Top European
Genealogy Tours
Previous-
A land's history comes alive when there's personal attachment. Plenty of people travel to foreign countries in search of relatives, and even more people study their genealogy, but a trip to the ancestral home doesn't always have to mean hours spent researching the family tree. Sometimes, seeing where and how your ancestors may have lived can be just as fulfilling an adventure. In fact, there are plenty of heritage tour operators in Europe who conduct specific and general genealogical research, then plan a vacation around the ancestral land.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: Scottish Heritage -
Scottish Heritage
Scottish Ancestral Trail arranges vacations that help you explore your family's Scottish history, whether that means specific places in family history, tracing your surname, family documents, or even using the results of DNA research project in which you have participated. Peter Gray does the behind-the-scenes research, while his wife Lesley meets and greets and ensures everyone's satisfaction. Scottish Ancestral Trail is also the recommended company to use for those traveling to Edinburgh in 2009 for the Gathering, a world-wide homecoming for clan members.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: Irish Heritage -
Irish Heritage
Custom Ireland has personalized genealogy and family heritage tours in which they arrange a consultation with a genealogist, Helen Kelly, to do the research before your arrival. Once travelers know what area they need to visit, the company will build an itinerary around that place with special experiences to give a feel for the country's history.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: German Heritage -
German Heritage
The German National Tourist Office has assembled a website, German Originality, which helps you trace your German roots. Another option is Uwe Porter of Genealogy Germany. He will work closely with you to research your family's ancestry and plan a trip that he leads. Of his tours, Porter says, "We always try to find the family homes, sometimes distant German cousins, the churches, and so on." If need be, he will also accompany you to Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Alsace-Lorraine region of France if that is where ancestral trail leads you.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: Polish Heritage -
Polish Heritage
Grayzna Rychlik is a member of many genealogy associations and a professional tour guide. She says it's important to research prior to arriving, not only to make the trip more efficient, but also because she says, "Until 1945 vital records in Poland were kept by the various religious administrations and not the state. This is why it is very important to know of what religious persuasion your ancestors were." During her tours, travelers may visit the area's religious centers, the ancestral village or town, cemetery and local museum, and perhaps meet with a local historian.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: Czech Heritage -
Czech Heritage
Mark Bigaouette is the founder of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International and leads tours. He'll research your ancestry and design a tour with a visit to your ancestral lands and a possible meeting with relatives. It helps to know some background, although in one case he says, "I have gone back as far as 1850 with a lady whose ancestors came to the U.S.A. about then. With no contact with them for 150 years, we found her ancestors." Bigaouette also notes that it can be an emotional experience during during which lifelong relationships can be formed.
More Genealogy Tours
Up Next: More Travel Features -
Be Inspired!
Whether you're an armchair traveler
or have an insatiable case of wanderlust,
AOL Travel gives you tips, tricks and
great ideas for your next big adventure.
Find inspiration and get great getaway ideas on AOL Travel.
Subscribe to the weekly
AOL Travel Newsletter today!
