I visited my maternal grandmother’s village of Milpoš, Slovakia, in June 2010. I was delighted to have a copy of Three Slovak Women, another of my books, with me.
No matter how convenient it may be these days to research ancestors without leaving home, you probably still dream of visiting your family’s homeland. You’re yearning to see where your ancestors lived, stand in the church where Great-grandpa was baptized, enjoy traditional cuisine, and understand what life was like for your ancestors before they made the journey to America. With heritage travel, you have an opportunity to go beyond the same old research strategies and discover those details you can’t get from online databases, books, or microfilm.
For more than fifteen years, I imagined what it would be like to actually set foot in Milpoš, the Eastern Slovakian birthplace of my maternal grandmother. I’d seen pictures of this tiny village while doing genealogy research and watched tourists’ videos on YouTube <www.youtube.com>, so I thought I knew what to expect when I finally traveled there. But I never could have predicted all that I learned and experienced on my trip to Milpoš (image A).
I visited my maternal grandmother’s village of Milpoš, Slovakia, in June 2010. I was delighted to have a copy of Three Slovak Women, another of my books, with me.
Visiting your ancestor’s homeland like I did can provide a wealth of information. If your own bucket list includes a visit to your ancestral homeland, this chapter will help you plan the heritage trip of your dreams.
Once you’ve decided that you want to make a heritage trip to the old country, start planning. Travel in Europe can be daunting and expensive, but you’ll make the most out of your trip by thinking ahead and using the following tips.
First, consider the places you want to visit, your length of stay, and what you hope to accomplish. Then you’ll need to get your passport, visa, and airline ticket. Note the sooner you book your airline reservations and accommodations, the better. Use travel sites such as Kayak <www.kayak.com> and FareCompare <www.farecompare.com> to compare flights and prices. For help, contact a travel agent who specializes in the area you want to go and ask genealogy buddies for references.
You could also consider a group trip sponsored by an organization. For example, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society <www.carpathorusynsociety.org> and the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast <www.pgsctne.org> frequently offer such excursions. For more than twenty-five years, Helene Cincebeaux has been offering an experience called Treasure of Slovakia Tours <www.our-slovakia.com>, though her tours will often go to other Central European countries. One caveat: Before you book a group tour, ask if you can build time in for personal research or side trips to your ancestral village. The Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International has more information about heritage tours on its website <www.cgsi.org/research/travel-resources>.
In addition, get to know the locations you’re planning to visit. Google the town or city to find its website, check travel books and websites, and read travel reviews online. Use Google Maps <www.google.com/maps> to determine how long it takes to get around by car, public transit (if available), or walking. Look for information about the currency, ATM availability, and local laws (in Slovakia, for example, “rowdy behavior” is illegal between 10 P.M. and 6 A.M., so you’ll want keep the toasts and celebrating with family members in check).
To help save for your trip, consider stashing away an envelope labeled Genealogy Fund where you can toss in loose change and extra dollar bills throughout the year. It adds up, and it’s a good visual reminder of your goal to travel to an ancestor’s hometown.
The more you know about your ancestral homeland, the less stressed you will feel once you get there. Before you go, enlist the help of a local tour guide and/or professional researcher, invest in good maps (GPS may not work in remote locations), consult town/archive websites, and contact family and other individuals.
Unless you’ve hit the lottery, you’ll likely have limited funds to spend on your trip. To set a budget, list potential expenses, including airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, travel insurance, and fees for travel documents. Don’t forget to build in incidentals, such as parking, copying costs, research service fees, snacks, souvenirs, tips, sightseeing admission fees, and other discretionary spending.
Remember to budget for the services of a researcher/guide who can provide transportation and, when necessary, be your translator (not everyone you meet will speak English—especially relatives in remote villages and even some archival staff). Download a free Research Trip Budget Worksheet at <www.familytreemagazine.com/upload/images/PDF/travelbudget.pdf>.
Do some advance preparation before you make the journey over to Poland, the Czech Republic, or Slovakia. First, make sure you’ve learned all you can from US resources. Then, check out the archives abroad. We covered the archival structure in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia in chapter 8, so you’re well on your way to completing this step. Search the archive’s online catalog to see if your ancestor might be listed and what items you may be interested in. Avoid disappointment by learning about record losses and privacy restrictions ahead of time. This will prevent you from wasting time and money searching for information that doesn’t exist (such as records destroyed in a war) or is unavailable (e.g., due to privacy laws).
Remember that some archives have online finding aids you can refer to and that, while many records are listed in the online catalog, additional materials may be indexed in the finding aids at the individual archive. Once at the archive, try to access that finding aid if available, or have a copy you can use electronically on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Also bear in mind that, as at all archives in North America or Europe, you must follow certain procedures. For example, you may have to make reservations to visit repositories, archives, or churches or register at the office just outside the reading room of an archive in order to view records. You may also need to fill out request slips for books you are interested in. Know what years of records a book contains so you can prioritize your requests. In addition, be wary of the institution’s hours of operation: Some archives close for a month in the summer, and many have a morning session, then close for lunch and end the day at 3 P.M. You may have to return another day to get the copies you have ordered or return later in the afternoon when ledgers become available. Check the archive’s website for hours, policies (such as a five-books-per-day limit), instructions for copying records, and other pertinent information. If you employ a guide, he can help with this.
