This article was originally published on November 12, 2010
Sharing laughter—and sisterhood—“Down Under”
By Susan Hill, 4-time traveler, Santa Rosa, California
I’ve been traveling for as long as I can remember. My parents took my sister and I somewhere new each summer, so we’ve traveled on freighters from Panama to San Francisco, explored countries throughout Central and South America, and even visited the South Pacific islands, including New Zealand and Tahiti.
My sister, Chris, and I are three years apart, and truly are like night and day. After we went away to college, we didn’t talk very often, but when my mom passed away, I decided it was time to pick up the phone and see if we could make amends. I’ll never forget how nervous I was as the phone rang, but then Chris picked up. I told her about my plans to visit Ireland, and after taking a deep breath, I asked if she wanted to come too. And since that first trip together to Ireland, Chris and I haven’t stopped traveling with one another.
From left: Chris and Susan toast to a wonderful visit to Uluru (Ayers Rock).
Chris was the one who wanted to go to Australia. I told her I’d go, although it wasn’t high on the list of places I was dying to see. But I’m so grateful she pushed me to go anyway because the trip was fantastic. It was so much more wild and different than I expected it to be—and Chris and I had an amazing time.
Since we began traveling together, we realized that although we differ in so many respects, we also get along pretty well. We like experiencing different cultures and it helps us to appreciate our homeland even more. We also enjoy trying and cooking new foods. Imagine our surprise when we were able to taste kangaroo meat while in Australia—and we loved it!
It’s also fun meeting new people on our trips. When traveling with OAT, we noticed it’s just a different caliber of people in our groups: Everyone is so well-traveled and interesting. And our Trip Leaders are always great.
While walking around Ayers Rock, Susan’s group learns about the history of this “spiritual” place.
I had a bit of a spiritual experience at Uluru, or Ayers Rock. I felt a real connection to the area. It was one of those locations that you just stood there, took in your surroundings, and felt all of the years of history that this sacred spot held upon you. It was spooky.
One of the great things about traveling with Chris is how much fun we have together. I like to refer to us as the “crazy sisters” because we’re always laughing together. One morning while in Australia, Chris and I decided to visit a wildlife park suggested by our Trip Leader with another couple from our group. As we strolled through the park, we realized that we were practically by ourselves there. And we saw more birds at the wildlife park than we did in the rain forest we visited later in the day! It was spectacular. But our real adventure came during lunch. As we sat outside amongst the birds, enjoying our sandwiches, a bird flew over our heads from behind and grabbed the lunch from the person sitting opposite us at the table. Needless to say, it was a startling experience—but how we laughed! It was one of the most hysterical things I’ve ever seen.
Susan (pictured here) and Chris especially enjoyed their visit to a wildlife park suggested by their Trip Leader.
Chris and I share a lot of history together. And when we travel, we’re able to add our adventures to this history. Each night, we talk about the past day’s events and giggle for hours. It might have taken us a little longer than many other sisters to realize the true power of sisterhood, but I’m very glad I decided to pick up that phone so many years ago and invite Chris to come to Ireland with me. We’ve never been closer.
Do you travel regularly with your sister, or another family member? I'd love to hear about your experiences together. Email them to me at harriet@oattravel.com.
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