Trip Idea: Origins

After studying human DNA and tracing certain traits though generations, geneticists have determined the basic routes of human migration that dispersed out species across the planet. All along the way, some people stopped and stayed, and over tens of thousands of years, we gradually populated all the inhabitable places in the world.

I think it would make for quite the adventure to retrace the footsteps of my ancestors, from ancient prehistory to present.

The trip starts in the same way for everyone: Central Africa. After that, it starts to become tailored to the individual. As I’m of Northeastern European stock, I would head north, leaving Africa and cutting across the Middle East to Central Asia. From there, I would swing west, and head through Europe to Britian.

From there, the story of ancient history which can only be told through genetics meets known family history, and I would head to the United States, where my father was born, and my mother emigrated when she was young.

I think this whole trip would take me around 5 months, which is only 80,000 years less than it took my ancestors. The trickiest part would be the rough spots of North Central Africa and Central Asia, but that’s always a trick on major overland treks. All doable though. I mean, if my ancestors could do it, why can’t I?