How to Take a Genealogy Vacation

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Decide what you want to accomplish from your trip.

   Because you cannot expect to answer all the questions you have about your ancestors in a single trip, you'll have to decide what information will be most important to you in the time you can devote to your genealogical research.
   
   Focusing on a specific ancestor or family unit will provide you with a goal for your trip and help direct you to the kind of resources that are available to further your research.
   
   If you keep your genealogical research notes in a genealogical database program, you can search that program for the name of the place you intend to visit and print out reports for all family members who live(d) in that location, then highlight the spaces representing information you want to find.
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   Step 2: Learn what research resources the area has available to you.

   Once you know which of your ancestors you want to learn more about, you can then investigate methods of learning what you want to know about that ancestor.
   
   You can find out what general resources are available from GenWeb or the LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints � Mormon) Family History Library.
   
   You can also do an Internet search on the area to find out what libraries and cemeteries are in the area and use a people search site to obtain contact information for known friends and relatives. , In addition to consulting online genealogical databases such as the LDS website and Ancestry.com, you can consult other websites to enable you to spend more of your research time during your trip looking at research materials than trying to find them.
   
   Consult the Library of Congress Card Catalog to help you find books that have been written about the area you plan to visit.
   
   Although you can't borrow books from the Library of Congress, you may be able to find them at either a local library or a library in the area you plan to visit.
   
   Check out the websites of any libraries you plan to visit on your trip, both to find out their hours of operation and to see if their catalogs are online to see if they have the books you're looking for.
   
   Also, many libraries maintain pages of genealogical resources they have available.
   
   Visit the websites of any cities or counties you plan to visit to find out the names of area cemeteries and churches and the hours the county courthouse is open, as well as a list of other government offices that may be helpful in your research.
   
   Contact the cemeteries in advance to find out which cemetery your ancestor is buried in and when the caretaker will be available to answer your questions and the churches to arrange times to view their birth, baptism, confirmation, marriage, and death records.
   
   Look for any local festivals or events that take place in the area and time you plan to visit during your genealogy vacation.
   
   While such festivals may make it harder for you to obtain lodging during that time, they may also provide you the opportunity to interview more people in a shorter period of time than if you went at another time or provide other family members with activities to enjoy while you're busy researching. (You'll need to contact city or county officials ahead of time to find out what the lodging situation is during such a festival and discuss the matter with family members to determine their interest in the festival's activities.) Also check your local resources.
   
   Some larger city libraries maintain large collections of genealogical and historical resources, as do university libraries and state historical societies.
   
   If your city has an LDS Family History Center, you can obtain records from the main branch in Salt Lake City through it. , Obtaining maps and driving directions to the places you plan to visit on your genealogy vacation will save you time while on your trip.
   
   Many websites provide driving directions through links to Mapquest, Google Maps, or another source.
   
   You can obtain state highway maps through a state's Department of Transportation, and you may be able to find and photocopy maps of cities in other countries at your local library or a university library. , If you plan to photograph or make rubbings of tombstones and haven't done so before, practice on local gravesites.
   
   Also, if you're planning to travel to a foreign country, take some time to learn the language, as well as the geography and history of the area. , Family group charts, pedigree charts, and research logs should be filled out as completely as you can before you go and then copied, with copies for each family member you plan to interview and the originals staying home.
   
   Also make copies of any photographs of people who you need to have identified.
   
   If you're taking a laptop computer with you, have both digital and print copies of your information available, for your convenience in research and for the convenience of any interviewee not comfortable with looking at a computer screen.
   
   If you have an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, you can scan in any documents and non-digital photographs to make whatever copies you need. , Be sure to have along enough blank forms or other note-taking paper and pens and pencils (for facilities that don't allow the use of pens) with you, even if you do have a laptop computer along.
   
   Some major genealogical facilities will sell you forms, but having your own will save both time and money.
3. 3

   Step 3: Do as much preliminary research as you can before you travel.

4. 4

   Step 4: Learn where you're going before you go.

5. 5

   Step 5: Practice any skills you need to learn ahead of time.

6. 6

   Step 6: Identify and make copies of any genealogical research documents you need to take with you.

7. 7

   Step 7: Gather all necessary office supplies.

Detailed Guide

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