Do you want to spice up your summertime? Try something different this year. Some of our favorite family vacations have been “family history vacations.” These are places in our family history that tell a unique story or evoke special memories. Family vacations and outings can be made memorable learning experiences when we involve family history experiences as part of the vacation.
These kind of vacations have some unique benefits. Not only are you building long-lasting relationships with your current family – but you are tying this family to something bigger, to generations before and after you. And studies have shown that this sense of history can have a powerful impact on your children.
Plan a vacation and include some family history in it. Many of us travel to places with special family ties. Perhaps it is our hometown or a spot we liked to vacation growing up. Make this a family trip by adding a visit to your childhood home or the home of a relative. Visit special sites and tell special stories. You could even be prepared with a little pedigree chart or some photos to show children exactly how they are connected to these places.
When we lived in Arizona we took a fun trip to the White Mountains. Our purpose was to enjoy the peaceful, cool of the out of doors. However, my husband had some family who lived in this area, so we decided while we were there to make a search for the grave of his ancestor, Edmund Ellsworth, who had been one of the early settlers of the area. Finding the grave was not easy and was actually located on someone’s personal property. However, our children learned about themselves and their clan as we shared stories of Edmund Ellsworth, a pioneer who crossed the plains in a covered wagon and finally settled in Show Low Arizona.
A few summers ago we visited Washington State. Our destination was the San Juan islands. But my husband had lived in Washington for a while as a missionary for our church. So, we decided to add a few stops to see places he lived and loved as a missionary. We ended up in a spectacular spot on the Sound watching Fourth of July fireworks on a beautiful beach across from downtown Seattle.
Perhaps even more memorable are trips that we have planned around family history. A number of years ago we decided as a family to visit Switzerland and Germany, the land of ancestors from my husband’s and my family. We spent weeks and months carefully researching plane prices, car rentals and things-to-do. We decided to make our base camp an airbnb in my family’s hometown of beautiful Engelberg, Switzerland . From Engelberg we would travel to Germany to visit my husband’s ancestral homeland and some friends in Germany. The kids were fully involved in the planning and we had some amazing adventures at sites they chose including the Pilatus ropes course and the Porsche museum in Stuttgart. We stayed in a hotel with a name from our family tree in Leidringen, Germany. We spent one unforgettable day finding amazing amounts of family history in Engelberg. At times it was a bit overwhelming for our kids but we all came away from this experience with a new appreciation for who we were.
If you want to create some unforgettable memories for your children this summer, plan a family history vacation. Strengthening your children through family time together and learning about your roots will make for some unforgettable and life-changing family experiences.