Clik here to view.
This is My Story by Jack Kurth
On Christmas morning of 2013, my mom surprised me with one of the best gifts ever. She had secretly hired a private investigator in Russia, and he had found my biological family. There were pictures,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Favorite Moment by Kathy Gallo
If “brevity is the soul of wit”, then my story at least fills that measure: After our 4 days in Bejiing, we flew to the province where Lina was born. As we walked off the plane and onto the gangway...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Journey Home by David Lantz
“When you are eighteen and you graduate from high school, I promise we will visit Russia.” Hearing these words come out of my mother’s mouth, I was determined to graduate from high school. My name is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Story by Amanda Choi DeBow
I remember I used to have this thousand piece puzzle. It portrayed a red barn on a lake, lots of trees, and an old battered canoe. I would spend hours finding a home for each little piece. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Belonging & Birth Country Travel
Belonging. It’s a basic human need. We all crave it, and many kids find it among their peers as they visit their birth country. Remember Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs theory? If you’re a little...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meeting Foster Families & Other Caregivers
Meeting foster families and other caregivers is often one of the most meaningful parts of your birth country journey. It is often a time filled with both anxiety and excitement. What will you say? What...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dual Identity: Blending In & Standing Out
Identity is a complicated topic. When traveling in their birth country, many kids are anxious to walk a few steps ahead or a few steps behind whoever they are traveling with to see what it feels like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Questions of Identity, International Adoptees
A thought provoking statement… “Visiting one’s birth country is a series of directed questions at one’s own identity, whether an adoptee is aware of their own questions or not.” Janelle Bentley, an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Community in its Most Authentic Version
Community in adoptive family travel-it is a huge part of a Ties travel experience. Maybe even THE biggest part. There is really no way to overstate the importance of adoptees and their families...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Birth Country Connections and Their Impact — The Heart of the Journey
For more than 30 years, adoptees and their families have been setting off on global adventures with the goal of learning more about their birth countries, and ultimately themselves. At the heart of...
View Article
