Vice President JD Vance’s summer travels have become a flashpoint for controversy and curiosity on both sides of the Atlantic, as his family’s vacations have triggered special accommodations, public protests, and a swirl of political debate. From Ohio’s Little Miami River to the stately grounds of Hampton Court Palace and the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, Vance’s movements have left a trail of logistical headaches, security concerns, and pointed questions about privilege and public resources.
Vance, who turned 41 on August 2, 2025, was first spotted that week enjoying a family kayaking trip on the Little Miami River in southwestern Ohio. According to The Guardian and The Independent, what might have seemed an ordinary birthday outing was anything but: the U.S. Secret Service, responsible for the vice president’s safety, requested that the Army Corps of Engineers temporarily increase the outflow from Caesar Creek Lake. This move, they said, was to "support safe navigation" for Vance’s security detail after a scouting boat ran aground during an earlier mission. Public data from the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a sudden spike in the river’s water level and a corresponding drop in the lake’s elevation just as Vance was set to kayak.
While one anonymous source suggested to The Guardian that the water was raised to create "ideal kayaking conditions" for the vice president, another source familiar with the planning told The Independent that the change was strictly for security. Vance’s spokesperson insisted he was unaware of the request, explaining, “The Secret Service often employs protective measures without the knowledge of the Vice President or his staff, as was the case last weekend.” A Secret Service spokesperson echoed this, saying coordination with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps was solely to ensure the safety of the security detail.
Not everyone was satisfied with these explanations. Critics, including Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer who served in George W. Bush’s administration, decried what they saw as hypocrisy. Painter wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “It’s outrageous for the Army corps of engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so @VP can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else.” The incident became a lightning rod for those frustrated by perceived double standards—especially in light of the Vance administration’s own cuts to the National Park Service.
This wasn’t the first time Vance’s family trips have prompted special arrangements. During a visit to Italy in April 2025, the Roman Colosseum was closed early to allow the Vance family a private tour, infuriating tourists who were turned away. Similarly, the Taj Mahal was closed to visitors when the Vances toured the iconic site in India. These closures, though not unprecedented for senior U.S. officials, have fueled a perception of privilege and disruption, especially as social media amplifies the grievances of disappointed travelers.
Vance’s recent trip to the United Kingdom has been no less eventful. On Sunday, August 10, Hampton Court Palace—the storied former home of Henry VIII—delayed its public opening to noon to accommodate the vice president and his family. According to The Telegraph, the Vances, accompanied by a 19-vehicle motorcade, were given exclusive access to the palace grounds, while a throng of tourists waited at the gates. Some reportedly heckled the family, urging them to hurry up, and later took to social media to complain about the crowding that followed when the gates finally opened. The palace tour included historic rooms like the Wolsey Rooms and the Tudor World room, the latter featuring a painting commissioned by Henry VIII showing the Four Evangelists stoning the Pope—a detail that may have piqued the interest of Vance, a devout Catholic since 2019.
The Vance family’s UK holiday began with a fishing retreat at Chevening, the official residence of Foreign Secretary David Lammy, before their palace visit and onward journey to a Grade-II listed manor house in the Cotswolds. There, security has been tight: dozens of police officers man roadblocks, and a large antenna—speculated by locals to be a signal jammer or telecoms tower—has been erected behind the house. The disruption has not gone unnoticed by residents. As one local wrote on a community forum, “Such a shame next week is going to be torrid with the security circus and closed roads that accompany the visit of the US vice-president. Like many of us Charlbury residents, I deplore the influx of the corporate celebrity crowd and the tourists they bring, but these people tend to be here today, gone tomorrow. But our strong community spirit will survive.”
The owners of the manor hosting the Vances even issued an apology to neighbors, expressing regret for the “circus” and hoping it wouldn’t be “too disruptive.” Meanwhile, opposition groups have pledged to protest the visit, with the Stop Trump Coalition organizing a demonstration in nearby Charlbury on August 12. A spokesman clarified, “We reject any accusation that we are ‘protesting against a private family holiday’. Vance has been staying with the foreign secretary at an official residence, holding bilateral meetings and a summit. If it is a ‘private holiday’ then Vance should be paying the expenses for his stay at Chevening. But the truth is that this is a political visit.”
Indeed, Vance’s trip to Britain has included both leisure and official business. Alongside his family’s sightseeing, he has held meetings on Ukraine and spoken out on freedom of speech. He is expected to meet with U.S. servicemen stationed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire before returning to the United States. The blending of personal and political on these trips has only heightened scrutiny, with critics and supporters alike parsing every move for signs of impropriety or overreach.
Back in Washington, Vance’s role in shaping the nation’s historical narrative has also drawn attention. President Trump has tasked him with leading a purge of materials at the Smithsonian Institution deemed to “undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” The executive order, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” asserts that “the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame.” Vance’s actions abroad and at home, then, are seen by many as part of a broader campaign to assert a particular vision of American values—one that is both fiercely defended and hotly contested.
Protests have become a recurring feature of Vance’s family outings. In the past six months, demonstrators have turned up at Disneyland in California (in response to the Trump administration’s immigration raids) and lined the streets near a Vermont ski resort where the Vances stayed. Even as the vice president seeks moments of respite with his family, the political temperature rarely cools.
As Vance’s summer sojourn in Britain draws to a close, with a few days of relative seclusion in the Cotswolds, the debates ignited by his travels show no sign of abating. Whether seen as necessary security, excessive privilege, or simply the price of high office, the vice president’s family vacations have become a mirror reflecting wider tensions about power, history, and who gets to enjoy the world’s beauty spots without disruption.
