Find Your Story in the Land of Your Ancestors

Walk in their footsteps, uncover family stories, and experience Lithuania through a personal journey of roots and remembrance. 

Research & Tours

At Ancestral Lithuania, I help people uncover their family history and create personalized heritage tours that bring their stories to life. Each journey begins with in-depth research by collecting vital records and tracing where your ancestors lived, loved, and faced challenges. This process places your family within Lithuania’s broader historical and cultural landscape, turning names and dates into a living story.

For my Master’s thesis on ancestral tourism, I spent six months traveling across Lithuania with eight different groups as they traced their roots. I witnessed firsthand how powerful and emotional these journeys can be when people recognize the places their ancestors once called home. My research explored what makes ancestral experiences the most meaningful and transformative.

I research where and when your ancestors were born, married, and passed away, as well as where they lived, studied, worked, served, or took part in historical events. Your family history is presented in a detailed report, followed by a custom ancestral tour that takes you through the towns, villages, and landscapes connected to your lineage. When possible, I also help you connect with living relatives so you can hear stories passed down through generations.

Ancestral tours are deeply meaningful, unforgettable, and often profoundly healing experiences that bring the past to life as you walk in your ancestors’ footsteps. Many travelers have shared that it took weeks or even months to fully process the experience, describing it as a feeling of coming home. By standing where your ancestors once stood, you gain insights that no archive can provide. It is a journey that connects history, heritage, and heart.


Memorable moments from Ancestral Tours

The Research Process

To create a meaningful ancestral tour, the first step is sharing what you would like to discover in Lithuania — whether it’s a specific ancestor, family branch, or location. The more information you can provide from your own family records, documents, or existing family trees, the more accurate and detailed the research will be.

Once I have the necessary background, I begin tracing your family story in Lithuanian archives. You will receive a family tree along with a detailed research report that includes transcribed and translated records in English.

Finally, with the completed research as a foundation, I will organize your ancestral tour to the towns, villages, or regions connected to your family’s past — bringing history to life at the very place your ancestors once called home.

  • Tell me what you want researched — a specific ancestor, a family branch, or a place tied to your family story.
  • Share whatever you already have — names, dates, towns, documents, photos, family trees, or any family stories. The more detail, the better.
  • I research in Lithuania — I search archives, parish registers, cemetery records and local sources to locate original records and evidence.
  • You receive a detailed genealogical report — a clear family tree (graphical), a written report with findings, transcriptions of original records, English translations, scanned images, and source citations.
  • Plan your ancestral tour — with the research complete, I will organize a tailored itinerary to the towns, villages, and sites connected to your ancestors so you can visit the places they once called home.

What to Expect on a Tour

Every ancestral tour is custom-designed around your personal genealogy and family story. Your itinerary may include:

  • Visiting the exact towns, villages, and homes where your ancestors once lived
  • Exploring the churches and schools they attended
  • Paying respects at family graves and cemeteries
  • Meeting long-lost relatives discovered through genealogical or DNA research
  • Connecting with local people who now live on your ancestral land

To help you experience your heritage more fully, your itinerary can also feature:

  • Exploring Lithuania’s unique landscapes, nature, and scenery
  • Touring historic sites such as castles and manors where your ancestors may have worked
  • Experiencing authentic Lithuanian traditions, festivals, and cultural events
  • Learning what everyday life was like — language, occupations, clothing, arts, and crafts
  • Enjoying traditional Lithuanian food and drinks

Your ancestral tour includes professional guiding, live translations, and comfortable transport with a private driver.

All tours are organized by Mūsų odisėja, a state-certified travel agency operating since 1997. Guiding is provided by a licensed, state-certified guide.