Come home to Sweden!

Old house at Södermalm, Stockholm

Photo: Marie Louise Bratt

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. I can help you get 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. 

An experience you'll never forget!
 Listening to many of those who went back to Sweden, to the home of those who emigrated, has convinced me 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 even more special to meet you relatives there!

I'll help you make that trip all you hoped for
 My husband, Lonny, and I spent the last ten summers traveling with many of you through Sweden, visiting those places where there ancestors lived. We drove those vans on winding country roads, and arrived at small cottages where your grandpa lived. We visited old churches, often from the 12th century,  where a grandparent was baptized or great grandparents married. So many moving, exciting, wonderful times with many of you! Not to mention the times we spent with your Swedish relatives, leaning over old photographs, family charts and old letters. Let's not forget all the wonderful meals we shared with your Swedish cousins. I'll never forget that Småland cheese cake... Friendships developed across the ocean. Many Swedes traveled to the USA and to Canada after the initial meeting in Sweden.

A new chapter is now starting for Lonny and me.  So will we abandon you at this point and let you make your travel plans on your own? Not at all! This is what I propose (yes, you will mostly deal with me, Marie Louise, at this point, and we'll let Lonny concentrate on fixing old Swedish and American clocks):

I know that some of you have longed for the day when you would be able to visit the little village in Sweden and the grandchildren of his sister who stayed in Sweden. Perhaps you had even considered traveling with Bridge to Sweden, and now your plans will have to change. I'll still help you with your plans - this is what I suggest:

  • Please send me an email  with all you know about your Swedish emigrant. I do understand that your information might be sketchy - more about that here.  I will then send you a proposal about what I can do for you. Remember that there is no charge for your first inquiry!
  •  It's important to start your research early so that you can find your Swedish relatives before making detailed plans for your trip. Your relatives might still live in the area where your ancestors lived, perhaps even on the same farm, but they might also have moved to another part of Sweden. Of course, you need to know where they live before planning your trip, so that you can visit them.
  • I'll do the research to find one or more of your Swedish relatives for you and contact them. Since not all Swedes, especially older ones, speak English, I'll try to find a relative you will be able to communicate with.
  • I'll also find the places where your grandparents lived, usually a farm where grandpa worked or a small homestead where he lived. At times there is only a foundation left, but that too is usually a meaningful experience.
  • Sometimes the cottages can be difficult to find. I will then contact local historians for help, who might even be able to guide you when you get there.

 
 

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.

Some advice when buying from the Internet:

  1. Make sure that the stated price includes all taxes and fees.
  2. Choosing 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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