How to Plan Your Heritage Journey for 2025

Embarking on a heritage journey is one of the most meaningful experiences adoptees and their loved ones can undertake. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with your birth culture, explore your roots, develop a more complex understanding of your identity, and create lasting memories with loved ones. Whether you’re planning your first trip or returning to rediscover your story, planning is key to making the most of your journey. Take each decision and step one at a time – getting ahead of yourself can easily make it overwhelming.

Here’s a guide to help you:


Getting Started: Research, Budget, and Registration

Popular trips and programs fill up months in advance, so it’s best to start your research as soon as possible. Selecting the right program or itinerary for you is key to loving your experience. Research all types of trips. If you know other adoptees who have traveled to their country of birth, ask them about their experiences. Programs like The Ties Program offer curated experiences tailored to adoptees and their loved ones, combining personal discovery with cultural immersion.

Things to consider:

Group or Private Travel: What’s Right for You? Are you interested in traveling with a group of other adoptees or would you prefer a private journey? Both options have their advantages, and choosing the right fit depends on your preferences and needs. To help you decide, check out our other blog posts: “6 Reasons Group Travel is (Usually) Best for Adoptees and Their Loved Ones” and “When Private Travel is Right”.

What’s your Budget? A heritage journey is often a once-in-a-lifetime (or few times in a lifetime) experience and a significant investment. Knowing your budget early will help you plan effectively and avoid surprises.

  • Since COVID-19, international travel costs have increased, so it’s important to plan accordingly.
  • International airfare is often not included in group trips. Research flight costs to and from your destination. Don’t just focus on the cheapest option—consider the price range, from the least to the most expensive, and plan for somewhere in the middle.
  • Don’t forget about a valid passport! If you need one or need to renew, include that in your budget.
  • Check out our Financial Assistance page for tips and resources to help you make this meaningful investment.

Who Should You Travel With? Choosing your travel companions is a big decision. Whether it’s family, friends, or someone else special, it’s important to think about who will make this experience most meaningful for you. For guidance, read our blog post: “Questions Adoptees Should Ask When Choosing Travel Companions”.

Finding the Right Journey for You Are you seeking a trip that highlights cultural and tourist experiences, or one that also provides space to explore your adoption story at your own pace? Perhaps you’re interested in a program that offers the option for a birth family search or visits to places significant to your life’s journey. These are deeply personal decisions, and it’s important to take the time to determine what feels right for you. Journaling about your hopes and dreams can be a helpful way to gain clarity. Remember, it’s okay to take it one step at a time—this is your journey.

What Level of Support Do You Need Before, During, and After the Trip? When you reach out with questions, do you expect timely and thoughtful responses to your emails and calls? At Ties, we’re committed to providing comprehensive support every step of the way—before, during, and after your journey. Our adoption specialists, including adoptee mentors, travel with the group to offer guidance and support throughout the journey, while our Program Managers are available year-round to help with everything from logistical questions (e.g., “How do I get from the airport to the hotel?”) to emotional concerns (e.g., “Will I be the only one not reconnecting with my birth family?” Spoiler: Probably not). When you reach out, you can count on timely, thoughtful responses to ensure your experience is smooth, supported, and meaningful.

Read the Itinerary and Fine Print Carefully Before committing to a trip, take the time to read the itinerary and fine print thoroughly. Here are key things to consider:

  • Program Fees and Inclusions: What’s included in the program fee? Ties trips typically cover accommodations, group activities, in-country transportation, and comprehensive support before, during, and after the trip.
  • Payment Options: How are payments structured? Are they due all at once or in installments? Can you pay by credit card (great for earning travel points!) or bank transfer?
  • Activities and Extras: Are the included activities experiences you’re excited about? Which ones are part of the package, and which come with an additional cost?
  • Personalized Activities: If there are extra costs for personalized experiences, such as province visits or birth family searches, will the organization work with you to stay within your budget?
  • Meals: How many meals are included in the trip cost? Some trips may have lower upfront fees but leave you covering many meal expenses later.
  • Tipping: Are tips included? If so, which ones? Tips can add up quickly over the course of a week or two, so it’s good to know in advance.
  • Fair Compensation for In-Country Partners: Does the organization ensure livable wages and sustainable tips for their in-country team members? At Ties, we view our partnerships with in-country counterparts as essential to providing the best care for adoptees and their loved ones, which is why we prioritize fair, sustainable compensation.

