Approximately 100 million people enjoy the hobby of genealogy, or the study of families, along with their history and lineage. If you are one of the many Americans who delve into their family trees each year, you might be interested in combining your research with your family vacation. Here are some ideas for places to go that will help you learn about your heritage:
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Visit your hometown, or that of a relative. In today’s transient world, many of us live far from the place that we were born or where we grew up. Visiting the place that you used to call home, or the place that your parents or grandparents were born and raised, can give you the opportunity to obtain birth and death certificates of some of your relatives, can allow you to make rubbings of your grandparents’ gravestones, or can even let you meet others in your extended family who stayed in the area. If you have children, they might be tickled pink to be able to see where you played and went to school as a child.
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Take a genealogy tour. Contact your travel agent to find out which tour groups are operating in the area of the world that your ancestors are from. Some that specialize in countries in Europe include European Focus and P.A.T.H. Finders International. Spector Travel of Boston can take you to West Africa to trace your roots, and Zicasso can arrange your travel to learn about your ancestors worldwide, including to South America and parts of Asia.
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Visit the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. This library contains resources designed to help people trace their family trees. From books and periodicals to extensive collections of microfiche and other genealogical resources, the Family History Library has information from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Best of all, it’s all absolutely free to access. Guides are available to help you during your visit. It’s best to know what you are looking for: Arrive with the information that you do know about a specific family member or members, and use that to find out information that you don’t yet know about them.
In times past, visitors to the New York City area could walk through Ellis Island, where they would see what it was like to be an immigrant during the different periods of time. Right now, Ellis Island is closed due to damage suffered from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and there seems to be no plan for it to reopen during 2013. Perhaps in the future, this will be an option again. If you are in the New York, area, though, you could go to see the Statue of Liberty, which is the icon of America that your ancestors may have seen if they came through Ellis Island during their immigration process. The Statue reopens on July 4, 2013.
Genealogy can be a rewarding and fascinating hobby, so it’s no wonder that more people embark on genealogical travel every year. Did you, or will you, take a trip in order to find out more about your family tree? Tell us about it!
