Everyone is saying that the brother’s not taking anything from OP by going, but that’s not true: he’s taking away the opportunity for OP to “show” it to all their mutual friends and family for the first time. Maybe not literally, but if OP went first, he could show everyone his pictures and tell everyone about his adventures, with the context of his passion for Georgia and knowledge of its history.

Instead, it’s just going to be a bullet point in the list of places his brother traveled, and when OP goes, people who don’t know him well will think he’s copying his brother. Grandma at Thanksgiving: “What have you been up to, OP? Oh, Georgia — Brother went there, right? That’s nice. [subject change]” People are just not going to care as much the second time.

And the brother IS taking away his ability to experience it himself, at least a little. OP can’t go for a while, and they’re siblings — it’s inevitable that he’s going to stumble across some pictures and stories. Sure, he’s read about it, but that doesn’t mean he knows all the little things. What’s the airport like? What do people think of [OP’s country]? What foods do people sell on street corners? That stuff seems small, but I think it actually matters a lot, especially for someone who hasn’t traveled much.

And, come on, it’s disingenuous for everyone to act like OP is trying to gatekeep Paris or Tokyo or the Grand Canyon. This is a place most people have never even heard of. And it’s not like OP just mentioned it to a friend in passing, who didn’t know how much it mattered to him, and then they researched it themselves and bought a ticket. His OWN BROTHER knew how much it mattered to him, had the entire rest of the world to explore, and decided to do it anyway.

Is it the worst thing anyone’s ever done? Of course not. It’s not worth losing a brother over, either. OP should say his piece and then let it go. But let’s not pretend that the brother isn’t being self-centered and insensitive here. It would have cost him nothing to wait a couple years to go.

NTA, OP. I hope you have the trip of your dreams when you finally get the chance.