Community Reviews

My mother and I had a wonderful experience traveling to Korea with the Ties program in July 2024. Sarah was extremely responsive and helpful through and through - I inquired about joining the summer tour on pretty short notice and am so grateful for her support and willingness to make it a reality.

In Korea, the entire staff was amazing - genuinely kind people, and made us feel cared for and supported from the moment we arrived until our return back to the states. I also really enjoyed meeting the other adoptees & their families throughout the trip. The itinerary covered a lot of ground as a group while also incorporating free time to explore independently, which I personally appreciated amidst all the structured activity.

Overall, such a memorable trip and so worth it. 10/10 recommend to adoptees and their loved ones!

The Korean Ties Heritage Tour 2024 met and exceeded all my expectations. From the extensive communication before the trip, to the guidance provided during the tour itself, I felt extremely well taken care of.

Big props to the organizers for choosing the perfect blend of historical sites, shopping, varieties of food, live performances, and time to explore the natural wonders of the land. The balance of sight-seeing to personal time was also ideal.

I especially looked forward to the Connect and Chat times, scheduled spaces for adult adoptees to discuss whatever feelings or thoughts came up on the deeply impactful journey.

I felt a kinship right away with the adjunct staff who were our “go to people.” And no one could inform, engage and delight a bus full of KAD families like the incomparable Ms. May. She was supremely knowledgeable and downright hilarious.

The visit to my birth city was much more meaningful thanks to a connection I made with a Korean Ties alum living in Korea with his birth family. I met the adoptee at a special dinner organized by the staff. He later invited me to his father’s restaurant which just happened to be in my birth city of Siheung. Since both of my birth parents are deceased, I can’t possibly put into words what it meant to me to have a place to go and someone to meet in a city where I otherwise knew no one. This relationship fostered by Korean Ties was invaluable.

I am grateful to the Gift of Identity Fund, whose scholarship made the journey much more affordable. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Korean Ties Heritage Tour to any adoptee looking for an incredible homeland experience.

Went on Korea Ties Foundation tour in 2024 and was a terrific experience. They support the adoptees and families exceptionally well. The tour guides were super knowledgeable and fun so all of the culture and touristic agenda items were super interesting and much better than if you do it on your own. They provided extra support on the emotional journey as well; this made the trip more impactful and meaningful. The team was approachable and empathetic with a unique and helpful perspective on all aspects of the adoption journey. Well worth the price, yup it is not cheap. Logistics were easy and hotels and meals were all great choices.

There are no adequate words to convey how much our recent trip to Korea (July 2024) positively impacted our family. From the planning stages through trip completion, the communication and care that was taken by Sarah and all the staff to ensure that our experience was the best one possible was very evident. Meticulous planning of every last detail, a mix of activities involving cultural, historical, food, fun, and free time allowed us to have a completely immersive trip. Our 20 year old daughter was hesitant to go with a large group, and she ended up connecting with the other adoptees/staff in a way we did not think was possible. If you are considering a trip with TIES, please don't hesitate. It was more than worth every penny, and we are already trying to plan a trip back in the future.

If you are thinking about an adoption Homeland Tour, I highly recommend this organization; it is legitimate and not a scam--the reviews and photos are real. Our Korean tour was WONDERFUL. Yes, it is expensive. But for our first trip to Korea, we felt well taken care of--and have the confidence to go back again on our own. We heard things from the Korean tour guides and experienced things we never would have on our own! The tour staff were highly detail oriented and did their best to make you feel prepared for whatever might come up. There was a strong attempt to expose you to a wide variety of experiences--yet allow you to go off on your own. The tour had a great deal of flexibility, and if you needed down time, you were encouraged to take it. All staff were warm, friendly, positive-energy people. A great deal of thought and care go into managing the spectrum of feelings of the adoptees; our tour had teens and tweens as well as adults--who were able to go off on their own together in the evenings to socialize.

I would actually give them a 4.5, because I think there is always room for improvement. But all of my suggestions would be minor.

I will never forget this experience and the wonderful friendships we developed, thanks to Korean Ties!

What an amazing experience this summer (2023) visiting Guatemala! Thanks to The Ties Program staff, my 17 year old daughter and I had a fun and profoundly meaningful trip together with 11 other adoption families. The staff took care of every critical detail to ensure the logistics were smooth as we visited beautiful parts of the geographically and culturally rich terrain. And they provided a safe and caring space for navigating all types of emotions, for adoptees and parents alike. Very skillful ! I highly recommend this organization for adoption family heritage trips!

Thank you for your kind words. 🙂

My family traveled to Vietnam with Ties in 2007 where we had an excellent visit not only with the culture but also with my daughter's birthfamily. Over time we lost track of her parents and brothers, but we always hoped to see them again one day. Only a few weeks ago I reached out to Becca Piper with a request to help us locate the birthfamily again, and within days our request was filled. What joy! So many thanks to Becca and Thom for their kindness and diligence. There are simply no words good enough, no numbers high enough, to rate this organization.

Always our pleasure Carrie. 🙂

My Vietnamese adopted daughter and I traveled with Ties to my daughter's birth country in late 2007, early 2008. So many years later, we both have very fond memories of that trip and see how the experience answered many difficult questions. We have had the good fortune of maintaining contact with my daughter's birth family since the time of adoption. During our trip, Ties assisted with arranging an interpreter and driver for two visits. Somehow, however, we recently lost contact with the birth family and I was concerned about the well-being of the birth mom. I contacted Ties and even though the organization was just emerging from a COVID hiatus, Becca got back to me. I made what I thought was a far-fetched request to ask Ties' Vietnamese contacts to check on the well-being of my daughter's birth mom. Not only did Becca willingly reach out to her Ties contacts in Vietnam but the Vietnamese folks contacted the birth family and I got the answers I requested in less than 2 days! (btw, the birth mom is alive and well.) It was a miraculous display of Ties' commitment to excellent service and honoring the precious but sometimes tenuous bonds between adoptive and birth families. Thank you, Becca and Ties!

How blessed we are to have had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing group of people who shared in each other’s journey on this trip.
I could go on and on...and I have been to anyone who will listen! Thank you for all you and your staff did to facilitate such a meaningful experience for our family.
I feel that I have been “adopted” by Korea itself. I left that beautiful country feeling as if I am able to embrace the country, its culture, history and people as part of the heritage that is now part of my own because of Aleigha’s roots that connect us. I am forever changed. Thank you again and again for the amazing work you and your incredible staff does. ~Kecia Binko (mom)

🙂

We can’t thank The Ties Program and Bea Evans enough for planning and organizing our trip to Ukraine. We saw the hospital in Kiev, where our daughter stayed for several months, and the orphanage where she lived until our adoption. We went to the place where our daughter was left and to the host family where my husband and I stayed during the adoption process. We explored places that showed us the background, culture and cuisine of the Ukrainian people. Our interpreter/guide (Olena) was fantastic -- organized, a wealth of information, flexible, and so very accommodating. Our daughter said the trip exceeded her expectations and my husband and I agree.

We're thrilled your family had such a memorable time in Ukraine!