Welcome to the Are You My Cousin? newsletter! Each week, I share practical family history advice - whether you're solving genealogy mysteries or capturing the stories that make your family unique. Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe so you never miss an issue.

Hi Reader,

I'm back from my vacation in England, and feeling refreshed! My husband and I walked the Yorkshire Dales for three days and enjoyed nature, cows and lots of sheep!

Then it was on to London where I "slipped" in some family history sites. I stood in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral and raised a cup of coffee in a toast to Barnaby Talbot—my ancestor who ran a coffee house in this exact area in the early 1700s.

Yes, London looks quite different than it did when my ancestor was there. But there is just something about standing in a place where your ancestors were 300 years ago that makes your genealogy research real.

Which brings me to this week's topic...

🎬 BLOG POST & VIDEO

Turn Your Family History Into a Real-World Adventure

Heritage travel isn't just for people with perfect family trees and unlimited budgets. Some of my most meaningful family history experiences happened with nothing more than "my great-grandmother was Irish" and a willingness to be curious.

The key insight from my England trip?

You don't need exact addresses to create meaningful connections with your ancestors' world. Sometimes a coffee shop near where great-great-grandfather worked tells you more about his daily life than any census record ever could.

📝 Read: Turn Your Family History Into a Real-World Adventure: Heritage Travel That Actually Works

Planning research on the go? Mobile apps can keep your family tree, notes, and photos organized while you travel. Check out my video on The Best Genealogy Apps To Keep You Organized for tools that work offline and sync when you're back online.

🎬 Watch: The Best Genealogy Apps To Keep You Organized

🌟LISA'S PICKS

Tools That Support Your Family History Adventures

For Heritage Trip Planning: AncestryDNA and MyHeritage DNA both offer ethnicity estimates that can guide your travel planning. Even if you know your family came from "somewhere in Germany," DNA results can narrow that down to specific regions worth exploring.

For Research Prep: A Newspapers.com subscription helps you research the context of your ancestors' locations before you visit. Understanding what was happening in their time makes heritage travel infinitely more meaningful.

For Complex Research: Legacy Tree Genealogists can help break through those stubborn brick walls before you travel. Having professional genealogists research your ancestral locations in advance means you'll know exactly what to look for and where to go once you arrive.

📅THE CALENDAR!

What's Coming: Photo Preservation & Family History Celebrations

September is Save Your Photos Month, and I'm collaborating with The Photo Managers for a special YouTube Live: "What Is That Family Photo REALLY Telling You?"

We'll go beyond identifying faces to uncover the hidden stories in your old family photos—from clothing clues that reveal time periods to background details that pinpoint locations and lifestyle.

October brings Family History Month, and after this England trip, I'm thinking differently about how we celebrate our ancestors.

More on both coming soon!

🔍 GENEALOGY + STORYTELLING TIPS

Capture Heritage Travel Stories That Matter

Your family won't remember the genealogy charts, but they'll remember the stories about standing where great-great-grandmother lived. During heritage travel, document:

What surprised you about the location
How the landscape or climate might have shaped your ancestors' choices
Small details that bring the experience to life
Your emotional reactions to being there

These become the family stories that get passed down, not the dates and places.

📚 FEATURED CONTENT

From the Archives

Since we're talking about bringing family history to life, revisit this post that perfectly complements heritage travel planning:

"9 Proven Ways to Find Old Family Photos [2025 Edition]" - Before you travel anywhere, make sure you've found all the photos that might provide clues about locations, clothing, or time periods.

Heritage travel becomes much more meaningful when you can compare what you see with what your ancestors experienced.

Whether you're planning a trip to Ireland or just want to understand your family's story better, remember: your ancestors' world is still there waiting for you to discover it. You just need to be curious enough to look.

To your success,

Lisa