In addition to helping you decipher the rules of a particular archive, a guide can also translate for you if you’re visiting a place where English isn’t widely spoken. Get cost estimates up front and clearly communicate with the guide about what services you will receive.
Even if you have a guide, there will be times when you’re not with him and will need to communicate with family and the staff at hotels, restaurants, and archives. Having a basic understanding of the native language in the country you’re visiting will help you more easily navigate the country and give you a richer experience. Download translation apps for your tablet or smartphone or enroll in courses at your local college or adult education centers. Additional affordable options include watching language-focused videos on You-Tube or reading travelers’ language books like Lonely Planet’s Eastern Europe Phrasebook & Dictionary <shop.lonelyplanet.com/europe/eastern-europe-phrasebook-5>.
You should plan to spend some time exploring your ancestral town, and a contact in the town may give you more knowledge of the area. Before you go, consider reaching out to the mayor or priest/rabbi, or search for possible relatives in the village. Use online telephone directories such as Infobel <www.infobel.com> or Phonebook of the World <www.phonebookoftheworld.com> to search for surnames and take the list with you so you can call people once you get there. If the town/village has a website, you often can find at least the mayor’s name listed there.
You also might find local relatives by searching for surnames and places on Facebook <www.facebook.com>. Also, check out my website <www.immersiongenealogy.com> for more advice on how you can experience firsthand the customs and traditions of your ancestors, as well as discover more details about where and how your ancestors lived, worked, and worshipped during your trip to your ancestral homeland.
Regardless of whether your trip to Eastern Europe is the first of many or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you will want to make the most out of every precious minute you have in your ancestor’s homeland. As such, put together an itinerary and an outline of your research goals to maximize your time. While neither has to be set in stone, these will add some structure to your trip. Your excitement and emotions will be running high as you get acquainted with the new surroundings, meet new cousins, and fend off jet lag. Having a plan will help you remember what you want to accomplish and who you are supposed to meet when. But remember to be flexible, too, and don’t overbook yourself—you never know when a relative or local will invite you for a meal or introduce you to other family members.
Make your itinerary by creating a document or spreadsheet on your computer or using Evernote <www.evernote.com> to create a virtual notebook to make lists. You should initially schedule everything (e.g., visits with relatives, time for cemetery exploration and researching in the archives), but be flexible. Realize you may not get to do everything, so have a “dream list” and a secondary plan. Create a contact list (family, professional researcher/tour guide, parish priest, mayor, archives, etc.) and gather documents such as lodging and airplane ticket confirmations.. Use online trip planning tools and apps such as Tripit <www.tripit.com>, TouristEye <www.touristeye.com>, TripAdvisor <www.tripadvisor.com>, TripCase <travel.tripcase.com>, and WorldMate <www.worldmate.com>. Whatever method or app you use, be sure you can access it offline in case you are in remote areas with spotty or no wi-fi service.
Give yourself a few weeks to pack so you can get necessities you don’t already have. You’ll want a sturdy suitcase, the necessary amount of clothing, comfortable walking shoes, travel-size toiletries, and other personal items, such as prescription medications (bring extra in case of travel delays).
Consult your airline for checked and carry-on baggage rules, and see Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. If you plan to travel by train or other public transportation in your ancestral homeland, check those baggage rules, too. If possible, try to fit what you need into an airline-approved carry-on with wheels. Because you’ll want to travel as lightly as possible, you may want to forgo bulky research binders and other heavy items. But do bring along your family tree information in some format—either digital or print—so you can refer to it as you research.
You also may want to be selective about the electronic devices you take, because there’s always the risk you’ll lose them or they’ll be stolen. Leave room for gifts and other souvenirs you’ll acquire during your travels. Use the Foreign Research Trip Packing List at the end of this chapter for more suggestions.
When traveling to a foreign country, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free service of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs <step.state.gov/step> that allows US citizens and nationals traveling abroad to register their trip with the nearest US embassy or consulate. Through this program, you can receive important information from the embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, get travel alerts and warnings, and help the embassy (and friends and family) contact you in case of an emergency.
In addition, consider purchasing a prepaid credit card such as Visa Travel Money or MasterCard Prepaid and a small amount of foreign currency in advance—złoty for Poland, korunas for the Czech Republic, and euros for Slovakia. Check with your bank or the Automobile Association of America (AAA) <www.aaa.com> first for the currency and prepaid cards, as international currency kiosks at larger airports and local banks may charge a conversion fee. Rick Steves has good advice on getting cash abroad <www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money>.
If you’re traveling to a country with less-than-stellar hospital facilities or you have health problems that might flare up during your trip, consider getting insurance. Check with your health insurance provider to learn if it offers international travel coverage. AAA offers various insurance plans for its members, too. MedjetAssist <www.medjetassist.com> provides additional coverage for medical evacuation flights from anywhere in the world.