Taking the time to review these details carefully will help you make an informed decision and ensure your trip aligns with your expectations and priorities.

Goal: While most trips allow you to register until the group is full, registering early provides significant benefits. It gives you more time to make payments at a manageable pace and to prepare both logistically and emotionally for the journey. For the best experience, aim to select a program and register within a month of deciding—ideally at least six months before the trip’s departure. This ensures plenty of time to plan and get the most out of your heritage journey.


Pre-Departure: Managing the Logistic

No matter what trip and organization you choose to travel with, you’ll need to complete secretarial-type activities for the trip. These include:

  • Providing essential information: Share details like passport copies, dietary preferences, medical needs, and rooming preferences with the organization.
  • Booking flights: Most organizations will offer guidance on when and where to arrive, and may even recommend travel agents or provide tips to streamline the process.
  • Planning activities: Decide which optional activities interest you and ensure they’re included in your itinerary.
  • Securing travel insurance: Protect your investment and peace of mind by purchasing travel insurance.
  • Making payments: Stay on track with the payment schedule to avoid any delays.

Some of these tasks will need to be handled shortly after registering, while others may come closer to your departure date. A reputable organization should make the process as straightforward as possible and be available to answer any questions along the way, ensuring your pre-trip preparations are stress-free and organized.


Leading Up to Departure: Emotional Preparation

Heritage journeys can be deeply emotional, bringing up feelings of joy, curiosity, and even vulnerability. Preparing emotionally is just as important as managing the logistics.

How to Prepare:

  • Connect with others: Attend pre-trip virtual sessions or group chats to meet people who understand and share your journey.
  • Engage with provided resources: Read the materials, watch videos, and listen to podcasts shared by your program. These resources are designed to support you, not overwhelm you.
  • Share your thoughts: Talk with a trusted friend, therapist, or mentor about your expectations, hopes, and concerns.
  • Identify healthy coping mechanisms: Whether it’s journaling, yoga, or decompressing with a favorite show (Ted Lasso, anyone?), having tools to manage emotions during travel is essential.
  • Set personal goals: Define what you hope to gain from the journey—exploring your birth culture, finding your roots, or simply experiencing the moment. Stay open to the idea that not all goals may be met, and that’s okay.

One Month to Go: Pack Thoughtfully

Packing for a heritage journey goes beyond clothes and travel essentials—it’s about bringing items that will enrich and support your experience.

Essentials to Consider:

  • Cultural gifts: Thoughtful items for orphanages, guides, or local organizations.
  • Journals or notebooks: A space to capture your reflections and emotions.
  • Photos or documents: Anything that might be helpful for personal discoveries or visits.

Your program should provide a detailed packing list, along with guidance on thoughtful gifts and practical tips to ensure you’re fully prepared.


Departure: Embrace the Experience

As your journey begins, focus on being present and open to every moment. Heritage journeys are opportunities for learning, connection, and self-discovery.

During Your Trip:

  • Participate in cultural activities with curiosity and respect.
  • Take quiet moments to reflect on your experiences through journaling or mindfulness.
  • Build connections with fellow travelers, local guides, and staff members.

Arrival Home: Reflect and Integrate

The journey doesn’t end when you return home. Taking time to reflect on your experiences and integrate them into your life is an important part of the process.

Post-Trip Tips:

  • Join post-trip discussions or support groups offered by your program.
  • Create a photo book or video to commemorate your journey.
  • Share your experience with others—it might inspire someone else to embark on their own heritage trip.

Make 2025 Your Year of Discovery

Heritage journeys are transformative experiences that help adoptees and their loved ones reconnect with their roots and celebrate their stories. With careful planning and an open heart, your 2025 journey can be one of the most meaningful adventures of your life.

If you’re ready to start planning, reach out to us at The Ties Program. We’re here to guide you every step of the way, from pre-trip preparation to post-trip reflection. Let’s make 2025 a year of discovery and connection.

Start your heritage journey today.

Reflecting on 2024: My First Year Leading The Ties Program

As 2024 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on my first year as the owner and director of The Ties Program—a role I embraced with excitement, gratitude, curiosity, and determination. This year has been transformative, filled with learning, growth, and deep connections with adoptees, loved ones, and communities worldwide.

