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Twenty Years, Three Road Trips: The Enduring Power of Brotherhood

2026-05-18

One thing that’s really hit me sitting here at JFK waiting to fly home is this… Andrew and I grew up together. Shared the back row of the car as kids. Shared toys and family holidays. Shared arguments over absolutely ridiculous things. Shared adventures and all those little moments that at the time just feel normal because you assume life will always stay like that forever. And then somehow one day you wake up and you have to play adult. Jobs happen. Marriage happens. Kids happen. Life gets busy. And without even noticing it properly, years disappear quickly. What’s strange is that despite growing up side by side, this road trip we’ve just finished was only the third proper holiday we’ve been on together with just each other since 2005. Three holidays. In over twenty years. And weirdly… every single one of them has been an American road trip. There’s just something about being trapped in a car together for days that seems to temporarily rewind life a bit. Suddenly you’re back to laughing at stupid things again like you did as kids. Talking absolute nonsense at petrol stations at midnight. Taking the wrong turning for the third juntion in a row. Singing 90's music badly at full pelt…

Topics: Escape rooms Family Travel Reflection

Matthew Eaves — escape room franchise founder, operator, and writer. Also: franchise, posts, contact.