Seniors are Top Consumers for Tours that Trace Family Roots
A growing number of travel companies and genealogical experts are offering trips that focus on discovering a person’s heritage, and seniors are the first in line, revolutionizing vacation travel. Genealogical tourism is described as planning and taking a trip or vacation with the intent to visit places that a person’s family and ancestors came from and lived in with the goal of discovering more information about the family heritage.
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Genealogical Travel Tips for Seniors
1. Do your research Keep good notes while gathering information so that you end up visiting the most meaningful places. Plan your trip as far in advance as possible to give yourself enough time to prepare. Map out your destinations. Research the cities you will visit, their local attractions, and any events happening there during your visit.
2. The more the merrier One or more companions is ideal when traveling to foreign countries. Whether or not your spouse or friends are also in search of ancestral connections, it is safer and more fun to travel with others. If you can’t find anyone you know to go with you, a group tour may be an option that will work as well.
3. Hire the right company Numerous travel companies specialize in organizing genealogical trips for senior citizens. Ask a lot of questions and share with them the kind of trip you have in mind – relaxing or action-packed. Compare companies if you can.
4. Be aware of your health needs As a senior, do all that you can to prepare for a safe vacation. This includes sufficient amounts of prescription medications. The rule of thumb is enough medicine to last the length of your trip plus seven days. Make a list of your health conditions and the medications you take, and then keep the listin your wallet or with your passport. Include the name and number of an emergency contact person and your doctor.
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Many European countries have begun promoting genealogical records on government-sponsored tourism websites. Hotels and resorts, including the Lodge at Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland, and the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh, Scotland, have hired genealogists to assist guests with their searches.
"Genealogy is almost trendy," says Elaine Bostwick, tour coordinator at Ancestral Attic of Carp Lake, Michigan, which arranged 42 genealogical tours last year, almost double the number five years ago.
The psychology behind this trend is that tourists’ vacation preferences have changed from wanting an escape to wanting meaningful experiences that deepen family histories.
Research by a University of Illinois sport and tourism professor, Carla Santos, and graduate student Grace Yan, found that seniors are generating a lot of interest in genealogical tourism, making it one of the fastest-growing brands of tourism and representing a very conscious shift toward personal enrichment and fulfillment (Santos, 2009).
“Genealogical tourism capitalizes on this by allowing individuals to experience the sensuous charms of antiquity, and provides a way of experiencing something eternal and authentic that transcends the present,” Santos said.
Another reason for the growth in this industry is the diversity of the races, cultures, and ethnicities in the United States that have a desire to connect to their roots. According to Santos, “Individual cultural and ethnic identities exist in fragmented and discontinuous forms in the U.S. Traveling to identify with an unknown past seems to give existence to meanings and values that the individual then carries forward on into their present.”
The movement away from escapism toward personal enrichment in the last 15 years is also a baby-boomer-influenced trend. “According to our research, the baby boomer generation now constitutes the primary profile of genealogical travelers. Not only does it help to mitigate the desires and anxieties about our age, genealogical tourism also encourages us to take a more humanistic approach toward issues of belonging, home, heritage and identity,” said Yan.
Planning the approach
How a person approaches a genealogical vacation depends on the type of experience that is desired, how much family history a person wants to find, and how much money can be spent. Maybe a leisurely bus tour that drives through countries related to your family history investigation sounds good, or perhaps a company that specializes in genealogical tourism to design a highly customized tour is preferred. Research about ancestors can be accomplished by the person and family members either through family heirlooms and records or online, or a professional can be hired to locate information and make arrangements in the towns that will be visited.
James Derheim, President of European Focus, a genealogical tourism company in Sarasota, Florida, says he typically books trips at least six months in advance to allow time to research a family's heritage. Like many other genealogical professionals in the tourism industry, Derheim will look through local archives and speak with village historians in the towns where his clients are hoping to discover their roots. As part of his service, he arranges for clients to gain access to genealogical records while they are in the country, hunts for modern-day relatives in the community, and delves into property records to locate ancestral farms and houses. His prices are about $4,500 for a 10-day trip that excludes airfare but includes a tour guide, lodging, food, and ground transportation.
Marlene Rokicki, 73 years old, has been to Germany twice with European Focus. In 2006, she and her husband, Robert, 76, visited the church in Aholming where her father was baptized, the Munich apartment where he grew up, and the church in Rossbach where her grandparents were married. European Focus "arranged for the church organist to play a few hymns for us. It was very moving," says Ms. Rokicki.
“Being part of a group is the most popular tour option for many seniors,” said Michael Doughty, Insight Vacations tour manager. “Bus tours are an excellent way to see local attractions of a city or region with an informative narration along the way. These sightseeing adventures can be for a few hours or a full day, and can help pinpoint areas for additional exploration later in the trip.”
Resources for Tracing Your Family Tree
A genealogy trip overseas is a big undertaking. The more information you can get, the more meaningful your trip will be. Besides asking family members and looking for family historical documents, many resources can help speed up you search. Websites and associations that focus on genealogical explorations include:
- ancestry.com
A repository of more than six billion historical records. There is a cost related to this service.
- Family History Library, Salt Lake City
familysearch.org
Provides access to approximately10% of the microfilm records held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston
americanancestors.org
Houses more than 20 million documents, artifacts, and photographs. An online genealogist answers research-related questions free of charge.
- Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Ind.
genealogycenter.org
This collection includes genealogical records from around the world.
- Various genealogical associations lead trips to national and other repositories that store census, birth, marriage, and death records. Examples are:
- The New England Historic Genealogical Society sponsors trips to London, Belfast, and Dublin.
- The Irish Ancestral Research Association, known as Tiara, and David Rencher, who periodically teaches an Irish genealogy course at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., each lead trips to Ireland.
As seniors, baby boomers, and other genealogical tourism enthusiasts scour the globe in search of enriched familial connections, the travel industry and towns around the world are preparing for the impact of that movement.When considering how to spend your next vacation, look into where your family history may take you. A genealogical retreat might create the perfect trip.
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