Getting into the Spirit of Oktoberfest in Bavaria

Our group of five couples from the Orlando and Charleston area, close friends since many years, all went out and bought apparel for their first in a lifetime (but we have a feeling not the last!) visit to the “Big Daddy” of beer festivals in Munich, Germany in September, 2017. Here we make a stop […]

Is Europe Safe?

Surprisingly we get asked this question often by those contemplating traveling to Europe, even the ultra-safe countries of Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Many people have concerns that the immigrant population, swelled by refugees fleeing wars and other problems around the world, means that they will be less safe than previously. This could not be […]

Tracing Jewish Ancestors in Bechhofen, Bavaria

One of the more than dozen ancestral villages visited by lifelong genealogist Caroline Gries was tiny Bechhofen, located in Middle Franconia, Germany. We were lucky to have a local historian, Hans-Rainer Preiss, standing by to help us understand more about the Jewish history of this place. This included a visit to the location of the […]

Jewish Genealogy Trip Success Story in Niedernberg, Bavaria

Caroline Gries from Denver, Colorado has long wanted to visit her ancestral villages in Germany, where her Jewish forefathers lived before emigrating to the United States in the 1840s. That trip was made possible in April, 2017 by European Focus. Caroline visited more than a dozen villages connected with her extensive family tree. The first […]

Highlights of Our Trip with Four Australians

We are always happy to greet guests from Australia. After all, coming to Europe for them is a major investment in time. I’m not certain we would be very happy flying for 24 hours to reach my destination. But once here, we totally spoil our guests from “Down Under.” We find that our Aussie guests […]

Building a Family History Tour

July 20, 2016 One of the best parts of my job is when I can hit the road in pursuit of new knowledge and about area or a village. When preparing for a family history tour, this is also an integral part of what makes our service so unique. I wrote a blog about my […]

Memories from Recent Trip with Nine-Time Guests

June 9, 2016 The 270th trip of our career. No one has taken more private tours with us than Art and Carol from New Jersey. Their first trip was in 2007 in Germany. Since then, we have explored France, Spain (2), Portugal (2), Italy, Ireland, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. Their most recent trip was to […]