2013 and 2014

To: Persons interested in the Journey to the Homeland Tours

From: Michael M. Miller, Director & Bibliographer
Tour Director, Journey to the Homeland Tours

Usually, a successful Journey to the Homeland Tour will produce supplemental revenue for the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection. Such revenue is used to help continue the tour program and support projects for the collection such as the addition of materials to the collection itself, the Dakota Memories Oral History Project, and traveling exhibits.

We are pleased that there continues to be an interest in visiting Odessa, Ukraine, and the former Bessarabian, Black Sea, and Crimean German villages. Travel to the former Volga German, Mennonite German, Hutterite, and Volhyian villages are not included with the Journey to the Homeland Tours.

Only villages in southern Ukraine including villages in the former Bessarabia today in Ukraine and Moldova; former Black Sea German villages near Odessa and in Moldova; and former Crimean German villages are included with the Journey to the Homeland Tours.

2013 Journey to the Homeland Tour dates: (Registration deadline is 1 March 2013)

Note: Airlines for Frankfurt, Germany to Odessa, Ukraine and Odessa to Stuttgart, Germany are subject to change.

Dates for the next tour are late May, 2013. This tour includes the following: 1) Odessa, Ukraine, and former Bessarabian, Black Sea and Crimean German villages; 2) Stuttgart, including a day-trip to Alsace, France.

There is a minimum of 15 persons with paid registrations before a tour can be offered. We will notify you by March 2013 if the tour will not be offered.

Persons registering for the Journey to the Homeland Tour need to have airline arrangements as part of the tour package. Use of frequent flyer miles for travel to Europe are not permitted with the travel arrangements.

The total tour cost for the 2013 tour is $4,850 USD per person. The tour package includes the following:

Note: Because of the increased costs for the international airline ticket plus taxes for USA city to Frankfurt, Germany and Stuttgart, Germany to USA city, there will be an add-on cost to the tour cost. The tour member will be informed with email for any additional add-on cost.

Individual tour members will be able to return from Germany at a later date if they desire. For travel adjustments, please contact the Tour Director.

Travel insurance and other information will be provided once person has completed the confirmed tour registration forms.

Our Journey to the Homeland Tours to Odessa, Ukraine, and to Stuttgart, Germany, have been sponsored since May, 1996.

It is important that each tour member visit their ancestral German villages in the former Bessarabia or the Black Sea German villages near Odessa, Ukraine. We make every effort for this to happen. Excellent contacts in Odessa have been established with Odessa Intourist guides, drivers and translators.

E-mail messages from Odessa and Stuttgart were prepared by tour members during their memorable days in Russia, Ukraine and Germany for tours 1996 to present. These e-mail messages appear at the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection website.

Refunds
Should a reservation need to be canceled because of personal reasons of a tour member, a full refund less a $600 USD per person administrative fee will be made for a tour cancellation received on or before 1 February 2013.

If there are family members who wish to join the tour as a group, please notify them so that you can join the same tour especially for the visits to the former German villages.

To register for the May 2013 tour, please send your first payment of $500 USD per person payable to NDSU Libraries to the following address: Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, NDSU Libraries, P.O. Box 6050, Dept #2080, Fargo, ND 58108-6050. Please note that tour reservations are accepted according to the postmark on the initial check received for payment.

For the May 2013 tour, the minimum number of paid tour registrations needs to be 15 persons. We will contact persons by March 2013, regarding plans for the May 2013 tour if registrations are less than 15 persons.

Please advise if you wish to be placed on our priority list for the May 2013 tour. To be placed on the 2013 priority list, a $500 USD per person first payment fee is required.

Please print, forward and share the 2013 tour information with interested persons.

We hope that you will consider joining us for one of our future Journey to the Homeland Tours. It is truly an unforgettable experience to last a lifetime!