OVERVIEW
The German Coast of Louisiana was settled in 1721 by pioneers from Alsace, Lorraine, the Rheinland, and Switzerland, recruited by John Law. These settlers, from various European regions, spoke Germanic dialects but soon adopted French within three generations. By the 1800s, they had Gallicized names and expanded into surrounding parishes. Today, many South Louisianans trace their ancestry to these settlers.
Heritage Tours by Seitz Travel, led by genealogy expert Cynthia Breaux Seitz, is partnering with Jay Schexnaydre of the German-Acadian Coast Historical & Genealogical Society to offer a special genealogy-focused tour to explore the ancestral villages of these early settlers. The itinerary is designed for comfort, minimizing hotel changes while maximizing time at key locations.
If your family’s history is connected to this journey, let us know so we can customize the experience!
ACTIVITY LEVEL
This is an active tour. You should be able to stand for about 20 minutes at a time and walk for about 60 minutes at a time.
iNCLUSIONS
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13-Night hotel stay - see below for details
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All excursions included!
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Transportation by motorcoach
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Tour director specializing in German Coast Ancestry Tours
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Welcome Dinner
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Local English-Speaking tour guides
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Meet cousins along the way.
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Visit an ancestral home of the Schaaf family
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Mainz River Dinner Cruise
ACCOMMODATIONS
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Best Western Plus Hotel ZuercherhofZurich, Switzerland - July 17,18,19
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Ibis Styles Colmar Centre Colmar, France - July 20, 21, 22
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Ibis Strasbourg Centre HallesStrasbourg, France - July 23, 24, 25
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Holliday Inn Express Marzig Saarlouis, Germany - July 26
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Holliday Inn Express Marzig Metz, France - July 27
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Ibis Mainz City Mainz, Germany - July 28, 29
EXLUSIONS
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Gratuities for Driver and Tour Guide
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Travel Insurance
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Alcohol except where noted in the itinerary that wine or champagne is included
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Gratuities (suggested $10 - $15 per day for the tour guide, $5 - $10 per day for the driver)
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Items of a personal nature
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Airport transfers
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You will need to pay for lunches 5 and dinners.
Walk in the footsteps of your German Coast ancestors!
Experience your ancestral towns and villages in Switzerland, France and Germany on this once in a lifetime trip curated especially for those whose ancestors lived on the German Coast of Louisiana.
A few photos from our past German Coast Ancestral Tour
A few photos from our past German Coast Ancestral Tour
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Switzerland
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France
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Germany
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TRAVEL INSURANCE:
Missing a vacation is bad enough. Losing the money you paid for your vacation is even worse. Trip insurance is therefore highly recommended. Please purchase travel insurance on your European Origins of the German Coast package. Suggested travel insurance companies: Travel Guard
TRAVEL NOTES:
Traveling abroad requires a passport valid for six months beyond travel dates. For this tour, your passport should not expire before November 24, 2025.
You are required to make your own flight arrangements and airport transfers. Cynthia can help you to book your flights if you need her to help. When making your own flight arrangements, you must pay close attention to dates. You should schedule your flight to ARRIVE in Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH is the airport code) on May 25, 2025. This means many of you must fly out of the United States on May 24, 2025. You should also schedule your departure flight from Frankfurt, Germany on June 7, 2025 (FRA is the Airport Code). Please let Cynthia know if you have any questions.
Terms and Conditions
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By proceeding with this package booking, a tour package, you are hereby agreeing to our Terms and Conditions.
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Please be advised that all payments made to Seitz Travel LLC are final, with no possibility of refund or transfer to someone else under any circumstances.
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It is imperative that reservations are secured under the exact name as it appears on your passport. Failure to comply may result in a mandatory name correction fee.
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Be aware that pricing and may change without prior notification. To guarantee the current promotional rate, we recommend you book your trip now to secure the lower rate.
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For those electing to use our installment payment option, adherence to the stipulated monthly payment schedule is required to maintain active reservation status. This includes ensuring that any shared accommodation partners are equally responsible for their payment obligations.
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We offer a Roommate Matching service for those in need of a roommate.
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A fee for name changes is imposed as follows: $200 prior to the final payment deadline as indicated on your invoice; thereafter, a fee of $250 plus any additional charges levied by our suppliers will apply.
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A late payment fee of $250 per individual is mandated subsequent to the final payment cut-off date as specified on your invoice.
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All requests for delayed payment consideration must receive prior approval from our management team before the established final payment deadline.