How to plan a family ancestry trip

Tracking your ancestral heritage can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences, especially if you travel to do so. Whether you’re tracing the steps of your ancestors, visiting the lands where your parents once lived, or connecting with distant relatives, a family ancestry trip can reconnect you with your history and self-identity in very vivid and personal ways.

In this article, we’ll explain how to embark on a family ancestry trip, including tips on researching your roots, creating meaningful experiences, and planning your itinerary with the help of locally-based experts and guides.

An introduction to heritage trips: what is genealogy travel?

Firstly, what is a family ancestry trip? This can also be called genealogy travel, or heritage travel. In simple terms, it means planning a trip (or several) with the motivation to discover more about your family history.

You could be tracing an experience your ancestors lived through; perhaps your parents or grandparents were Irish immigrants who emigrated to New York during the early 20th century, for instance, and you want to visit their Irish homeland and track their journey? Perhaps you’re a European-born person with African heritage, and you’d like to connect with your ancestral roots by travelling to where your parents or grandparents once lived? Maybe you’re even looking to visit some distant relatives you’ve never met before?

In any case, the purpose of genealogy travel is to seek self-identification of some kind. The desired outcome is to end the experience with a stronger understanding of yourself, your heritage, and your ancestral past.

Research your roots before you go

It may go without saying, but you should have some idea of where you’d like to travel to trace your family history. To do this, gather as much information as you can; speak to other family members, map out your family tree, and collect evidence such as birth, marriage and death certificates, hospital records, photographs, and immigration documents.

You can get help with this – organisations such as ancestry.com are dedicated to helping you uncover historic or unknown family members. Once you’ve gotten together a vague outline of key locations and dates linked to your past, you can start to plot a loose itinerary.

Seek planning advice from a local expert

It can be overwhelming to organise a family ancestry trip by yourself, especially if you have little to no experience of the destination you’re travelling to. Seeking advice from a local travel expert can take much of this burden off your shoulders. They should have in-depth knowledge of the places you hope to visit, and will be on hand to help out when you’re on the ground. They could even offer some insight, history or context to your primary destination and the places you’re hoping to visit.

Immerse yourself in diverse and authentic experiences

When on your journey of genealogical discovery, be sure to fill your itinerary with activities that peel back the layers of the destination you’re visiting. A local travel expert can work with you on your vision and pack your tour full of authentic cultural experiences that are personal to your goals. These could be partaking in a traditional cooking class, staying in a family-owned homestay, learning the way of life of indigenous peoples, or going to a local food or music festival.

Museums and historical sites, theatre, art exhibits, and locally-guided tours can also build a picture of how life may have been for your relatives and ancestors, perhaps telling a story of their journeys, tragedies or working lives. Remember: take every opportunity to speak to and interact with locals, especially older citizens, and hear their stories; this could be the most intrinsic way to learn about those in alignment with your family history.

Multigenerational travel: an ancestry trip for all ages

Ancestry trips are ideal for multigenerational travel, as they present the perfect opportunity for everyone to learn about themselves. Kids can nurture their relationship with their core heritage, not only by becoming immersed in local life, but by observing grandma and grandpa as they connect with their past.

Of course, to ensure both young and older family members enjoy the experience, planning might take a little more thought. Older family members may appreciate visiting significant historical sites, or perhaps places they once lived or heard a lot about in their youth. Kids might enjoy interactive exhibits in museums and heritage festivals, mixed with fun days out and outdoor activities.

Consider the pace of the trip and the energy levels of each person, especially when thinking about the number of locations you fit into the tour. A local travel expert can help you with this in the planning stages, to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy the trip without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

Managing your mindset for heritage travel

This is an exciting and important trip for you, so it’s understandable to have high expectations of what you hope to experience or who you’ll meet. Heritage travel is different to a regular vacation – there’s more emotional investment involved. This is why it’s a good idea to manage your expectations, if you can. Some questions you hope to answer about your past may not be easily found, or there may be false leads; while other discoveries may remain elusive or even be upsetting or disappointing. Be sure to adopt a ‘come what may’ attitude throughout your trip, embracing experiences with locals and the stories you pick up along the way – you’ll hopefully have a fulfilling and positive experience that you’ll always remember.

Tips for documenting your heritage trip

Finally, don’t let this life-affirming trip pass by without documenting what you’ve discovered:

• Keep a travel journal. Jot down daily reflections throughout your trip, noting the emotions and insights you experience as you uncover pieces of your family’s past. 
• Trace your journey on a physical map, perhaps with linking photos. You could even frame it and display it at home as a memento.
• Capture interviews. With permission, record interviews you have with locals, guides or newfound family members on location, either via video or audio recording.
• Take photos and videos. Visual reminders of people, buildings, memorials and memorable sights can help you piece together the story of your family history.
• Gather everything you’ve documented in one place, such as in a website, blog or scrapbook.
• Involve the rest of your family. Those who didn’t go on the trip will be intrigued to see and hear all you experienced, especially younger family members or even other, more distant relatives. A physical documentation of your trip, such as a scrapbook, can become a valued family heirloom for future generations.

If all goes well on your heritage trip, you should end the experience feeling stronger about your past, more connected to your roots, and confident in the enduring legacy you’ll one day leave behind.

Make it happen

Are you inspired to co-create a custom tour that traces your family ancestry? Our local travel experts are based on the ground within the destination, with the in-depth knowledge required to help you plan the perfect itinerary. Get in touch with them today.