Sisters Abroad: Dylana & Natalie Suarez

This post comes from a couple of our favorite bloggers, Dylana and Natalie Suarez! 

My sister Natalie and I are the best friends. There’s no better way to put it really.

A lot of our friends have said we have a special sister bond that they have never quite seen before. But to us, it’s really something we don’t think about. Our relationship is purely second nature to us. Like left and right. Up and down. We start and end each other’s sentences. We laugh over the same jokes. When I have something in my head, the first person I share it with is Natalie. We can basically read each other’s minds. So cliche, but so, so true. We are so different yet so much the same. And when there are moments that we realize this, we laugh and think “woah, this is a little freaky.” We hardly go a day without seeing each other, but when we do happen to be apart, we endlessly talk. The best part of having a sister that is already your best bud ever? Having a go-to travel companion. This past year, Natalie and I have have been fortunate enough to travel to some really amazing places together. It’s the best feeling ever to be able to experience adventures with your best friend. To create memories together to share with those we love. To remind each other of the crazy things that happened and have left an impression on us. To laugh about the little mishaps or interesting characters we stumbled upon along the way. I’ll never forget the trips we took together. Even the parts that were hard because we were so tired from jet lag or frustrated at not being able to figure out a subway map. So much time together can sometimes wear on us, but at the end of the day, we know that we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

Traveling with my sister is both inspiring and effortless because the way we see the world and the way we approach traveling abroad are so similar. We are both hunger for adventure, even if it is just exploring the city we currently live in. We are on the same page when it comes to  taking every day as an opportunity to see the beauty in the world that is around us and to never overlook the small stuff. This is what makes our travels together the best they can be. Our outlooks complement each other, and we don’t overthink an itinerary for a day in a new city; a new country. We look for the unexpected and appreciate the things that happen without warning.

When it comes to working with each other on a near daily basis, you can expect the real ying and yang to kick in. Even though we see so many things in the same way, we are still constantly learning from each other. When one of us is down, the other tries to bring her back up. My entire life, I have felt that my greatest support has been my sister, but the support has never felt the greatest until our adult lives. And for that I am thankful, especially since so much of the success of our work relies on each other. It’s so much fun getting to work with my sister as often as I do because we get to make progress, be creative and laugh about things together at the exact same time. Nothing is more freeing than that. And we promised to never take that for granted. Best of all, we have no filter with each other and always feel like we can say what’s on our minds. Together, we are able to mix our creative juices in the most positive way.

With our heads together, we’ll conquer the day no matter where we are in the world, be it our backyard or all the way across the globe. Together we can be sure to create something beautiful  to inspire others with. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister, best friend and partner-in-crime.

Here are some images that we captured together on our trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico this past month. It was our first time in the Caribbean together. The colorful and laidback vibe of the city really meshed well with us. From the super sparkly Condado beaches to the dusty side streets where the locals hung out, we took so much of the city by foot and hardly complained a bit about the blisters on our feet. With a little bit of rum running through our veins, and diet made up of a whole lot of sweet pineapples and fried plantains, we came to find a new love for a part of the world we  can’t wait to go back to and discover more of. Our next adventure is calling and that is what drives us :)

Make sure to check out our blogs for more on our adventures together!

www.dylanasuarez.com

www.natalieoffduty.com