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Can you
really go back home?
Of course, you can... to that farm
or homestead, where your Swedish family lived and where your grandparents
maybe married, in a small country church. We can take you there, to that little village in Sweden
that your family
left behind, and walk those streets, where grandpa walked and played as a child, so
long ago - maybe even next summer.
An
experience you'll never forget!
Listening
to many of those who went back to Sweden with us, to the home of
those who emigrated, has convinced us of many people's strong need
to reconnect with their past - and with those ties that were once
broken. Going back to that village and that farm could be deeply meaningful to you also.
And it would be even more special,
if you find family there - which most of our guests do!
Two sisters, Linda Hubbard and Karen
Hatzell, wrote to us after their trip:
Dad dreamt of going to Sweden for a long time, but it never happened. After he and mother died, our wish to
come to Sweden grew even stronger...I still can not believe that I went to Sweden
and actually got to visit the farms, churches, and cemeteries of my
fathers parents, both of whom came from Sweden. Without your "Bridge
to Sweden" tour of Halland, we would never have been able to find
these places!
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Our new trip format
We have so far traveled with groups of up to seven people, from
two or three different families, and for two full weeks. During this
time, after including some sight-seeing on the way, only a few days were
spent focusing on each family's area. So we decided to make some
changes:
- Our trips will now focus entirely upon the
village (or villages) and farms or homesteads where your family lived, and on
your living Swedish relatives - as well as the
church your
ancestors attended and the cemetery where many
of them were buried.
- This will be an
ideal trip to make with other members of your family or with
interested friends.
- We'll spend time with your
Swedish relatives, and probably be invited into their homes.
- We'll be there to
translate when necessary, so that you will have
a chance to really get to know your Swedish family during your stay.
- Our attention will
be entirely on you, instead of being divided among the needs of many
guests.
- Four day trips (or possibly five if
your ancestors came from different areas) will leave you time to explore
Sweden or more of Europe on you own
or with a tour
group (we can make suggestions).
- We'll use public transportation whenever possible,
with car or van used for local travel only.
Note: Swedish train stations don't have porters - so travel light!
It's important to start your research months before
your trip, since we need to find
the place where your ancestors lived - and of course your Swedish
relatives.
Interested? Then please
send
an email with all you know about your Swedish
emigrant and you will soon get a
proposal about what you need before your trip.
It's important to start any research early to find your Swedish relatives before
planning for your
trip. Your family might still live in the area of your ancestors,
perhaps even on the same farm, but they might also have moved to another
part of Sweden, which we have to consider when planning your trip.
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Plane tickets
Many of you ask me about where and how to buy your
plane tickets. It used to be that you bought them from your local travel
agent and that was that! You can still do that, of course, but it's more
expensive than buying them on the Internet. There are many different
sites that sell plane tickets, Yahoo, Expedia and many more.
I always use the Internet, specifically the website
Global Travel. Why that one?
It's my son Daniel's site and of course I want to
support my own family! But I have also realized that the prices are very
competitive, which has been confirmed by several customers. So you might
want to try it!
Some advice when buying from the Internet:
- Make sure that the stated price includes all
taxes and fees.
- Chosing electronic tickets instead of paper
ones is less expensive. Print out the email
you get from the company so that you can show it at the airport.
Happy travel!
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