Our Family Vacation to the UK | International Family Travel

Our next stop on our family vacation to the UK was 90-year-old Great Aunt Joy and the charming countryside. For me, that leg of the journey held a special significance. Ash had always been rooted in his heritage. His parents had been born in the Czech Republic and had moved to Australia as toddlers, so he had grown up with a clear identity. But for me? It had all been a blur.

My parents had divorced when I was five, and I hadn’t seen my biological father since, leaving his side of the family a complete mystery. My mom hadn’t seemed to know much about her lineage either. The only family story I’d heard had been of a great-grandmother doing yoga in the nude somewhere on a remote farm, which had been more than I had wanted to know, honestly.

For years, I had felt like I was missing pieces. Every time a doctor’s office had asked about my ancestry, I felt like a fraud, blankly leaving spaces that others might have quickly filled. But last year, I had finally done one of those 23andMe kits. It had taken two tries to get my DNA into that tiny tube correctly, but the results had been worth it: I had been 99.7% Northwestern European. Of that, the results had been 60.6% British and Irish, with a good chunk of French and German.

Now, not only had I been excited about England and Ireland, but this family vacation to the UK felt like more than just another destination—it was a chance to connect with my roots. This family vacation to the UK was more than just sightseeing—it was a chance to walk through landscapes that had, in some way, shaped me.

Exploring the UK Countryside and Visting Great Aunt Joy

And it had been beautiful. Our family vacation to the UK had taken us through stunning countryside, where we rented a car, counted what had seemed like thousands of sheep, and fully embraced the charm of rural England. We had visited a farm where we had taken alpacas on long, muddy walks and had had our fill of hearty pub meals and too many jam scones. But the absolute best part had been seeing Great Aunt Joy.

She had been a character—sharp as ever and entirely unfiltered. One night, when our waiter hadn’t written down our order, she had politely asked if his boss had allowed him to do that.

Ash and I had held our breaths, expecting the worst, but Joy had nodded approvingly when he had reassured her. Another day, she had nicknamed Cooper a “voyager” after he had wandered off from morning tea to explore the gardens, which we had known had been her polite way of saying, “You’re testing my patience, child.” We had adored her directness and had missed her terribly when it had been time to move on.

A Literary Dream Come True on Our Family Vacation to the UK

From there, we had continued our adventures. We had visited Beatrix Potter’s farmhouse, which had looked exactly as it had in the books. I had been thrilled to wander through her garden and snap photos of the little gardener’s cottage. The twins had humored me momentarily before dragging me to a nearby café for soup and bread, which they had been far more excited about than Peter Rabbit.

Another highlight had been eating at an outdoor spot where the Wi-Fi password had been “baa baa baa”—a little touch that had instantly made me like whoever had set it up.

A Sports Experience for the Least Sporty Family

In Manchester, we had decided to do the Manchester United Stadium tour. This had been notable because we had perhaps been the least sporty family anyone could have ever met.

Ash, to his credit, had been athletic. He had grown up running track, skiing, sailing, and had even done Ironman competitions. But he had never been big on watching sports. He had caught a game here and there when we had been in Melbourne, but otherwise, the TV had stayed off.

I had skied and had played tennis back in high school, and while I had been a casual basketball fan, it hadn’t been a family event. The kids? Less than zero interest. Lila had once asked what sport the Super Bowl had been, and neither she nor Cooper had ever shown much enthusiasm for soccer or basketball when they had been younger. They had tried the swim team, but the competition hadn’t been for them. Cooper had enjoyed skiing and rock climbing, and Lila had taken a liking to aerial silks, but team sports? Not happening.

So, the Manchester tour had been a unique experience for us. Seeing the fans’ energy, excitement, and enormous pride in the team had been fun. But nothing had beaten the alpacas. We had left the UK wishing to bring some gentle, goofy creatures home with us and ready for the next stop on our International family travel adventure.