Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support.
Ancestry DNA testing kits are becoming increasingly popular. For many it’s a way to find out more about your health or what areas of the world make up your ancestral heritage. But some people are taking it one step further and using the results to plan future travel. This new phenomenon is called Genealogy Tourism.
To trace your familial line and visit places tied to your ancestral roots is not a new concept. People have been researching family trees for years, my family included. However since forming a family tree can take a lot of time, patience, and lengthy conversations with random relatives, DNA testing is a good cheat.
What are DNA Testing Kits?
I’ll admit I’ve been curious about these kits for a while. Seeing them advertised everywhere in the last few years, it’s hard to ignore them. But what exactly are DNA testing kits?
Well, these tests start with you providing a saliva sample which you then send back to the company you ordered from. Their team of scientists analyze and report back the results.
The test uses your DNA to break down your ancestry composition – which countries and regions your ancestors may have lived in. The results are achieved by comparing samples with population data around the world.
I wondered if a 23andMe DNA testing kit would perhaps help me learn a couple of new things. With any luck there would be some cool surprises about my ancestry. That’s the dream in all of this, right? Finding out your ancestors migrated across the world from some interesting country you could now claim heritage and plan a trip to.
How much do DNA testing kits cost?
There are a number of DNA testing companies out there now. From Ancestry to 23andMe and many lesser known ones.
Typically there are 2 types of tests: Ancestry, and Ancestry/Health combined. The Ancestry only test is around $100-120 and the Ancestry/Health combined test is double the price at around $200-250. I ended up going with 23andMe and bought the Ancestry-Health combined test.
Top Tip: Most companies charge a similar price but it’s worth shopping around. Keep an eye out for seasonal sales around Black Friday or Boxing Day – I managed to get the more expensive Health test for the cost of the regular Ancestry test.
As far as accuracy goes, most use similar raw data to compare your DNA so variances between tests might be more to do with the population data they have access to – though you should find it more or less similar.
NOTE: I bought the 23andMe Ancestry Test which is what my review is based around. There may be slight differences with different companies.
What is the difference in tests?
The Ancestry test, the more basic (and cheaper test) is the most popular one. It analyzes your DNA profile to make predictions of how likely you are to have certain traits: freckles, eye color, the ability to roll your tongue. Quirky tidbits aside, this is also the test that will determine where your ancestors hailed from around the world.
The Health test does all the same things as the Ancestry test but also checks your DNA for health related things. For example carrier genes for certain diseases and detections of whether you could potentially inherit a particular condition or not.
It’s good to know that there are some tests you can opt out of finding out results for. I selected to not know if I have the gene for Alzheimers. It’s a life changing thing to know. You may feel differently but for me I don’t want to spend my life knowing that I was more likely to have that.
What do you know about your ancestry?
Do you know where your grandparents were born? What about their grandparents? While we may think we know a lot about our heritage, a great surge of migration over the last couple hundred years could lead to a few surprises with DNA testing.
I was born in the UK, and although I have emigrated to Canada, all I knew was that I was British. My parents have always been big into learning about our family history. They’ve spent the last couple of decades tracing different branches of the family tree to all corners of the UK, where I’m from.
But maybe there’s more – perhaps some Scandinavian or Irish blood is in there. My surname could easily be French or German. And although I’m pale as Casper the friendly ghost, my Dad’s side of the family pick up an envious tan as soon as the sun smiles at them. Maybe there’s some Mediterranean heritage somewhere along the line? *crosses fingers*…
Why the fascination with genealogy tourism?
In the same way people like to dream about exotic vacations and trips to faraway places, there’s certainly some romanticization around genealogy tourism. If you grew up in the same place your whole life, wouldn’t it be exciting to be able to say your family heritage is from somewhere different?
In a world of constantly competing with other people (I’m blaming you, social media), there’s a desire to stand out as unique wherever possible. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it sometimes when people notice that I have a British accent where I live in Canada. It’s a great talking point.
So imagine living in the USA and being able to say your DNA shows some of your family hail from Southern Europe, or West Africa or Scandinavia. Then being able to break it down even further: specific countries or regions within those countries. Your ancestry composition can give you a ready-made global bucket list where you have a connection to each place you can visit.
