routine, see her favorite places, and understand why she loved living there. Barcelona has amazing nightlife, incredible food, and a very easy way of making you feel at home. Experiencing her version of the city — her spots, her walks, the friends she’s made — felt so special. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until we were side by side again.
What made that trip different from the others we’ve taken — Rome, Mykonos, Malta — is that it was just us. Me at 21, her at 20, traveling together without parents, cousins, or anyone else tagging along. We’re old enough to explore comfortably but young enough that everything still feels exciting. And as the older sister, it was funny and kind of endearing watching her take the lead, guiding me through her new city, ordering her "usuals", and showing me the places she’s grown attached to. Watching her in her element felt like seeing this new version of her — confident, independent, and settled into her own life. It made the trip feel more meaningful than any vacation we’ve done before.
What surprised me most was how much she had grown — it was like she stepped out of the shell I had always known her in. She felt more outgoing, more brave, almost like she had unlocked a new version of herself that only living abroad could bring out. I couldn’t be more proud of her for navigating a whole new place on her own and building a life there. We had never been separated for that long, so seeing her so independent was a bit of a shock, but in the best way. And keeping our parents updated as we went about our days felt sweet, almost nostalgic — it reminded us of when they would go on trips and leave us at home, only now the roles were reversed. It made the whole experience feel even more full circle.
There’s also the quiet ease that sisters bring. You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to choose words carefully. You can have moments of silence without it feeling awkward. You can laugh at things nobody else would understand. You can share clothes, share makeup, share snacks, share responsibilities — everything feels natural and balanced.
Traveling in your 20s can be chaotic, transformative, and sometimes overwhelming, but having your sister with you makes it feel grounded. She’s your safety net in a foreign place, your hype woman when you need confidence, your photographer when the lighting is good, your therapist when you’re tired, and your partner in every random adventure.
Traveling with a sister doesn’t just make the trip better — it makes the memory stronger. You’re not just seeing the world with someone you love; you’re experiencing a new chapter of adulthood together. And that’s something you’ll never outgrow.
FINAL MESSAGE
Zassy, I made this one for you. I miss you more than I thought I would, even if I just saw you two weeks ago, and I hope we get to travel to a hundred more places together. Every trip with you feels like a core memory.
And to anyone reading — even if you don’t have a sister, a brother can fill that space too. Or maybe this is your sign to find that one friend who becomes your version of a sister — the kind of person who makes the world feel a little bigger and a lot more fun to explore.
P.S. This song shows how I felt on the plane ride back :(
awww so beautiful, i cried. i love you sisterrrr soso much and miss you endlessly. forever travel buddy, same time next year?