Talking Heritage Travel with Jennifer Barnard
The time to start planning your dream genealogy trip is now!!!
Back in August, I wrote a blog post title, “Walking in Your Ancestors’ Footsteps: The Most Meaningful Trip You’ll Ever Take.” The post received an overwhelming response from readers, inspiring a webinar I gave shortly thereafter on “How to Find Your Family History While Stationed Overseas.”
I believe that most people possess an innate desire to find their origins and see places that hold significance to their personal family history. Yet the process of learning your family history or finding your ancestral hometown through research may seem daunting -- which is where I come in as a genealogy professional. However, the process of planning and booking travel can also seem daunting -- -- which is where our guest, Jennifer Barnard, comes in. Jennifer is a professional travel expert. She is the owner of Endless Routes Travel LLC, and specializes in planning European vacations.
I recently sat down for a Q and A with Jennifer to talk a little bit more about heritage tourism and about how now just might be the perfect time to start planning your dream genealogy trip.
Jennifer Barnard of Endless Routes Travel
Q - Hi Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to chat with us about your experience as a professional travel expert. To begin with, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your business?
A- Absolutely! I first traveled to Europe more than 21 years ago and fell in love with everywhere I went. It was then that my love for travel began. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live in Europe as well (Spain & Germany) where I have experienced many of the destinations firsthand.
For many years planning travel was a passion of mine, however, in 2018 I decided to make this my full-time job and started my independent travel agency called Endless Routes Travel LLC. With an overwhelming number of travel options to choose from, I help travelers select, plan, and book the European vacation to best suit their travel style.
Q - I feel like right now when travel is basically at a standstill, people are chomping at the bit to get out there once things normalize again for the industry. While we wait for that time, are there things we can be doing to prepare for our next trip? For example, those interested in genealogy travel can be working on researching their family origins and histories. Is now a good time to contact a travel agent such as yourself to kind of get ahead of the game?
A - After one very LONG year in 2020, you are right, everyone is ready to get out there to travel. We all are going to need a vacation after this pandemic. For anyone interested in planning a family heritage trip the first question to ask yourself is what type of genealogy trip am I wanting to take? Am I wanting to see the country my family is from and enjoy my time sightseeing? Or am I wanting to dive deeper and visit the villages my family lived, churches where they were married, or schools they attended? The answers to these questions will determine where to start in the process.
If a deeper experience is the route clients choose, I would advise starting the research phase now because the more information, the better. Now, if someone is wanting to plan a trip to a country to experience the area their ancestors originated from instead of diving deep into their family heritage, then the planning process can start at any time.
Most people will plan about 6-12 months out for trips such as these, giving us plenty of time to finalize the perfect itinerary for them.
Q - For anyone who dreams about taking a trip to see places of significance to their family history, how can you as a travel agent help them realize that dream?
A - No matter what type of trip people take, it is time-intensive to research, coordinate, and price out. Especially for trips to Europe where there can easily be 20 or more components of the trip – from airfare to accommodations, to transfers, insurance, etc. It can get overwhelming, to say the least.
When I work with my clients, it always starts with a call or video chat so we can get to know each other. I ask questions of them so I can visualize their travel style and customize their itinerary to their needs and budget. After that, they can just sit back and let me take the burden out of crafting the itinerary as well as coordinating all of the specific details of the trip.
Q - In my own experience, my genealogy travels have often taken me "off the beaten path" to areas that are not frequented by tourists. Can you still help in those instances?
A - Fortunately, in combination with my personal experience living abroad in Europe and my connections with other experts in each country, I can provide options if travelers need to get off the beaten path. This could be assisting with car rentals, private transfers, or public transportation.
Q - In a world of online travel booking, why would someone choose to invest in professional trip planning instead of DIYing the planning process?
A - There are several reasons my clients love using my professional travel service. Although you can plan a trip on your own, if you have ever done that you know how extremely time consuming it is to do the research, find the best hotels that meet your needs, and to sketch out an itinerary. It can be downright overwhelming searching the internet for all of the information.
Beyond just saving clients from the headache of planning travel, they enjoy having the personalized service working one-on-one with me. Everything is customized to their travel style and budget, and all of the details are double and triple checked by a professional.
In the changing travel climate, it is considered essential to use a travel agent. I not only make expert recommendations, but I also act as an advocate for my clients since my loyalties lie with them. If anything goes wrong on their trip, they have my cell phone number to get in touch with me. For a full list of what my services include, click here.
Q - Do you have geographic or other areas of expertise?
A - My experience and expertise are heavily rooted in Europe. I have spent a lot of time in Western Europe since I have lived in both Spain and Germany. The continent is not only my area of expertise but also my passion.
Q - Is Europe specifically suited to genealogy tourism and if so, why?
A - There are several countries in Europe in which genealogy tourism is very prominent. The most common destinations for ancestry tourists include Scotland, Italy, Ireland, Germany, and Eastern Europe. The tourism boards in countries like Scotland and Ireland have analyzed the growing popularity of this type of travel. As a result, their efforts have encouraged more travelers to retrace their roots and have made it easier to do so.
Genealogy tourism is also common in Central Europe where World War II caused mass migrations of populations into the United States. In particular, Jewish genealogy tourism on the rise.
I think for me personally, I love the history you see in Europe. It’s tangible. Much of the architecture has age, many traditions are unchanged, even the cuisine seems to have withstood the test of time.
Q - It sounds like hiring a professional travel expert is a lot like hiring a professional genealogist. While the tools are there to DIY the process, in the long run, there is no substitute for experience and education. The final product kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it?
It is! I put it in terms of hiring any type of professional such as a lawyer or tax accountant. I could spend time learning about the laws and writing my own will, but there will surely be gaps in my end product and I definitely would have invested an extensive amount of time. Instead, I will gladly hire a professional that is well educated and experienced in the area I need. The same can be said for a professional genealogist like yourself, and a travel agent.
Makes Sense.
Thank you, Jennifer for taking the time to answer those questions and for sharing your knowledge with us! I know we all collectively hope we can resume safe travels again soon, once this pandemic is behind us. In the meantime, we can hopefully focus on the research and planning process now so that we can realize our dream trips once that day comes!