A woman is looking at old photos.

Things to Keep in Mind when Planning a Genealogy Tour

Regardless of how easy it is to find out about your ancestors without leaving your house these days, you probably still want to visit your family’s ancestral home. While many of us wish to go on a genealogy tour, it requires effort and planning to execute it. Here are some tips and tricks so that you can know your family history better:

Plan Effectively

Most trips will require you to plan ahead of time to obtain the necessary travel documents such as (a passport and/or visa), vaccinations, and other arrangements. You’ll also need plenty of time to plan your trip’s logistics. Consider what you’d like to explore.

It is important to plan your days such as visiting a park that your family visited often or a museum that lets you explore more about their life. Create a strategy that aligns with your investigation, as well as how you intend to collect the information you seek. Make a list of individuals you may need to contact ahead of time, such as relatives, a professional travel agency or priests, government officials, or the head of the library. Then, create a trip itinerary and bring a hardcopy with you.

Everything Is Accessible Online

Investigate each organisation further to understand entry requirements, fees, and so on. Enquire about the availability of genealogy volunteers on specific days/hours. If you visit libraries and manuscript collections, be prepared to leave behind everything except a pencil, paper, and possibly your tablet. Do this ahead of time to avoid the hassle later on.

Allocate Your Expenses

Most people have a limited budget when planning a genealogy trip so it’s important to go through all your expenses beforehand. Set a budget by determining how much you can afford to allocate for the trip, making sure that you don’t go overboard. Make a list of prospective expenses, such as flight, hotel, food, transportation, travel insurance, and travel document fees.

Don’t forget to budget for miscellaneous expenses like entry fees, parking tickets, food, memoirs, tipping, tourism entrance fees, and recreational expenses. Overestimation is usually better than underestimation. If you plan carefully, you might have room in your budget left for recreational activities as well.

A collection of old photos.

Take Help From Professionals

If you want more knowledge about your ancestry, you might be able to get help from a professional. Some businesses provide personalized heritage tours, such as My Ireland Family Heritage.

If you’re looking for a better insight into family history, visit My Ireland Family Heritage located in Ireland. They offer a multitude of services, such as ancestry research and genealogy tours. Give them a call today to learn more about their services.

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Customised Genealogy & Historical Tour

Review of My Ireland Heritage Tours Presented on Trip adviser Oct 2024 By • Family TomBarron2013 New York City, NY2

Once in a lifetime experience

Oct 2024 • Family

We highly recommend My Ireland Heritage for anyone who wants to learn and be guided to their Irish “roots” and much, much more. Sean Quinn and Ian Darragh of My Ireland Family Heritage have deep knowledge or the areas we wanted to visit in Meath, Sligo and Kilkenny. While we knew about one side of the family history back to 1690, there was nothing known about the other that arrived in the US in the 1870s.

Ian, Sean, and Nicola did thorough research on our localities and locations from which our ancestors left for America in 1849 and later. In addition, Ian and Sean did separate day-long “recons” in advance of our time with them, seeking out local people and the specific properties with maps and whatever records still available. Their results were absolutely outstanding! In both our cases, they found and took us to our still-existing cottages and shops from the early 1820s.

It was so enjoyable to be with Ian for three days and for a special day with Sean. Whether it was the Newgrange World Heritage sites 5,500 years old , the Battle of the Boyne 1690 , or the local cemeteries and churches of our ancestors. Ian was especially attentive to my wife throughout the travels after she twisted her ankle in a rain-soaked old cemetery.

Throughout the process of trip preparation over months to giving us the final, wonderful books of Meath and Sligo, Aisling was highly professional and responsive with all the many details. The bound books she prepared are treasures! Thanks to all for truly exceptional experiences.

Newgrange World Unesco Site 5500 years old
Battle of the Boyne 1690 AD
Customised Historical Tours Trim Castle
Entrance stone at Newgrange

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Review of My Ireland Heritage Tours Presented on Trip adviser by Shelley L @ sjlively

Exceptional in every way!

Over the last few months of preparing for our trip, every single detail was meticulously attended, not only professionally, but helpfully, and in such a friendly manner, that I felt as if I knew Sean, Aisling and Ian before I even stepped off the plane.

The amount of work these wonderful people put into our personal history is mindboggling. My mother was an avid amateur genealogist, and had worked for decades to bring to light the trail our family took, but our resources are limited.

Sean knows exactly where to look, and was able to fill in so many gaps that had eluded us for generations. Some of the information he found, unbeknownst even to him, actually solidified the findings we had amassed over the years. Ours was a family in coal mining – I only found on our tour that they had originated from a mining area, and their arrival on the  border coincided exactly with the decline in the mining industry in County Wicklow.

I would have been overjoyed simply with the knowledge of why they left when they did, about 12 years before the famine. Breaking through our brick wall of great grandparents even farther back on the family tree was a dream come true, but to be able to set foot on not only the area they lived, and find that the house is still there was overwhelming. Seeing the family church and cemetery where our ancestors and extended family still rest is a truly moving experience.

The care taken by this company in each and every aspect of the journey cannot be overstated. Only about 2 weeks prior to my trip, Sean contacted me to let me know that he had also stumbled across some of my husband’s family name in the process and included them as well in his research. How often can anyone say that they not only got what they paid for, but more than they ever imagined? I can say that. They were even kind enough to answer a few follow-up questions after my return home, as I was so stunned on my tour with Ian that I didn’t think ask at the time.If you have the opportunity to make the trip to Ireland, contact My Ireland Family Heritage before you go.

If your family was there, Sean will go above and beyond to find them. Even without family, contact them anyway. Ian is a walking encyclopedia of history, and so fun to talk to. Aisling will make sure every “I” is dotted, and every “T” is crossed.  Thank you so much for the trip of a lifetime, and the opportunity to pass on everything we have discovered to future generations

The Consultation at Hotel / Office or by Phone opens all doors
Genealogy gets you off the Beaten Track to see the Real Ireland

Unique to Every Address with My Ireland Family Research