A Lake House Vacation with Extended Family

We spent the holidays with the grandparents and my sister and her family. We hadn't seen my sister, brother-in-law and their kids since 2019 because of the pandemic. It's been even longer since they've seen Ben. Our get-together was long overdue.

Ben always loves to see Aunt Olivia. He didn't miss a beat when she arrived.

We rented a house on Hyco Lake, near Roxboro, North Carolina in Person County. The cousins played ping pong, foosball, soccer, Texas Hold'em and swam in the lake.

On the first day at the lake house, we set up a giant tube for Ben. Ben was hesitant at first, and his brother Michael said, "I'll demonstrate."

As soon as Ben saw Michael lounging in the tube, he slid himself to the edge of the dock. We had to act fast because once he understood what the tube was for, there was no stopping Ben.

Michael and Sean helped us get Ben in and out of the tube while Aunt Olivia and Uncle Steve held the tube in place. Ben stayed in the water for about an hour, thrilled to have his brothers' attention.

My travel stories are usually based on personal experience. I wrote about traveling with extended family in this recent Charlotte Parent story:

THE GANG’S ALL HERE! A guide to multi-generational travel

Shanell Varner, CEO and chief travel advisor at Moonglade Travel, LLC in Charlotte, shares planning tips for a vacation with multiple family members.

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