Home Sweet Homeland
A trip back to an ancestor’s homeland can be life-changing. There’s a thrill that comes from walking your ancestor’s street, standing in their church, or seeing their childhood home. Experiences such as these can’t help but spark emotion, make you feel connected with your ancestors, and even re-affirm who you are.
One day in early 2018, my husband excitedly asked if I wanted to join some extended family touring Italy in a few months. I was skeptical, but he won me over me by throwing in my number one bucket-list item—a family history trip to Greece.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by my Greek heritage. My half-Greek grandfather died a week before I was born. I never met him (or his Greek immigrant father), but I became obsessed with my Greek heritage and one day visiting the country.
If you’re like me, you’ve dreamed up the heritage trip of a lifetime, traversing from one ancestral village to the next. So what’s been stopping you? (Besides the COVID-19 pandemic, of course.)
One roadblock: Some people try to plan family history trips with genealogy in mind. That’s likely not realistic, especially if a spouse or some friends will be joining you. But creating a trip that mixes family research and family fun? That’s a no-brainer that your travel
