Since retirement I've taken 7 tours in Europe/Scandinavia and this is my absolute favorite. The accommodations, the food, the service, the sites we visited, the relaxed nature and camaraderie of the participants made this a fabulous memory. Plus, Crister, Maria and their family were so welcoming and helpful ... felt like we were traveling with good friends, not tour operators. Just fantastic and I want to go again!! Plus, totally unlike other tours, this one gave us the chance to see how our ancestors lived ... the common/poor folk ... not the ultra wealthy with their magnificent castles and cathedrals. Plus the countryside was spectacular.
Ron (2018)
My wife and I took the Swedish Genealogy & Culture Trip 2018 and were overwhelmed by friendly, flawless and fascinating itinerary provided by Crister, Maria, and their colleagues at Saxentours. The addition of 3 professional genealogists from SwedGen, available to help both beginners and enthusiasts at all levels , made this an unbelievable trip for those interested in following their Swedish roots. The timing was perfect - beautiful June days leading up to Sommerfest - and the value for the accomodations, meals, classes, local transportation, and tickets to museums was exceptional. Do not miss this opportunity in 2019!!
Bryce and Paula (2018)
I attended the 2018 Genealogy Tour. We spent several days with Swedegen learning about Swedish genealogy tools but also toured the countryside learning about many aspects of Swedish life and emigration. In particular, I enjoyed our Sunday morning church service in an ancient church and the ensuing fika. It was a wonderful insight into Swedish life and culture, then and now. And those poppyseed buns!!!!
Christine (2018)
This was an excellent trip, I enjoyed the variety of experiences and the history. Appreciated the water and healthy snacks on the bus.
Susan (2018)
Greetings, Dear - Friends and Relatives,
Nice words from our friend Marilyn Braun , Carver County Historical Society, Waconia MN
Are your ancestors from Sweden? Are you just a little bit curious about what the area that they were from was like?
If you’ve ever thought about going but would especially like to visit the area your ancestors left behind, we can make some suggestions for you.
I work at a Historical Society and can’t believe some of the requests I get from persons (living who knows where) offering 1 week tours to Sweden. Their “English” is not decipherable and the Swedish they try to use is more like old Swinglish or worse. Would I advise my friend or relative to sign up for one of those tours? Absolutely Not! On top of that, their prices are double or more than what the group we are familiar with charges.
The group we know, and trust, involves persons in Sweden that we have been in contact with for many years. These consist of the well known Anna Lena Hultman and partners Anneli Anderson and Charlotte Borjesson representing SwedGen, which is the genealogy portion of the tour.The Saxentour operators are Crister and Maria Brunnegard. Each of these 5 individuals live in the very areas of Sweden that many of our ancestors emigrated from.
Saxentours brings small groups to the Midwest to satisfy the curiosity of those from across the pond. Many who come had relatives or old neighbors who left Sweden during the years of great famine or unrest. Often, our own relatives from Sweden are some of those that travel to the Midwest under the guidance of these tour operators. Three persons in their recent (2019) party of 16 met with relatives in MN that some had never met or even known of before.
For the past few years, Saxentours/SwedGen, have been offering tours for Americans to come to Sweden for a similar experience in reverse. Many of us have had the desire to see the areas where our ancestors had lived in Sweden prior to coming to America. Together, with the cooperation of persons in the US, these 5 can make ones tour more than worthwhile. Often if you share, in advance, whatever information you might have on your ancestors… it is possible that the locations of their homes, or even living relatives, might be found. One comes home with memories to last a life time.
We would like to know from each of you if you would be interested in learning more about these tours. Their pre-planned set tours are great, they’ve been stated as being “over and above”. . We know of some persons who have signed up for the tour a 2nd time and were surprised at all the different things they saw from those places that they saw on the previous tour of the same area.
Of course, Saxentours is always willing to help you arrange personal (small group) tours to Sweden if there will be 12 or more in your party. These personally arranged tours could be set up according to the specific interests of your group.
To learn more about these tours directly, you can go online to: www.saxentours.com
To call from the USA dial (011) 46 322 625 080 Or e-mail info@saxentours.com
Their postal address is:
Saxentours AB
Skattegardsgatan 5
447 35 Vargarda
Sweden
Feel free to call (612-384-9797) or e-mail me (Braunarne@aol.com) for more information. I’d be happy to meet with you personally to help you decide if this would be something of interest to you, OR… for if you simply wish a little more guidance on what you would hope to see and do if you decide to tackle Sweden on your own.
Sincerely, Marilyn
(Mrs.Arne) Braun
