Thousands of Americans travel to Germany every year in search of their roots. Are you among
them? Have you ever visited the places your ancestors left to emigrate to the US – or are you
planning to? Heritage travel is as much about learning about the past as it is about shaping the
present and the future. It’s about meeting people and places that are alive today, and enjoying
them together, and that’s what we want to help you do.
Did you visit people and places in Germany? How did you get there and what did you learn and
experience? What else did you do on your trip and are there things you want others to see and
experience? Please share with us your travel experience. Information on logistics belongs here
just as much as stories of personal encounters with family members you had never met before.
Share your experience, ask your questions, and make new friends along the way.
Knowing my grandmother was from Germany, I visited the Black Forest last spring. It was truly amazing. We stayed at this little Bed and Breakfast place near Freiburg and also visited many small towns around there to get a good feel of the area. I would sure recommend a trip to Southern Germany anytime!
Hello,
This is my first visit to your site. I am anxious to see what you present.
Last year, as a matter of fact a year ago today, my wife and I flew to Germany to meet relatives that we had never met before. My father came to the USA in 1923 from Herrischried, in far southern Germany. He had 4 brothers and a sister, all of whom have passed on. There are many relatives, some of whom I knew existed and others I had no idea. We started in Frankfort visiting several with a second cousin that had visited us 15 years ago. She and her brother had our general itinerary all set. Then we rented a car and drove to Gailingen(near Boden See) for several days with her brother and family. Then to Herrischried for 1 1/2 weeks meeting relatives and sightseeing. It was a trip of a lifetime.
I have been going to a local community college to learn German since some of the relatives only speak German. I knew enough German to do some minor conversation.
We now correspond with numerous relatives by letter, phone, text messages and email on a regular basis.
We have started thinking about another visit to Germany next year during which we plan to expand our travel. Baveria is a must,some into Switzerland and possibly Berlin.
I will followup with my thoughts on your site after I visit for a while.
Auf Wiedersehen!
I just took a look at the new heritage travel brochure of Globus; it’s called “2008 German Heritage Vacation”. I’m really interested in this journey myself and wanted to share the highlights with you. The journey is great and is for 12-13 days. You’ll start out in Munich and take the Romantic Road to Rothenburg. In Nuremberg you’ll be able to visit the war documentation center and in Dresden the Semper Oper and the Zwinger Palace. You’ll also visit Weimar and Erfurt. In Erfurt you can go to the 900-year-old Wartburg Castle where Martin Luther translated the New Testament. The last couple of days take you further north to Bremerhaven with the German Emigration Center and Hamburg where you can join an interesting excursion to BallinStadt. At the end of the journey you’ll stay in Berlin and see the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and a lot more.
This was only part of the journey and I’m already really excited to go there!