DISTANT ANCESTORS’ HOME
This is more than just a trip— it’s time travel. A heritage trip is about your ancestors, where they lived, how they lived and your connection to it all.
Start with science: Take a DNA test through a service like 23andme or Ancestry, and keep an open mind and heart. The results could come back exactly as expected, or they could go sideways.
“It’s pretty common to find out something surprising or disturbing,” says Kyle J. Betit, senior genealogist and travel program operations manager at Ancestry, who learned about a long-lost aunt late in life. “You might find relatives you don’t know about, or that someone isn’t related in the way you thought they were.”
Once you get your results, ask yourself what’s going to scratch the itch to connect with past generations. If it’s enough have a Guinness at a pub in County Cork after learning you’re 85 percent Irish, buy a flight and brush up your brogue. But if you want to stand at the font where your great-great-grandfather was baptized, consult further with a genealogist.
“It can be easy to stick at one level and focus on the pie chart,” Betit says. “We spend a lot of time with travelers helping them interpret their DNA results. There’s a lot more info there if you know how to use it, and the more specific you can be about the place you’re visiting, the more meaningful the trip will be.”
The beauty of heritage travel is that it’s not a cookie-cutter process, but many of the planning pitfalls are the same.
Don’t rush it. A well-rounded heritage trip can be a deeply layered process that requires introspection and investigation. “Don’t arrive in the country and have regrets about not getting to see what you wanted,” Betit says. “Planning takes time. Research takes time.”
Google the hell out of it. Yes, there are records you can see only in village archives, but there’s plenty you can figure out online, in advance. This includes any local holidays that might shut down important places and throw off your trip. The more work you do on the front end, the less you have to figure out on the fly in a foreign country.
Navigate the language barrier. Once you get where you’re going, will you be able to communicate with people? And does that mean you’ll be able to read the records? “Poland was divided into three empires during the 19th century,” says Betit. “Most records are kept in Russian, German or Latin, but not Polish.”
Nail down local transportation. This can be a big logistical piece of the trip, especially if your ancestors lived in a small burg far from a train stop.
Make connections in advance. Whenever possible, if you plan to visit a town hall or church, call ahead and chat someone up. “That way you’re not completely unknown to them when you arrive,” Betit says. “In Europe, one priest may cover several churches and it can be hit or miss when he’s around.”
Don’t surprise your cousins. Advance contact also applies to distant relations still in the old country: Don’t just show up and expect them to roll out the welcome wagon.
THE MORE WORK DONE ON THE FRONT END, THE LESS YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT ON THE FLY IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.