The hot new travel destination? It’s in your family tree.
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re trying to decide where to travel to next. Maybe you also have an interest in your ancestry. And if both are true for you, then read on.
Travel is booming more than ever before. It seems like in every corner of social media I come across an influencer promoting a new destination: an Instagram persona posing for their drone shots amidst mythical mountain ranges and crystal blue water, or a Youtuber telling me the top 10 places I should visit in [insert city here].
The problem is, it seems like we start to see the same locations over, and over, and over again.
First it was Tulum. Then Cartagena. Then Sedona. And now, as I write this, I can’t for the life of me escape videos of Switzerland. It’s hard to keep up with the new hot travel spots. And don’t get me wrong - they are hot for a reason: these are beautiful places that have historically been overlooked by the mainstream tourist magnets like Paris and London. But, the problem is that once we’ve dished out the hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars to get to these places, something doesn’t quite sit well with them: they’re often overcrowded, and suddenly the spots that were otherwise authentic, local favorites have turned into touristy, “Instagrammable” boxes for influencers to tick off their lists.
If you are the type of traveler who enjoys authentic experiences off the beaten path, consider a different type of travel destination; one that is uniquely you: consider traveling to the places where your ancestors once lived.
Your family tree is a gateway to new places and new experiences - ones that you might never have crossed paths with on your own. When you travel to a new place through the lens of family history, your perspective will be different than if you were traveling as a tourist, regardless if that place is a small, obscure village in Italy or typical Americana like Chicago.
The little church on the hill you otherwise would have drove right past? Now you’re stopping to have a picnic there, next to the grave of your ancestor, as you take in the same scenery they would have marveled at a century ago.
The block of brownstones in Brooklyn? You’re looking a little closer at the architecture now - it’s where your great-great grandfather used to live.
Here are reasons why you, a traveler looking for the next exciting place to explore, should consider delving into your family tree:
Your family tree holds an element of surprise
My partner and I have a tradition: every holiday season we pick a slip out of a bucket with a destination we’d like to visit, and we make it our goal to go to that place within the following year. The element of surprise is partially what excites us about traveling and experiencing the world, and this is a big reason why I love using my family tree to pick my destination. My great great grandfather homesteaded in Roy, Montana? Great! Never heard of it - let’s go there and see what happens.
My Swedish ancestors came from small villages around Ljungby? Well, I’ve only ever been to Stockholm; let’s see what the Swedish countryside has to offer.
There are endless opportunities for unknown adventures hiding within the branches of your family tree; you just have to seek them out.
The journey is oftentimes better than the destination
Oftentimes our ancestors came from nondescript places: small villages, rural communities, and places you might be hard pressed to find on a map. Getting to these off-the-beaten path locales offers half the adventure.
Enjoying coffee in Lviv
In order to get to Stryi, a small village in western Ukraine with a rich Jewish history, we made Lviv our home base. I am embarrassed to say I had never even heard of Lviv before ending up there, but it is, to this day, one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled to. The endless baroque architecture and tree-lined boulevards made it feel like Paris with an Eastern European flair. It had an endless food scene (I’m talking 4 story beer halls, picturesque cafes, a number of funky speakeasies, and even a medieval torture-themed meat hall) and the cheap prices meant we ate like royalty. And most remarkably, it was nearly devoid of tourism apart from Germans (shout out to obscure direct Ryanair itineraries) and the odd Chinese tour group.
And then, on our drive between Lviv and Stryi, we were able to hike up the side of Tustan, a medieval customs house and fortress dating back to the 9th century, nestled in the heart of the Carpathian mountains.
I mean, seriously - when would I have ever chosen this place as my preferred travel destination? Never. Genealogy brought me there.
You’ll deepen your sense of self
Your heritage is an intrinsic part of who you are. Planning a heritage trip allows you to reconnect with this part of yourself, fostering a sense of belonging and identity. Exploring your ancestral roots immerses you in a history that shaped your family, and in turn, has shaped you. This self-reflection and introspection can lead to personal growth, empowering you to embrace your roots and share your family history with future generations.
There is nothing quite like looking over the land where your great grandfather homesteaded, and realizing that if it wasn’t for that land, you wouldn’t exist.
Or seeing the home your grandmother grew up in (finally making it possible to picture her walking to and back from school up hill, both ways).
These are places that are engrained in the history of you, and they are waiting for you to discover them.
Experience travel through a different lens
If traveling your family sounds enticing, but you are new to genealogy research and are not sure where to start, I have a resource for you.
Some genealogical record sets are better than others if you’re looking to find locations to visit - addresses, cities and towns, properties, etc. I have highlighted 14 of these records in a free guide to help you get started. These range from records as simple as U.S. Federal Censuses to those as unique as Civil War Pension Files, and I’ve compiled them all into this free guide:
