Traveling with Adult Siblings

The RV lifestyle can be wonderful, exciting, adventurous, and full of surprises! My husband and two of his siblings all had RV’s and so it was inevitable that eventually the subject of a “family trip” would come up.   It was a fascinating meeting when this happened! Everyone was all in to go! 

During the planning of the trip of a lifetime to the Banff and Jasper area of Alberta, Canada, we were trying to narrow down what to see as a group to make it a terrific experience.  It’s always a good idea to do this when traveling in a “caravan.”  There would be two Fifth wheels pulled by a large pick-up, and a 38’ motorhome—and you don’t just stop on a dime to turn around—these are not VW bugs! 

We’d not gone on an RV trip together it’s true; however, we were not strangers! Two brothers and a sister and their spouses. And these were not folks without an opinion…no, no, no wishy-washy here! The siblings were forthright, decisive, not shy, and certainly no one need ever wonder what they were thinking.  So, to sit down and talk about all the particulars was chock full of energy! The only ones who were pretty laissez faire, were the three spouses (out of an abundance of caution).

In the end, we knew the cities of Banff and Jasper were the goal—Lake Louise was wonderful we hear! Glacier Park was not to be missed and then each of the RV’s and their owners would say “adieu” and head off to their homes from California to the middle of the country.

Now my husband’s oldest brother has regaled us for years, by this point, with stories of his fishing adventures on the Pacific Ocean in his 40’ fishing boat.  Come to think of it, “adventures” might not be the right word! Think Perils of Pauline here! Not necessarily, “Oh boy, we had a good time” stories but the “Oh, my gosh, we were nearly killed” stories. 

This brother could have taken Robin Williams place in the movie “RV”—if you’ve seen it, you understand! Quite possibly, the movie could be based on this brother’s life, we don’t know.  If a book were written about this elder brother’s “adventures”, possible chapter titles might be: “How to Avoid Shipping Lanes while Fishing in the Pacific” or “How Not to Lose the ONLY Dinghy While Exploring the Island” or even, “How I almost took out my Son-in-Law, Daughter and the Fifth Wheel in One Day while attempting to Park”.

With these things firmly planted in our minds, my husband and his sister (with spouses) made a pact that we would have Elder Brother lead the way into the campsites, get set up and then call us when the coast was clear, so we could join them when it was safe. We also vowed to all watch the movie referred to above with this brother (aka Robin Williams) and point out the obvious points of how NOT to operate while together! 

We all had a great time on this trip—nothing untoward happened and we made it safely! We prayed a lot! I’m still not sure he ever picked up on the point of watching it or what role he played in the movie!  Our Canadian journey was well worth all the preparation!  So many memories were made: Living Our Best Life!

Have you taken a trip with your adult siblings? Did it enrich your life? Would you do it again?

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Pam’s background has involved teaching, whether at women’s retreats, Bible Studies, or Personality Seminars. She also owned her own businesses: one in the medical field and then in Real Estate, which she did with her husband Bob. They have just moved to a condo in Branson, Missouri, and look forward to more adventures! Pam and Bob have loved their life experiences—wherever they took them—from the States and Canada, to a cruise in Tahiti—Living Their Best Life has always been their goal!