2009 and 2010

• 2009 Registration Forms (deadline 1 March 2009)
• 2010 Registration Forms (deadline 1 March 2010)

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 or Hutterite 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.

2009 Journey to the Homeland Tour dates: (Registration deadline is 1 March 2009)

20 May 2009	Chicago - Frankfurt, Germany
21-22 May 2009	Frankfurt Airport Hotel
22 May 2009	Frankfurt - Prague, Czech Republic- Odessa, Ukraine
22-26 May 2009	Odessa, Ukraine & former German villages, (4 nights)
26 May 2009	Odessa - Prague - Stuttgart, Germany
26-30 May 2009	Stuttgart (4 nights)
30 May 2009	Stuttgart - USA

Dates for the next tour are 20 May - 30 May, 2009. This tour includes the following: 1) 22 May - 26 May, Odessa, Ukraine, and former Bessarabian, Black Sea and Crimean German villages; 2) 26 May - 30 May, Stuttgart, including a day-trip to Alsace, France.

There is a minimum of 12-15 persons with paid registrations before a tour can be offered. We will notify you by March 2009 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 2009 tour is $4,850 US per person. The tour package includes the following:

1. Northwest/KLM Airlines - USA or Canada- Frankfurt, roundtrip.
2. Czech Airlines - Prague - Odessa / Odessa - Prague - Stuttgart roundtrip.
3. Hotel lodging in Odessa including breakfast, lunch, dinner and box lunches for village visits.
4. Hotel lodging in Stuttgart including full buffet breakfast.
5. Van or auto transportation to former German villages near Odessa including driver and English translator.
6. Bus transfers from Odessa and Stuttgart airports to hotel.
7. Bus tour of Odessa with professional guide.
8. Service charges for tour preparations by NDSU Library.
9. Visits in Stuttgart (city tour), and Germans from Russia societies and museums.

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.

Best regards from Fargo and from the North Dakota State University campus.

Our Journey to the Homeland Tours to Odessa, Ukraine, and to Stuttgart, Germany, have been sponsored since May, 1996. We have now offered twelve tours since 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 St. Petersburg, 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 at: "Tours."

The economy and lifestyle in Odessa is quickly changing. We realized considerable improvements in the city and at the Chornye More Hotel where we stayed for tours 1996 - present. We plan to stay at this hotel for the May 2007 tour. With these rapid changes and U.S. dollar rates, advancements bring some increasing costs for hotels, meals and airfares.

Refunds
Should a reservation need to be canceled because of personal reasons of a tour member, a full refund less a $500 US per person administrative fee will be made for a tour cancellation received on or before 1 March 2009.

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 2009 tour, please send your first payment of $500 US per person payable to Journey to the Homeland Tours to the following address: Journey to the Homeland Tours, Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, NDSU Libraries, PO Box 5599, Fargo, ND 58105-5599. Please note that tour reservations are accepted according to the postmark on the initial check received for payment. We limit each tour group to no more than 15-25 persons!

For the May 2009 tour, the minimum number of paid tour registrations needs to be 12-15 persons. We will contact persons by March 2009, regarding plans for the May 2009 tour if registrations are less than 12-15 persons.

Please advise if you wish to be placed on our priority list for the May 2009 tour. To be placed on the 2009 priority list, a $500 US per person first payment fee is required.

Please print, forward and share the 2009 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!