As an adoptee, this role is deeply personal. The Ties Program has long been a space for healing, discovery, and belonging—something I wish I had growing up. This year, I’ve seen firsthand the power of adoptees reconnecting with their roots and weaving together the threads of their identity. It’s been both humbling and inspiring.

A Year of Firsts

2024 was a year of many “firsts”: my first trip leading the Ties Program, first leadership challenges, and first opportunities to witness the profound, long-term impact of our work. I’ll always remember an adoptee who reluctantly joined a trip, only to leave transformed. The experience filled a void they hadn’t even realized was there, while fostering a newfound bond with their adoptive mom. Moments like these are the heart of why we do what we do.

Another unforgettable highlight was a heartfelt farewell dinner, where adoptees and loved ones shared stories of closure, curiosity, and connection. One adoptee, initially unwilling to engage with the group, spoke about how much the community had come to mean to them. They described finding a new circle of friends and loved ones they would always treasure. These transformations reinforced why The Ties Program matters and deepened my commitment to this work. 

Lessons Learned

Taking the reins of Ties has taught me resilience, adaptability, and the value of leading with compassion. I’ve learned the importance of connection and communication—between participants, local communities, and the adoptee community—and of balancing logistics with the emotional depth of these journeys. These trips are not just about the destinations we visit; they are about creating spaces where adoptees and their loved ones feel safe to explore their identities, embrace their stories, and celebrate their journeys. That balance is what makes Ties unique, and it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we plan for 2025, I’m excited to expand our offerings, refine programs, and build a stronger year-round community. Beyond group trips, we’re developing new opportunities for adoptees and their loved ones to connect and explore their heritage in meaningful ways. We’re also working on new ways to engage with our community year-round, providing resources, support, and opportunities for connection even after the trips have ended.

What drives me most is the belief that every adoptee deserves the opportunity to connect with their roots and explore their heritage in a meaningful way. Whether it’s through visiting a birth country, reflecting on personal narratives, or simply finding a sense of belonging, these experiences are transformative.

A Thank You to Our Community

To the adoptees, loved ones, local communities, partners, and the Ties team—thank you for your trust and dedication. A special thanks to Becca Piper, our beloved founder, whose vision and compassion created this incredible community. Ties would not exist without her vision and unwavering dedication and support.

Share Your Highlights

What was your most meaningful moment in 2024? Whether it was a Ties trip, a personal milestone, or a transformative experience, I’d love to hear your story.

Here’s to a 2025 filled with discovery, connection, and belonging.

What drives me most is the belief that every adoptee deserves the opportunity to connect with their roots and explore their heritage in a meaningful way. Whether it’s through visiting a birth country, reflecting on personal narratives, or simply finding a sense of belonging, these experiences are transformative.

With gratitude and connection,
Tanya Kaanta, PhD
Executive Director, The Ties Program

In Loving Memory of Becca Piper

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Becca Piper, the beloved founder of The Ties Program and co-founder of The Gift of Identity Fund. Becca was not only a visionary leader but also a kind and compassionate person who left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. The Ties Program would not be what it is without Becca.

Becca Piper, 65, of Sedona, AZ, passed away on November 21, 2024. She was preceded in death by her beloved son Michael and her parents, Reg and Maydean Nash.

Becca is survived by her devoted husband of nearly 40 years, Ken Piper, her children Joe, Selena, and Larry, her cherished granddaughter Maelyn, and her siblings David and Janet. She also leaves behind extraordinary friends, extended family, and colleagues who enriched her life.

Motherhood was central to Becca’s life. She and Ken lovingly adopted all four of their children, and raising them was one of her greatest joys. Becca often reflected on her life with deep gratitude, treasuring the countless connections she made and the places she explored.

Becca on the first Ties trip to Korea in 1994

Born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, Becca graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before founding Adoptive Family Travel Heritage Journeys by The Ties Program. For nearly 30 years, she, along with her dear friend Bea Evans and a remarkable team, guided international adoptees and their families on journeys to their birth countries. These experiences helped adoptees explore their heritage, culture, and, at times, reunite with birth families and caregivers.

Becca’s passions included travel, adventure, culture, nature, hiking, yoga, dancing, and her beloved dogs. She found immense peace and joy on the trails, immersed in the beauty of the world around her.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Becca’s memory can be made to the Gift of Identity Fund at www.gift-of-identity.org, supporting international adoptees in reconnecting with their roots.