The most incredible thing about DNA testing
I’m about as white as they come with many freckles and slightly red tints to my hair in the summer. Couple that with my parents already extensive research into our family history, the biggest surprise I can likely hope for is some mainland European heritage.
But there are people out there who perhaps don’t know as much about their background as me. Their parents or grandparents might not have been around to ask or they could have been adopted.
Some of the greatest stories I’ve read and seen about these DNA tests are when people who know nothing about their background discover something tangible about their ethnicity. To be able to take genealogy tourism to the next level and venture somewhere you never imagined to be part of your heritage must be an amazing feeling.
How to take your DNA test
Once you purchase the test online, you will be sent a package in the mail. Inside the box is everything you need to do the test with step by step instructions. The box is also your return package to mail it back, in my case to 23andMe.
Inside the test you will find a plastic tube. You fill this with your saliva, close and seal the tube, releasing a solution that mixes with it. Painless and easy.
Seal the tube in the provided plastic bag with your unique identifying code on it, and put it back in the box. After mailing the entire thing back to the DNA testing company, it should take about 4-8 weeks to have your results.
Registering your DNA testing kit
Before you can get your results, you’ll have to go online and register the kit using the unique code and your information. Most of the testing companies, like 23andMe, have a downloadable app which is a little easier to read on your phone or device.
Once you’ve registered, you will get email updates on the progress of your test. From when it is received to when it is starting to be analyzed and an estimate of when your results will be ready.
It’s during this waiting period that you can go onto your account and check off any personal preferences including which health results you might want to hide and not find out about. You’ll get an email when your results are in!
Getting your DNA test results
This is the fun part! If you’re looking at using your test results to plan some genealogy tourism, this is where you keep your fingers crossed for somewhere wildly exotic to show up on your composition. A little South of France, maybe some Hawaii.
I was actually both nervous and excited once I got the email that the results were ready. The first thing I decided to look at were the traits. Since you know you best, this is something that is either right or wrong about you. I somewhat skeptically wanted to test the test itself and see what it could tell from my DNA.
Personal Traits
There are about 20 things that are analyzed from hair color and eye color to tastes and preferences. Remember it’s unlikely to have 100% of something, more often there will just be the higher percentage probability of something.
For example my results said there was a 73% chance I had more than average freckles on my body. Ding ding ding! It got one right. A few of the other things it got right about me: that I likely have blue eyes, likely prefer sweet foods, likely get bitten more by mosquitoes than others. That last one was confirmed on my trip to Thailand!
Did you know there’s a genetic marker that means some people are more likely to no like cilantro? That’s why it tastes “soapy” to some. Apparently I have the marker that shows I might be more likely to dislike cilantro. This one isn’t true, I love cilantro! Maybe, I just like the soapy taste?
Do you hate the sound of people chewing? Do irritating noises drive you insane? There’s a word for that: Misophonia. And there’s a genetic marker that shows if you’re more likely to have it. On this test it showed I had that marker. Definitely true.
Health Conditions
After seeing what some of the health conditions were that the test would look for, I decided I would rather not know about many of them. As well as Alzheimers it also checked for Parkinsons, ALS, certain types of cancer. Once you know you are more predisposed to these conditions it’s impossible to unlearn that your future could hold these.
Therefore the only real thing I found out from this part of the test was that I have the possibility of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life. This wasn’t a huge surprise since many of my family have diabetes. My love of sweet foods might also factor in here.
Based on my decision against finding out about a lot of the health conditions I would probably have skipped this part and stuck with the cheaper, Ancestry only test. You still get the personal traits tested, but an extra $100 to just find out you might get diabetes would be a bit disappointing. However, if finding this information is important to you then go for it.
Ancestry Composition
Now the good stuff. The results that might determine whether you’re heading to Spain or Denmark for your next trip. When you click on your ancestry results you will be given a color coded wheel, each part of which determines a different region.
Being somewhat excited about this I initially thought the wheel was broken. It was only one color. Turns out my results came up 100% British.
After more investigation it seems that as a woman without the Y chromosome, the results will not be able to investigate the paternal lineage until a male family member were to take the test. After my parents both took the test, my results updated and I got a bit more variety in my ancestry composition.
