In the second season of the TV show “The White Lotus,” three generations of a fictional American family travel to Sicily to try to reconnect with their ancestral roots. Although their journey goes hilariously wrong at times, heritage trips like theirs have become serious business.
Decades ago, Americans who were interested in traveling to explore their roots had to rely on family lore, sort through dusty books and, often, follow their gut. But DNA-testing sites, online genealogical databases and social media have made searching far easier, fueling a growing interest in heritage travel.
Global heritage tourism is a nearly $600-billion-a-year industry, which is expected to keep growing by about 4% annually through 2030, according to market analysis by Grand View Research. And TV programs like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Finding Your Roots,” which follow mostly celebrities as they discover their heritage, are continuing to inspire other journeys.
Not everyone goes on a heritage trip for the same reason: Maybe you want to meet living relatives to swap photos and stories. Maybe you are tracking down official documents to obtain dual citizenship. Or you could simply be looking to connect with a place your family once called home.
Here are some tips for planning your own heritage trip.
Follow your DNA
Services like Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage and the struggling 23andMe use your genes to decode your family’s likely places of origin. Other DNA-testing websites cater to specific ethnic groups, like African Ancestry or Somos Ancestria, for Latino origins. The cost of the DNA test kits, which usually require a saliva sample, can vary from about $40 to $300, depending on the company and how detailed you want your results to be.
Do some free online sleuthing
Birth, death, marriage and census records can help you narrow your search to specific places. You can dig into these sources through the U.S. Census Bureau or the National Archives and Records Administration. If you don’t know where to start, FamilySearch is an easy-to-use, free website funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (You don’t have to be a member of the church to use it.)
Find a Grave and BillionGraves are vast databases documenting gravestone locations, which can help you locate family burial plots. If your ancestors served in the military, organizations like Daughters of the American Revolution or the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission can help guide your research.
If you already know your family’s country of origin, check online for ancestry-linked groups in those places that may be able to help you connect to more specific resources. For example, you can try the National Archives of Australia, the Association of Family History Societies of Wales, a database of Korean clans from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, or the Jamaican government’s genealogical research tool. Or home in on your religious heritage with sites like IslamicFamilyTree or JewishGen.
Get social
Start with your extended family: Ask about family trees and previous heritage trips. Then hit social media. Join the conversation in Facebook groups dedicated to specific ethnic groups or locations, like the groups South American Genealogy Research Community; Marshall County, Mississippi, Genealogy; or the Finnish American Heritage Society of Maine. You might even discover a group dedicated to your last name: I found one for “Sims.”
Consider hiring a pro
If you don’t have the time or patience to do the legwork, you can hire an expert: The Association of Professional Genealogists maintains a searchable database. Or, you can contract a professional heritage travel planner to help create an itinerary and, in some cases, escort you through your tour.
How much you pay for professional help depends on how much personal guidance you would like. For example, italyMondo!, an agency that customizes Italian heritage tours, will do the genealogical research to create an itinerary for you to follow on your own for $2,000. But for $5,000 to $10,000, you will get a professional to accompany you along the way.
Other businesses, like MyChinaRoots, use your research to pinpoint key destinations for a heritage trip. You can choose to hire a heritage-trained guide to help you make the most of your visit: The daily rate for MyChinaRoots guides begins at around $500.
Record your journey
Upload any copies of historic photos or documents on your device, and have some current photos of your own family ready. Also, digitize film, audio or video recordings you would like to share, using services like EverPresent, iMemories or Legacybox. These might serve as valuable icebreakers if you meet a distant relative.
You can upload photos, along with explanatory notes, of what you find on your journey right into your online family tree if you use some genealogy apps. But also bring a notebook and some tape to create a tangible souvenir.
Finally, consider recording your conversations with relatives you find (but remember to ask permission, because local laws can vary). You may just be creating a valuable record for the next generation of heritage travelers.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
