An article on family heritage travel!

Over the weekend I picked up the April 2013 issue of National Geographic Traveler.  If you have not seen or read this magazine and love to learn about new places or fantasize about those bucket list trips, you should pick up a copy.  I picked up this issue specifically because on the front cover I saw the main story was titled “Return to Your Roots.”  Wow, a feature article in a travel magazine about heritage trips.

The article contained 5 first person accounts by writers who traveled to discover their roots.  They voyaged to Northern Ireland, Taiwan, Sicily, Krakow, and Angola.  Each incredibly personal story drawing the reader into their experiences making you want to know what else they may have found or explored.

In the piece on Ireland the author took her whole family on the trip.  They found her great-great grandfather’s farm, and she immersed her boys into the family experience.  In contrast the author who penned the piece on Taiwan talked about meeting with her birth sisters in the Taipei night market.  You next learn about Sicilian Cooking, the legacy Jewish Krakow, and how a surname from the Jamestown Colony leads a man to find his roots in Angola.

It was wonderful to see how they each had a different experience to share with the readers.  There was no formula, no right or wrong way to take a tip.  They were people searching for a connection to their past and were awed and amazed around every corner.   

At the end of the segment was a Genealogy 101 information box.  It made me so happy to see this included in the article as it is one thing to talk about making trips to find your heritage but something else to take on the genealogical aspect of it.  I was impressed by the author’s advice, links, and suggestions.  Makes me think she may have the bug too.

My husband and I have talked about making treks to the homeland someday.  Choosing which one and when seems to be the problem.  We have mostly Irish, Scottish, and English roots but thrown into the mix are German, Swiss, French, and Norwegian; a lot of choices and a lot of varied places to see on that list.  I also want to take our children with us to see new things and learn about the places our family left before coming to North America. 

How many of you have taken a trip to discover your ancestors?  I would love to hear about it and your experiences.

Have You Seen The New Going In-Depth Digital Magazine?

If it wasn’t evident by the big image on the side of the blog, I am one of the new writers for the In-DepthGenealogist (IDG).  Why am I writing this, today, when I have been talking about it for well over a month?  Well, you see the first issue of the digital magazine, Going In-Depth, is live today.  This is big, and I am so happy to be involved with it.  My next adventure in my genealogy journey is starting. 

For those of you who still don’t know about the IDG, be sure to check out the website and not just the magazine.  The IDG is a free newsletter, blog, forum, as well as magazine that has as its primary goal advancing knowledge for all genealogists, hobbyists and professional, in an educational and entertaining setting.  You can find the IDG team on Facebook and Twitter @indepthgen as well.

I am currently writing the Technology Blog on the website and The Society Pages column in the magazine.  My blog posts will cover gadgets, gizmos, and everything tech related a genealogist may want to use.  There is a lot of technology out there that I think can cross defined barriers and be used in our world just as much as another.  This is really fun, and I get excited each time I sit down to write about what new things I have found.  The Society Pages is a column about lineage societies. It will give highlights of societies that you may want to join as well as advice, tips, and tricks on all that goes into applications.

So come check it out!  I don’t think you will be disappointed in the least bit.