The men in this Windsor family have been taking their annual 'guy's trip' for more than 4 decades
CBC
Every year for decades, the men of Beaumont family take to a house boat and the open water.
The annual "guys' trip," the week after Labour Day, has been a tradition for the same six male family members for 27 years.
But the tradition — and the little customs within it — stretch even further back for some members of the Windsor, Ont., family.
"We've never missed a year," said Tom Beaumont. "It's been quite the adventure for us every year."
Tom and his brother Brian are among those who have been going on the trip for even longer — 44 years.
For a while, it was a strictly guys' trip. For a few years, it was open to spouses. But these days, it's returned to a guys-only tradition.
He said their spouses actually "love" that they take off for a bit every year.
"[It] gives them a chance to do their thing, so usually they have a little trip planned themselves," Tom said.
The trip even comes with the same menu each year that all the men have memorized: steak, burgers, pasta, sausage and a Balkan meat dish known as cevapi.
The houseboat trip is always scheduled for the first week after Labour Day, and that's by design, Brian said. This year, they started in Trenton, travelling along the Trent-Severn Waterway.
"We love it because … there's less traffic on the water. More people have gone, closed their cottages, taken their boats out of the water just after Labour Day," Brian said. "The weather's always been great and it's our annual getaway. So it's been perfect."
If you're thinking you struggle to get one vacation booked with friends or family — let alone 27 in a row — Brian says it comes down to planning ahead.
"In the 27 years of this group has been coming up there's only been one fellow that wasn't able to make it one year. We all know it's this weekend … everybody plans way ahead," Brian said.
"When everybody's vacation schedules come out where they work, that's the first week they book off and then they look at taking their summer vacations with their families."
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