Geneology has long been a reason to choose where to travel. Recently, an exciting announcement was made that pairs two great styles of travel: River Cruising and Family Heritage Travel.
AmaWaterways (my personal favorite river cruise line) has partnered with Ancestry, the company that specializes in connecting people to their family history. Ama has done family-heritage themed cruises before, but now you’ll be able to uncover specific details about your own family while you sail. Ama guests on these sailings will be given a private ancestry consultation, and an expert genealogist will give presentations, curated excursions, and help you connect with your past, all while on-board. AmaWaterways says the pandemic highlighted how we cherish our family connections and travel – and trips like these offer a way to find our roots.
Imagine a deep dive into your family story, with the help of experts – and all while you are sailing the historic Rhine river. This magical experience will be enhanced by the knowledge that your ancestors probably passed along this river too, because the rivers were the first transportation routes before roads were developed. This makes an ancestry trip feel even more authentic.
Before you actually sail, you'll be matched with an expert from Ancestry’s professional research division, and on a call at home, you can discuss what you already know about your family history and what you’re hoping to discover. The experts will take that information and start researching your family background and identify places of interest you may visit or pass by while sailing along the Rhine.
On board, an expert genealogist will offer presentations about what life was like for guests’ ancestors and highlight the types of records that are available for them to learn more. The genealogist will also explain the history behind those areas, providing a glimpse of guests’ ancestors’ everyday lives.
Guests will also enjoy a private onboard consultation with an expert genealogist to review their own family tree and connect the dots about what was discovered during the journey. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy an Ancestry-specific group excursion with their expert genealogist. In certain cases, travelers can even choose an optional add-on of an ancestral home visit accompanied by the genealogist.
Heritage travel on the rivers of Europe sounds like a great new way to enjoy European river cruising, with another dimension of meaning to the historic towns and countryside, and even the waterways themselves.Vacations256 can help you plan a trip and return to your roots. Give us a call today!