寻根游

Everyone loves a holiday! A little time off for some much-needed R & R can be exactly the thing to rejuvenate and refresh. That said, if you're struggling to think of your next destination then look no further. Don't waste time debating, let your blood decide.

Everybody has a lineage. Recently, finding out more about our family origins has become popular. By the start of 2019, 26 million people had taken an ancestry DNA test at home, according to a report by MIT Technology Review. They believe by 2021 this number will have risen to 100 million.

This trend has been noticed by opportunistic travel operators. Some are looking to provide a service that both allows people to trace their heritage - by literally going back to their roots - and travel to the destinations where their ancestors originated from.

Airbnb, an online lodging marketplace, recently partnered with 23andMe, a DNA testing and analysis company, to offer recommendations that encourage travellers to walk in the footsteps of their forefathers. And they aren't the only ones.

The Shelbourne hotel in Dublin has its own 'genealogy butler'. Hellen Kelly offers consultations to help guests trace their Irish line of descent using official records. This allows them to 'fill in the blanks of their Irish ancestry', she told Good Morning America.

The Conte Club, a luxury travel company, offers custom itineraries based on DNA tests. 'These experiences are about delving deeper into who we really are,' says Conte Club CEO Rebecca Fielding in an article in the Condé Nast Traveller. 'It might be the most meaningful trip we can take.'

So next time you think of going on vacation, why not take a DNA test first? Once you know how far your family has come, take the time to holiday back.