Many family historians have a dream list of genealogy travel destinations. An inventory of trips they desire
to check off their bucket list during their lifetime. Many of those trips
include far off destinations of homelands and hometowns of their ancestors.
Unfortunately, most
family historians find themselves taking more conventional vacations than those
on their bucket list, like trips to nearby archives and towns where their
ancestors settled, generally those that are within a day’s drive.The ability to
jump back a 100 years or more and cross the pond and walk the streets of your ancestral
hometowns may just seem more that your pocketbook and schedule can manage. These
days, it seems it’s the stuff reserved for celebrities on your favourite TV
show.
If you have a wish list
that includes checking off those genealogy travel destinations, here are some
tips to get you there.
Decide Now
Is the Time
The biggest and most often cited
roadblock to tackling that dream genealogy
trip is time. The time never seems right with work, children, grandchildren and
a variety of projects and responsibilities. Maybe next year...
Of course, time is a valid concern, but you also
must realize time will always be an issue. Many genealogists are really looking
for the perfect time, and of course, that will never come. It really becomes
about re-organizing your priorities. You may have to move things around so you
can give your genealogy trips more precedence and scheduling it on the calendaar. Instead of waiting for
the right time, or trying to find the perfect time, look for a possible time
when you can make your genealogy trips happen.
Write It
Down
Writing down your bucket list is a
good and an often recommended way to make it just real enough that you can
actually start doing something about it. Once it is written down, you can use it as a guide for
for when you are poking around the
Internet, reading or goofing off. During TV commercials,
you can call up articles on your dream destinations. Start a Pinterest board
for your genealogy destinations and use it as a vision board. Keep it front and
centre so you can’t forget about those goals.
Share Your
Bucket List
Sharing your bucket list with friends, family or
even a dedicated site like BucketList.org can help you to achieve your goals.
As with many
things, telling someone else you are going to do something often provides motivation
to actually to do it. Humans are funny
that way.
A bucket
list is often reflective of our idealization of a place or trip, and not
necessarily what it is like to go there. When you share your list with others
who may already have been there you can get a sense of what a place is really
like and whether it should be as high on your list. We often romanitize our
ancestor’s hometowns, however, by connecting with others who have been there
you may get a reality check.
Putting your network of friends
and family on the task of making your trip a reality offers you a supportive
team who can bring any number of ideas to the table when planning your trip.
Narrow It
Down
Once you get a sense of where you might go and more
or less when you might pull it off, you will want to narrow down your choices
to the trips you most want to take. Unless one
destination rates well above and beyond the others, I recommend starting to
research two or three of your top choices. Trying to plan for 10 very different potential bucket
list options is unreasonable, and picking only one could set you up for
disappointment if the logistics turn out to be forbidding.
Making a list of your genealogy
destinations also helps you to rank them in order of importance. Some items on
the list might not seem as interesting after you have looked at them several
times, and could fall off the list in favor of other ideas.
While you're
at it, you might also write down the reasons you want to go to each
destination. This exercise might help you to weigh your destinations against
each other. Are you looking to do local genealogy research? Is it to get upclose
and personal and have that time-travel experience? Are you writing a book? Do
you want to meet with distant relatives? There may be some pressing issues and
deadlines that might help you to narrow down your list.
Once you narrow it down to your top 2 or 3, focus first on practical things like what time of year
you can get off work versus the best time of year to go there. How much time it
takes really to do the destination justice and how much money you will need to
pull it off.
Save for It
This is easier said then done and it is probably
the most personal of issues, as everyone's financial means and demands are
different and complex. But putting a few plans in place to start saving is a
key element to making your plans a reality. The money isn’t going to magically
appear and often there is little left at the end of the week to set aside for
trips. However, there are a number of great tips to help you save for those highly-sought
after genealogy trips if you are motivated.
Join us next Tuesday when we give
you a list of money saving tips for that next genealogy dream vacation. Here’s a hint, it won’t
include the overly-advised advice of skipping your favourite takeout coffee because I know that's just not practical advice for this genealogy crowd.
What's on your dream list?
(This is the first in a series of posts on How to
Make Your Genealogy Travel a Reality)
