Tips & Tricks to Tracking Your German Russia Ancestors...Tip # 8 TRAVEL HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE REWARDS

Germans from Russia have moved to every continent on the planet. North America, South America, Germany, and Australia are just a few of the places, and many stayed in Russia. Connecting with our relatives is a big, yet rewarding, step for those of us on the genealogical road to adventure.

If you choose to travel to learn more about your ancestors and your family, you can go it alone or go in groups. And, language skills help immensely, so the value of Tip # 7 goes beyond researching documents.

One of the best books to help you prepare for travel is Carolyn Schott's Visiting Your Ancestral Town.

Whether you are trying to go to your village in Russia, or connect with your German Origins in Europe, this book will help you efficiently plan and prepare yourself for what lies ahead.

Since preparation for travel is critical, and can be a great deal of fun, be sure to consider some of these highlights:

• Remember to KEEP CALM AND LEARN THE HISTORY
• Complete as much genealogical research as possible before the trip
• Pre-plan as much as possible, especially if you have specific genealogical goals.
• Determine what works best for you...group travel, custom plans or individual adventures

When it comes to group travel, there are lots of options, however there are two annual group trips to consider.

Brent Mai and Mila Koretnikov facilitate tours to the Volga colonies. There are options as to length and visits are targeted to the Wiesenseite or Bergseite, or for the truly ambitious, you can cover both tours.

And, the North Dakota State Library and Germans from Russia Heritage collection sponsors the Homeland tour which is an outstanding visit to Germany and Ukraine. Michael Miller is the host, and although the 2019 tour is full, new information on the 2020 tour will be available in July 2019.

Up next...we will continue Tip # 8 as I share some of my travel experiences soon.

©2019 Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski