December 4, 2017

Return to Your Roots Through Travel

Knowing where you come from can bring with it a deeper sense of belonging to something more. It seems almost daily someone is sharing their world-wide roots through DNA testing, which is gaining in popularity. Sometimes known family history is confirmed. Other times, many a surprising connection to various places are revealed. But what do you do once you know where you’re from? Taking a trip to your ancestral homelands is a wonderful way to connect with your roots, and yourself.

Travel today offers more than just big tour buses and photo ops. With a focus on unique and in-depth experiences, travel is about connecting with different cultures and histories as much as it’s about connecting with yourself and your travel companions. Whether you travel independently or through a specialized tour or cruise company, you can plan a magical journey to remember. Such a journey can be made even more special if it’s to where your family comes from.

We have become such a melting pot of heritages and cultures, going back to the places we come from is a wonderful way to connect with our past and discover a part of who we are. My husband Tony and I were able to experience this on a trip we took to Spain recently. Our travels there also highlighted just how connected we two really are.

My father’s side of the family is from Ireland, but before reaching the Emerald Isle, our ancestral clans were in Spain, part of the Celtic tribes of the Iberian Peninsula who were some of the earliest Europeans to migrate to Ireland.

My Husband, Tony, looks every bit of a Roman-Italian with his olive skin and dark hair and eyes. While his family left the Naples area of Italy for American shores, his ancestral roots actually go back to the Spanish-Jewish migration which was brought on by the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.

Imagine how interesting it was for us to discover both our families come originally from Spain. With both of us having ancestral roots in Spain, our travels there were that much more special through discovering in person a part of our own past which we in turn share together.

When we connect with the past, we connect with ourselves and help create new connections for future generations. Taking a multi-generational trip to where your family once lived not only offers something special for everyone, such a trip can bring your and your loved-ones closer through the memories created in your ancestral homeland. This is what makes knowing where your roots are from such an amazing thing. A journey to your roots is a journey to yourself. 

We would love to hear from you directly about your family’s roots, and the exciting connections you have discovered yourself. Call or email us today and tell us all about your past, and we can help you plan an exploration to your ancestral homelands.

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