As well as the UK and Ireland (more on that below), I have almost 3% French, German and Belgian ancestry. These are three countries I love to visit so now I’m excited to go back and maybe visit some of the regions that came up on my results. Then there’s the Broadly Northwestern European which is minimal but could include places such as Scandinavia or Finland.
Breaking down the regions even further
For a small country, the UK has a lot of very different areas. And what was cool about the results of my ancestry test was that it told me the top 10 regions of the UK my ancestry is attributed to.
So as well as a couple of international destinations, there are some areas of the UK I might want to check out. From Greater London to Manchester and Glasgow to Lancashire. Then there are some traces from Ireland: Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Neanderthal DNA
Fun fact about the 23andMe test, is that it also shows a percentage of Neanderthal DNA in you. While this doesn’t mean you have a predisposition to clubbing mammoths and dragging them back to your cave, it is interesting.
Turns out most people have between 1-2% of Neanderthal DNA, especially if you have European or Asian ancestry. Apparently I have 2% of the variants that can be traced back to Neanderthal ancestors.
Top Tip: Don’t tell your friends about the Neanderthal part of the test unless you want constant ridicule and caveman jokes…I need new friends!
Would I recommend a DNA test for genealogy tourism
Despite my somewhat less than exciting results I would still recommend this test. It’s a fun way to find out a little more about your family history, especially if your heritage is a little ambiguous.
For anyone in the USA or Canada I think it’s especially intriguing to know more. Both countries have a history of immigration. People will proudly tell you that they know they have some Italian heritage, or some Polish or British heritage. So proving that and finding something else in your background might be even more exciting.
As far as genealogy tourism goes, I’m excited to visit some specific areas that I now know I’m more likely to have a personal connection with. For some, these trips will mean more and have a greater impact – Jewish genealogy tourism in Europe for one. For others it’s more a bit of fun. Either way, I think everyone craves a connection to something or someone, and Ancestry tests are a unique way to get that and plan your next global adventure.
If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you done your own Ancestry DNA test? Were you surprised by the results? Which countries would be included on your next genealogy tourism trip?
My mom and I visited my family home in Germany two summers ago. We have our lineage mapped back to the 1600’s in a family binder, so we didn’t need to take the DNA test. A woman who worked in the town hall recognized my mom’s maiden name and actually ended up introducing us to two of our long lost relatives in a village of only a few hundred people. It was a super special trip to share with her and a place we wouldn’t have visited without the ancestry book.
That sounds like such a great trip. My parents have traced our family back along some lines to the 1600s too which is really impressive. They’ve done a lot of trips around England to explore where their ancestors are from, but I was excited to see if I could make it go international
I’ve never had a DNA test but my first big solo trip was to discover my Celtic ancestral roots. That and a UK ancestry visa & work permit made England very attractive to me! A DNA test would open up even more options for travel. What a great idea!
Oh my god! This one is super interesting! I would surely feel a personal connection while traveling to a place I know my ancestors might have hailed from.
This is so fascinating to me. I’ve always heard of these, but never done them before. I use to do a lot of genealogy, but even then, my brother did this test and found out a lot more than I knew! That would be really cool to base a trip of this too.
Wow, I had no idea about genealogy and people who travel for this. But it certainly seems interesting and I love to discover new things, so thank you for sharing this. Very interesting!
This is so interesting! I’ve never done an Ancestry DNA test, but I’ve always been intrigued. It would definitely be cool (and so interesting!). to visit some of the places that your family is traced back to!
Ah I did a 23 And Me kit a few years ago and it was so much fun reviewing the results! I was virtually completely from Britain/Ireland so unfortunately no exotic locations in my past! But it was fascinating to find out more about my DNA. It is such a cool thing to be able to do!
I’ve actually been curious about delving into my genealogy, though I must say the idea of genealogy tourism is a new (and fascinating) concept for me! You’ve definitely given me something to think about…
I very much enjoyed your article since you combined my two loves into one! I run both a genealogy and travel website. I agree with you – there is definitely more coming on this with the boomers aging too!
My brother began researching our family roots. We know our paternal relatives lived in Germany and started immigrating in the 1840s to America. But I still bought the Ancestry kit. It is fascinating to see the percentages of unknown connection such as Itsly/Greece. I do want to get the kit & add the health component as soon as I see a promotion. It is costly $198 USD.
