Heritage Travels and Ancestry Travel: Tracing your Roots and Experiencing it for Yourself

Please note: This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure to learn more.

Tracing Our Roots

If you’ve ever looked into your roots, like we have, then Heritage Travels might be something that peaks your interest.

When we took tests from 23andMe.com, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. Sure, we had a few ideas… but we weren’t exactly sure.

Bradley thought that his genealogy was primarily English, German, and Polish with a little Irish and Norwegian.

Jenny thought that her genealogy was entirely Japanese.

Together, we have traveled to some of these places to explore a bit about our ancestry - England, Germany, and Ireland. Jenny also spent 6 years in Japan, teaching English, while learning more about her ancestry and meeting a few distant relatives as well. However, when it comes to our genetics - we learned that our ancestry also comes from places we never thought to expect before!

So, since taking the 23andMe test ourselves, we have added even more places to our travel list. Have you ever considered taking a DNA test to help you decide which countries to visit?

Some stories, like the one of Kyle Merker who took an Ancestry.com test, ended up spreading across the internet - and you’ve probably seen it since it went viral (see video below).

Kyle thought that his genetic background was mostly from Germany - but, it turned out to be from somewhere else. This story stirred up a lot of commotion about what a person’s heritage truly is - what they’ve been practicing vs. where their DNA is actually from - and had people asking “How do you give up your German Heritage?!”

Since then, Kyle has been interviewed after that initial Ancestry.com advertisement - where he clarified that he - and his family - “didn’t give anything up, ya’know, it’s still part of my childhood - it’s still part of my life… it’s just that now we have more to celebrate - and more to explore.”

We like this story for obvious reasons: We love to travel, so we always celebrate when we find more reasons to explore the world!

Many people already consciously, or subconsciously, decide on the places that they want to travel to entirely, or at least in part, because of their ancestry - or the heritage(s) - that they’ve grown up with. That actually makes sense. Why wouldn’t you want to learn more about your ancestry, or the heritage that you grew up with?

However, that desire can get even deeper when you actually take a DNA test to learn more about your ancestry - through your very own genes/DNA - that help in this regard. Here are a few of the more well known sites where you can do this:

DNA Related Ancestry Websites:

• 23andMe.com - with over 1500 different regions ($99)

• Ancestry.com - 40% off SALE until December 31st makes it only $59 (regular $99)!

• MyHeritage.com - as low as $79

But choosing to take a DNA test BEFORE you travel can have a much more profound impact than simply traveling to where you think or believe that your ancestry is actually from.

Taking the DNA test can:

• break stigmas that you may have of certain other countries

• make you feel more welcome and accepted in a country that you may have avoided

• and it can even help pull mankind together in a way you didn’t expect

“[Ancestry] tourism provides a whole new angle to traveling and can make an experience both fun and educational. You can learn more about yourself, your ancestors, and people of your race, religion, or culture, while also learning more about cultures and backgrounds different than your own. What we learn in a classroom can be difficult to understand; when you interact with sites in person you have the opportunity to really comprehend what a specific identity means.” - GoAbroad.com

In fact, the travel search-engine company Momondo recently got together with Ancestry.com to see what would happen if they took a room full of people and asked them what they thought about their ancestry and what their views were of other cultures and countries. They then gave each of them a DNA test and told them the results.

The results were quite surprising to say the least. The whole room was emotional, in a positive way - so much so that a number of them were noticeably changed for the better and crying tears of happiness! Some people who appeared to dislike certain cultures, found that they had part of their ancestry from that area as well. Others, who appeared very nationalistic, became more welcoming of other countries and cultures afterward. It’s worth a watch!

Learning about your genealogy and where your ancestors come from is typically only the first step for people. Traveling to the countries and learning more about the culture and customs, digging up the history of where their families lived, and actually meeting relatives is the next step. That is what Ancestry Travel is all about, it’s a mix of Heritage Travel and your Own Personal Genealogy which makes it much more rewarding, on a very personal level.

Recently, Lonely Planet has been seeing a growth in the number of people who choose Ancestry Travel as their primary way to choose a destination.

“there has been a surge in people across the globe wanting to find out more about their roots. In pursuit of the places that once defined their family’s lives, travelers are now paying homage to their ancestors and taking pilgrimages to destinations based on their results.” - Lonely Planet

They even have a “Back to my roots” series that focuses on their employees who have traveled back to the countries that their ancestors came from as well. Here are a few short videos from their series:

However, learning about your DNA can also bring you together in other ways. Where one man states “There is this notion of Truth and Reconciliation. And there can’t be any kind of reconciliation about the issues until there is an acknowledgement of the truth.”