Her life was a testament to love, adventure, and the power of connection. Becca will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Becca’s work impacted thousands of people. We invite everyone who traveled with her or were impacted by her work to share their stories in the comments section.

Becca’s most recent Ties trip to Kazakhstan in 2019

Coming Home

by Lian Norris

I knew I was different from others in my community from a young age. At three years old, I’d sit on my mom’s lap and touch her lips and then mine, noticing how different the color and shape were from my own. In elementary school,  I’d ask my parents questions with no simple answers; ‘Why was I given up? Why does no one look like me?” In high school, dating felt impossible – I’d never measure up to the blonde blue eyed girls the boys all crushed on. In college I was excited to join Asian organizations on campus, only to learn how it felt to not feel “Asian enough.” While I kept a smile on my face, the feeling of not belonging followed me from childhood into adulthood.

Then one summer, I decided to do yoga teacher training. I’d already been practicing yoga for a few years prior to training, but like most people expected to get a nice stretch in and an after-class mood boost. In one particular class, we spent the day being guided through deep hip opening poses and practiced teaching to each other for the first time. As we neared the end of the class, I felt something release within me and tears formed. I had NEVER cried on the mat before, and felt almost betrayed – how could a practice that had always been so uplifting be leaving me in tears? When I asked my yoga teacher the same question, she wasn’t surprised. “Yoga can help release emotions,” she said knowingly. With one yoga class, moments and feelings from years of my adoptee experience had all been unearthed on the mat at once. 

Yoga became the place I couldn’t hide anymore from my feelings of sadness, grief, and confusion. In the midst of these feelings, I started to understand how harshly I’d judged myself for never feeling good enough in my social circles or acting ‘Chinese enough’  – Even in yoga itself, as the pressure of being the “best” yoga student in the training consumed me. Yoga allowed me to sit with uncomfortable feelings and notice how they felt in my body; where I was holding tension and pain, and sadness. Sure, there were plenty of times where yoga still left me feeling pure positivity after class, but it had also given me permission to feel and be more than my default happy-go-lucky self. It inspired me to seek out therapy, and talk with others about my struggles with cultural identity. That first time crying on the yoga mat changed me, and in turn changed how I now see the ultimate purpose of yoga. At its core, it brings you back to the feelings and memories within your body, and in turn brings you back to yourself. 

Grateful as I am for the work and processing I’ve done, my adoptee related issues haven’t just gone away as I get older. They’ve simply changed as I’ve changed, sometimes pushing to the forefront of my life, and other times fading in the background. But what’s stayed is my belief through yoga in who I truly am, and coming home to myself. That evolution looks different for all adoptees, who might return to their birth country, connect with others in the community, or even experience a reunion with their birth family. But it can also mean acceptance within ourselves, through a practice as “simple” as yoga. There’s still so much more self-discovery and acceptance to welcome into my life, and to bring to other adoptees. I hope to bring the gift of yoga to their journeys too, helping us all find our way back home together.

Find Your Path with Ties to Wellness – On a Ties to Wellness, we’re creating a space for adoptees to reconnect with themselves and their roots, offering a journey of healing, acceptance, and personal growth. As Lian describes, “Yoga became the place I couldn’t hide anymore from my feelings of sadness, grief, and confusion… It brings you back to the feelings and memories within your body, and in turn, brings you back to yourself.” Whether it’s through exploring a birth country or embracing self-acceptance in new ways, Ties to Wellness supports adoptees in discovering their own path to wholeness and belonging. Join us on this transformative journey.

About Lian: Lian Norris is a transracial adoptee from China. Throughout her life, her experience as an adoptee has shaped her every step of the way and practicing yoga has been a wonderful healing tool for her. Lian utilizes her occupational therapy background and sensory-enhanced trauma informed yoga training to guide adoptees in yoga sessions as another modality to process the ups and downs that can come with being an adoptee, as well as to give support for wherever they are in their adoptee journey. You can find Lian working as an occupational therapist and yoga instructor at Re+Active Physical Therapy & Wellness in Torrance CA, and teaching a yin yoga massage with aromatherapy and alignment-based therapeutic classes at Soul Play Yoga & Fitness studio in Culver City, CA. Lean more on her website here.