Taiwo. Ade’s Instagram draws you right in; she’s “always on vacay with her favorite +1”, Kehinde.ade. Taiwo and Kenny are twins (obviously) and always on vacay together. Their first international trip together was to Cuba were they explored Havana and Vinales. In this interview, Taiwo shares with us the most rewarding thing about traveling with her twin, their differences and cases of mistaken identity they’ve dealt with on vacation. Its a fun light read you’ll love!
We love how you guys travel together! It’s such a delight to see. Do you always travel with your twin? When did you start traveling together and where was the first place you visited?
There have been times when we’ve travelled with groups of friends, for birthday celebrations or travelled with colleagues to effectively use up our “Paid Time Off” from work. We’ve also journeyed to places with just the two of us. Who we travel with really depends on the purpose of the trip, but we enjoy both.
Our desire to encounter new experiences developed in high school when we decided to attend college in a different state from where we lived. While that was a small first step, our intellectual curiosity led to visiting multiple states within the US and exploring Cuba a few years after we graduated, that was our first international experience together and we had a blast getting to know the people, trying new foods, and exploring Havana and Vinales.
What’s the farthest distance you’ve traveled without her (if you ever have)?
Kenny moved across the country from Philadelphia to San Francisco (approximately 4050 kilometers). She was there 6 months before I arrived. That has been the furthest time we’ve spent apart. Aside from that, we spent our college summer breaks in different states for internships.
What’s the most rewarding thing about travelling with her?
We’re both planners, and low-key social media photographers (like everybody these days). We usually create a spreadsheet for our trips so that we get the most out of each place. That’s one thing I value most about travelling with Kenny. We sit down, create a Google excel sheet, do our research and just go! She also takes the best pictures of me, even if it takes 50+ takes, we just get each other.
What are the cons of traveling with a twin? You can give examples of her habits that irk you.
The biggest con is that we don’t always want to the same things, contrary to popular belief. When we travelled to Oahu, Hawaii, Kenny was adamant about going to a place called “stairway to Heaven.” After doing some research, we learned that it was illegal to be there, even though some people still do it. We would have had to wake up around 3 AM just to get there before the guards. After knowing all of this, Kenny still wanted to go, and I just wanted to sleep.
Though you are twins, you surely have some differences. Do you have different interests while vacationing? How do you deal with these differences?
YES, as mentioned above, we don’t always want to do the same activities, or eat the same types of foods. Sometimes, one of us wants the nightlife while the other wants the day life. But we’ve learned that when travelling, we must compromise. I have to do some things Kenny doesn’t care for and vice versa, it’s just the way life goes.
How do you decide where to go and who decides?
When we first started travelling, we made a list of all the places we always wanted to visit. After that, we chose our destination based on ticket prices / deals we saw online.
Ever played any tricks on airport officials (perhaps travelled with another’s passport, lol)
LOL, we haven’t – however, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway. We usually get the “Didn’t I just see you” or They do a double take when they see the second person. It happens all the time, almost at every airport.
Being identical, there have surely been cases of mistaken identity. Can you share any funny tales from your travels?
This happens all the time whether we’re on vacation or living life at home in San Francisco. Kenny and I went shopping while in Hawaii, she asked one of the employees to help her find a top she wanted. The employee said she’ll find her size and bring it over. A few minutes later, a lady came up to me and said “sorry, we don’t have anymore in the color you asked for.” I just looked at her with a confused face, already assuming she must be thinking I’m Kenny. I told her thank you for her diligent search and I’ll relay the information to my twin sister who asked for the top. The employee looked dumbfounded and asked “oh, there’s two of you?’
Your favorite destination till date and what made it extra special? (we would also love to read your twins favorite destination too)
We went on a Euro trip from Barcelona to Paris, and London in a week Kenny enjoyed London the most, mainly because we linked up with our close college friend and her boyfriend. We spent most of the time catching up, learning about their day to day lives, and planning their wedding. We did some touristy things as well, but this is one of those cases where the people really made the experience worthwhile.
I enjoyed France, both Paris and Versailles were beautiful! The architecture, breathtaking views, and trendsetters strolling up and down the streets. Everything was picture-esque, and believe me when I say we took hundreds of pictures. We said we’ll visit again in 2018, so be on the lookout!
Aren’t they the cutest! Its easy to assume all twins have identical personalities but this is not always true. We love that Taiwo and Kenny, though mirror images of each other, want different experiences from a vacation. One is a bit more spontaneous, the other is laid back. Thank you Taiwo for sharing and giving us insights to travelling with your twin sister! Follow their adventures here, Taiwo.Ade and Kehinde.Ade.
