When I was 19, I decided one day that I was going to go to Europe, a dream I had had for a few years at that point. I called Aubrey and we made plans to go a year from then. We decided that we would save for a year and go as a graduation trip for each of us, her from her 4 year college, and myself from my 2 year college. We created lists of where to go, of what to see, and we compared flight prices for months on end, looking for the cheapest method to travel without ever breaking our bank. It wasn’t until 4 months until we planned on leaving that we found our tickets. I chose Aubrey to travel with because she is my best friend and sister. She knows me to the core, she has the same interests and desires as me, yet she brings out a side of me that I am often afraid to show the world. She allows me to take chances, pushing the boundary of an ordinary world, allowing for a trip to remain both in memory and at heart. We travel together because we know that the most important thing to both of us is seeing the world together, to share in similar experiences and to catch up. We can be spunky or wild, but collective and cool, basking in the culture around us. We take pride in meeting new people, in trying to become part of the culture in such short periods of time. We often sit for hours just watching the culture pass us by, starting conversations with natural citizens or other tourists and learning how one society differs from ours, mixing English with that countries language. I know that even when strange men follow us on subways or 60 year old men try to get us to dance on bar tables suggesting marriage with their grandsons our desire to travel will remain. I know that no matter what incident arises, it will only lead to better stories in the future, allow for a more intriguing day, and I know that I will always travel with my sister.
Since then, we traveled back to Europe again, this time celebrating her 25th birthday in Istanbul; and again saving for a year to afford this extravagant trip. No matter how old we get, no matter how rich or how poor, we will always travel together. Whether we stay in a 5 star hotel or in a run down hostel, we will make that trip together. We will share the same memories and hope that our time together will occur again, in an effort to always make time for each other. I know that no matter where we go we will take advantage of what the country has to offer us and give as much back. And I know that my sister and I will take from this trip more then anyone else, because we will be fulfilling yet another dream we have, to visit Australia.