My family has done quite an informative investigation into our family history, so I’ve always known quite a lot about my ethnicity. That insight into my own ethnicity has always made me quite curious about the unknown aspects of our family history.Â
That’s why getting a DNA ethnicity test has always been on my mind. So my family and I gifted my brother a DNA test-kit as a Christmas present. Just a few months ago, my brother finally got the DNA ethnicity test taken. When it all came to it, I honestly think that I was way more excited about the results than he.
Why get a DNA test taken before the next trip?
A DNA ethnicity test allows you to get valuable information about your family history and ethnic origin. So if you’ve ever been curious about your ancestors, heritage, or just if you have any long-lost relatives out there, then this is for you!Â
 It’s relatively easy. You just order the kit online, wait for it to get shipped to you, and then follow the instructions. A couple of weeks later, you’ll have the results. And you can finally start planning that quest to explore the culture of your ancestors!Â
The results
When my brother’s results came in, we were both super excited, even though we pretty much knew the result would be something like this: 70% danish, 25% English and 5% Italian. And well, nothing surprised us much in the results.
83,8% Scandinavian, 7% English, 4,9% Finnish (Okay, maybe this one did surprise us a bit), 1,7% East-European, and 1,4% Italian)
What to do with the result?
It’s entirely up to you. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? You can let your DNA results decide where you will be off to next. You can go explore the places that surprise you (for me, that would probably be Finland, but so far I haven’t really gotten a big desire to visit Finland – but maybe I should, it will probably surprise me, right?
And now that I’m actually doing a bit of research about Finland – and especially the Iglo-hotels where you can chill watching the Northern Lights – my desire is already rising!)Â
You can go to the places where you feel the most connected to, or if you don’t really have a surprising result (like me), you can look outside of the box and follow your family history. That is what I would do.Â
My father grew up in Africa, Tanzania, to be precise, so that’s part of my family’s history. I’ve always wondered how it must have been growing up in Tanzania in the 70’ties. I used to read heaps of books about ex-pats in Africa and life in general there, but so far, I have still never had the opportunity of visiting the many places that filled so much in his life.Â
It’s not in my ethnicity, but it doesn’t really have to be – does it?! I honestly believe that you can still go out there and explore the places in your family history – even though it’s not really in your biological genes.
How to plan DNA travel:
If you want to get the most out of exploring your DNA ancestry three through travels, it makes sense to do some planning in advance. Here’s a simple bulletproof approach to an ancestry trip:
- Get a DNA-test done, or research your family history and find out more about your origin. I can recommend MyHeritage, but 23andme or AncestryDNA also has a good reputation.
- Depending on your budget and how many different places you’re linked to, you’ll have to decide on which places to visit!
- Research, research, research! You don’t want to miss out, so research your chosen destination, find activities that could interest you, and maybe show a glimpse into your ancestors’ life.
- If you’ve got any relatives or friends in your chosen destination, reach out and see if they can help you. It can be worth it all, as you may get the local experience. Bonus: You will probably also get to know stories about your family and ancestors that you didn’t know already.
- Book your flights, hotels, and activities. Check out this guide for help on how to find cheap flights!
The only thing that’s left to do is to enjoy the experience! Keep your eyes open and let all of the inputs sink in.Â
The next adventure
I know, when the right time comes, I’ll head out into the world again (after COVID-19 that is) and see why my grandparents decided to settle down in Tanzania instead of Denmark.Â
I can’t wait to explore the culture my father grew up in – and I’ll keep you posted about my upcoming trip to Tanzania!
– If you feel the same way, then start planning your trip – happy travels!