That is a profound statement. One that applies to two cultures, or races - or even religions, that have clashed over many years. This notion that we must learn what the truth is, and then come to terms with it before we can move forward. That is something that these DNA results, paired with traveling, can accomplish.

These DNA tests are having a massive impact in progressing us, as human beings, in a positive future direction.

“In their yearly letter, [Bill and Melinda Gates] called genetic tests the second-biggest surprise of 2018. “We didn’t see this coming,” the Gateses wrote at the top of their letter.” - Business Insider

Meeting distant relatives can help you understand more about who you are and where you came from than you ever thought possible. For the two men in this video, understanding their family’s strong confederate connection, and slave ownership, brought them together in a way they didn’t anticipate. The positive impact that it had on both men was noticeable in their voices and their eyes.

And yes, you can even travel to meet your long-lost sister - if you have one that you wanted to meet! Sorry, but we just had to share this one of two sisters who met for the very first time because it was so amazing!

For some people, knowing what our parents and grandparents have told us about our ancestry might be enough.

For others, the desire to put together a family tree is all they really need.

However, if you really get into it, you may find yourself checking your DNA and visiting places you never expected to want to go to before… and you may come back from it more in touch with yourself than you ever expected.

Kieron’s Journey is quite an amazing testament to this!

You can see more stories like Kieron’s at Ancestry’s Travel page.

If you’re interested in Ancestry Travel, consider taking one of the DNA tests from these sites:

DNA Related Ancestry Websites:

• 23andMe.com - regular price $99

• Ancestry.com - regular price $99

• MyHeritage.com - as low as $79

You can also look up specific tour companies who specialize in Ancestry Tours for that special touch, just about anywhere in the world. We hope you find what you’re looking for!

Here is Bradley's results:

Jenny’s results were:

• 97.6% Japanese

• 2.1% Korean

• 0.2% Broadly Japanese & Korean

• 0.1% unassigned

So, we weren't too shocked, but it was interesting to learn that Bradley has some Italian and Greek ancestry, but no Norwegian ancestry, and that Jenny has a little bit of Korean ancestry!

If you've taken a DNA test, what type of surprises did you have? If not, perhaps it's time to give it a try and find out for yourself. Let us know what you learned in the comments below!

FAQ’s

How does one begin the process of tracing their ancestry for travel purposes?

Starting the journey into ancestry travel typically involves taking a DNA test through services like 23andMe or Ancestry.com. These tests can provide insights into your ethnic makeup and potential regions of origin for your ancestors. Once you have this information, you can begin researching the specific countries or areas that align with your DNA results. Many people also choose to build a family tree using online platforms, which can help identify more precise locations and living relatives in those areas.

What are the potential emotional impacts of ancestry travel?

Traveling to the lands of your ancestors can be a profoundly emotional experience. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with one's heritage and can evoke a sense of belonging and identity. For some, it may bring closure or healing, especially if there's a personal or historical significance attached to the journey. It's not uncommon for travelers to report feeling a deep emotional response when visiting places their ancestors lived, worked, or even emigrated from.

Are there ethical considerations to keep in mind when engaging in ancestry travel?

Ancestry travel raises important ethical questions, particularly around the impact on local communities. Travelers should be mindful of the cultural and environmental footprint they leave behind. It's crucial to approach such travel with respect for the local customs, traditions, and people. Additionally, there's a responsibility to ensure that any search for relatives or ancestral sites is conducted sensitively, without intruding on the privacy or property of current residents. Engaging with local historians or guides can help navigate these ethical considerations while enriching the travel experience.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Thank you VERY much for reading our article. We actually created this website to help people reach financial independence. Did you know that by having a remote job and traveling endlessly, or living in a country that has low costs of living, you can actually reach retirement quicker? Plus, retirement abroad is up to 75 percent cheaper as well! Learn more by exploring our website: EatWanderExplore and REmotiFIRE.

See our Thank You page to sign up for our free weekly newsletter - you’ll receive only 1 email per week letting you know about our latest travel articles, remote-work life, and amazingly affordable destinations!

Found this post useful? Buy us a coffee to help support this site’s running costs OR share this article with a friend.