I loved this. I would never have considered using a DNA test to figure out where my ancestors came from to then go explore those areas. I know from my dad’s side that my great grandparents came over Germany, but I don’t know whether they had always been German before then. Really interesting article.
I’ve been researching our genealogy for a book I’m writing. I’ve purchased a couple of the genealogy tests, but haven’t submitted them yet. So greatly appreciate this post. Genealogy tourism is a great way to explore and honor your ancestry.
Such an interesting read! I’ve never done a DNA test. It would be interesting to do although I’m pretty sure I’m just 100% British, so I’m not sure how interesting the tourism would be! Great post.
My husband is adopted so he took a genealogy test. He was ecstatic to find out he has a small percentage of Basque in him. It’s his favorite are for food! That was interesting that the DNA testers needed a male relative to dive deeper into the different percentages. My family has been a little easier to trace at least back to when they came over in the early 1900s. My great-grandfather was Croatian, and there is a an island where my maiden name is as common as “Smith” in the States! We are looking forward to traveling there soon!
What an interesting idea to travel to the countries of your DNA ancestry! Although I assume mine would be equally as “boring” as yours…
What a great idea for a travel post! I’d never thought of linking DNA results with travel before, but it totally makes sense. I did the ‘ordinary’ DNA test a couple of years ago and learned that I have Scottish as well as Irish predominance – the Scottish bit was a surprise. Disappointingly, an old family myth about having an Italian great-grandmother ancestor was debunked for good. Sigh. Won’t stop me revisiting Italy though 🙂
I did an Ancestry DNA test in 2018. It came as a freebie when I started a new job with a travel metasearch engine. I think they wanted to pick up on the idea of genealogy tourism and encourage us to find out more about our DNA heritage, so it was very on-brand for the company. The process was the same as with your 23andme kit. The results came in via app (once you’ve registered your kit). My results weren’t as comprehensive as yours. I only got to know a rough percentage of the different countries (all European and nothing that surprising). I would have loved to find out more about health, too. It’s definitely an interesting opportunity and if you can get your hands on a test I would highly recommend it.
What a great post!! I loved the anticipation just reading your story and I can’t believe they could tell you had freckles :O! I definitely want to do one as my father’s father was from Bangladesh so interested to see if it comes up without my father also doing the test.
This topic has always fascinated me. I’ve been planning on doing one of these DNA tests for quite some time now but haven’t gotten around to doing so. I’m biracial, so I’d love to know as much as possible what’s in my DNA. But I do know that on my mom’s side, my family is from Ireland and Italy, and my dad’s side of the family (my dad included), is from Jamaica. And I’m happy to say that I’ve visited all of these countries!
I did one of the ancestry tests and it came back pretty much as expected and also proved that it was correct. I have Irish Grandparents – which it showed and German ancestors from my German surname , which it also correctly guessed. I have over 35 aunts and uncles and over 70 cousins so ever week it kept locating yet another family member unsurprisingly. I eventually had to tell it to stop after the 105th relative was found.
Like you I probably don’t want to know about the health history part – I’d be worrying myself if it came up with something bad.
This is super cool Emma. I think I would elect for the health info, as scary as it may be. Who knew there was a medical term for the dislike of irritating sounds (that may rank for me!) Even though I know my direct lineage, it is centuries further back that I would love to find out. How long did you have to wait for the results?
It took me about 5 weeks to get my results – 2 weeks for them to receive and acknowledge them and 3 weeks for them to analyze them and send me the results
This is so fun! Patti (my sis) has done the testing so I didn’t feel the need to (well…unless there is some deep family secret that they haven’t told us) but I haven’t looked from a travel perspective. It is entirely European as well but I’d love to look deeper into the counties & regions.
My dad did the test and we found out that we’re part Scandinavian which did not come up in our genealogical records, so that’s guiding future research. It give sus a chance to learn more about the people who came before us and what makes us, us. Very interesting read!
So interesting! My brother is really into this and we definitely have been planning some trips around where our lineage comes from. So exciting!
You have me well intrigued now. Sweet foods- that’s me. Massacred by mosquitos – all the time. I guess our ancestry is similar. It’s definitely something I’d like to do at some time.