Now you can take a trip into your ancestry, thanks to a new genealogy firm in Britain, which guarantees to take people on a deluxe tour in the footsteps of their forefathers. But the ancestry ride doesn't come cheap; at £25,000 (roughly $50,000 in U.S. dollars), its billing as “luxury time travel” is appropriate.
The company, Ancestral Footsteps, is the creation of Sue Hills, the director of the hit BBC television series, Who Do You Think You Are? in which celebrities take a trip back into their past. Now Hills has formed this company to offer the same experience to non-celebrities (but with no camera crew involved).
She will create a seven-day tour of your heritage, complete with car, country house hotels, and fine food. And, of course, the several months of painstaking research which precedes it.
One of the things that she cannot guarantee is that your ancestors will prove to have been good, upstanding citizens. Indeed, she even asks you to sign a piece of paper promising not to get too upset if it turns out that your great-great-grandmother was a hooker.
You can read more at http://www.ancestralfootsteps.com/journey.html.
If you've got your basic information as a starter, an Internet connection, DIY is a good cheaper option. Been there, done that. You can also do a couple weeks more and still find it nowhere near that price.
Say, Dick, if you wonder why I am often the first to make a comment, I'm in Japan and your Newsletter hits here in the afternoon of your earlier wee hours of the morning.
Posted by: Gloria Ishida | June 24, 2008 at 03:02 AM
I'm with Gloria. For $50K U.S., I could do a heck of a lot of traveling on my own. If I ever have that kind of cash just lying around with nothing else to do - my ancestral trip will be for much longer than a week & without the middle-man, thanks.
Posted by: Penny in Texas | June 24, 2008 at 07:58 AM
Are there any guarantees on what she finds? Depending on how complex the research effort is, this actually could be of decent value to some people (probably still not $50k worth). However, if it's just a basic country visit without finding and including original villages and meeting with possible living family members, then what's the point.
Posted by: Steve | June 24, 2008 at 09:27 AM
Did the advert appear in Australia, Canada and British Honduras?
Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com
Posted by: Dae Powell | June 24, 2008 at 11:19 AM
If you have done your research and know your family villages, a trip with James Derheim and his company "European Focus" is a much more reasonable fee, and is an outstanding experience. My husband and I have traveled twice with Derheim. James makes all the arrangements, meets you at the airport, etc. He also makes the appointments with the village churches of your ancestors so that they are open and expecting you. The accomodations are always comfortable, friendly, and the food is wonderful. Check out his website. If you can't travel, Derheim will photograph your villages, and present it all in a high quality album.
Posted by: Nancy | June 25, 2008 at 07:10 PM
Thank you Nancy for the nice comments about your experiences with European Focus Private Tours! European Focus celebrates its 20th year in 2009 (owner James Derheim arrived in Germany in the summer of 1989 to begin a stint as staff photographer for the "Stars and Stripes") and we're happy to have such an extended family (which includes Nancy and Keith) of clients. Look for more adventures on our blog, posted to European Focus.com
Posted by: James Derheim | February 06, 2009 at 06:51 PM