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I’ve learned something about myself over the years: I like to be prepared for anything the road throws at me.
After our recent family trip: the one where I found myself archive-bound and under-packed, I came home determined to never again leave my bag of tools behind, even when I’m not planning to do research.
So today, I want to share what I keep in my Genealogy Travel Kit — the simple, beautiful tools that live in my tote bag and in my car, always ready just in case the road opens unexpectedly. Because let’s be honest — it often does.
Why a Travel Kit?
Genealogy research isn’t just about sitting at a computer. It’s about listening to and chasing those quiet clues hidden in gravestones, courthouse records, old maps, or even in the conversations with distant family members, a friendly librarian, or just a fellow traveler. It’s about being open to the unexpected, and having the tools handy to take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. I consider this kit the foundation of a successful research trip. If you don’t start with a good foundation, you won’t be efficient and effective.
Your kit doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t even have to be big. But it should be yours: comforting, functional, and ready to help you chase a lead when the moment presents itself.
What’s in my Genealogy Travel Kit?
Here’s some of the items I like to have handy at all times: a combination of practical tools, helpful tech items and let's be honest a few supplies that simply feed my soul and make me happy.
First and foremost…the right bag. I can’t stress enough how frustrating it is not to have the right bag. This is a personal choice and should be one that is not only practical and effective but it should be an expression of who you are. When I’m choosing a bag I look for several things: will it hold all of the items I want to carry, is it a structured bag that has compartments or dividers to keep everything in its proper place (nothing worse than having all of your stuff mixed together and having to spend valuable time searching for the item you are looking for), a bag that closes securely (in the event it gets dropped or knocked over you will not lose anything), if I’m taking quite a few things, I like one on wheels, and last but not least, it has to be pretty and match my personality. Let me share a couple of the bags I own and why I love them:
JKM & Company EXECUTIVE Burgundy Rolling Tote Bag Briefcase Carryall Bag - This bag is not only beautiful, but it is on wheels and holds a ton of things!
Rolling backpack for Women - Love that this bag has vertical storage. Keeps all of my folders and notebooks standing up and easy to access.
LOVEVOOK Laptop Bag for Women - This bag is beautiful and comes in multiple colors and sizes.
A laptop and small tablet. I keep a device dedicated solely for on the road research. No personal app. No social media. Just my family tree software (I’ll share my favorite in a later post). This keeps my focus sharp and my mind clear. It also gives me peace of mind should the device be lost or stolen (don’t forget to have a strong lock password in place). Since I don’t need these devices to be super robust or powerful, I opt for rather inexpensive models. I try to choose a laptop that is very thin and lightweight so that it doesn’t add unnecessary weight to my bag. When choosing a tablet I try to select one that is big enough that I can see the screen without too much eye strain but not so large that it won’t fit into any purse I happen to be carrying. This makes it perfect to simply grab it out of my bag, throw it in my purse and head into any spur of the moment lunch or coffee meeting opportunity. Here are a couple that I suggest:
A practical research workbook. This is where I capture cemetery transcriptions, quick notes, follow-ups, source citations, and other notes. It’s my anchor on the road. Here is a simple one I created that has some all important forms as well as pages for unstructured notes. This is a very important part of staying organized and making every stop count.
A customizable notebook containing pedigree charts and family group sheets. I like to include my pedigree chart containing about 5 or 6 generations. I also include family group sheets for the key families that are on my included pedigree chart. I don’t carry every branch, because that could end up being a LARGE notebook! I just want to have key family group sheets and pedigree charts to have all of the information I need to dive into some research fun. I also tend to make notes on my pages as I find information on the fly or to record a passing clue. I like to use a customizable notebook, so that I can freely make notes, corrections, etc. on pages (see my pen recs below) and simply replace the page with an updated version at any time. It also makes it super easy to pull out a page or two to share while visiting newly found family members. Information is better when shared. My go to customizable notebook is a discbound type: I usually opt for Talia or Happy Planner. I absolutely love the flexibility of these notebooks! I can easily remove any of the standard pages I don't want and add my own custom pages (I’ll share an example of mine in a later post). You can remove pages and add pages with no damage to your notebook or the pages. Nothing ruins a beautiful notebook faster than roughly torn out pages!
Pencil pouch or small zippered bag. Try to find one with multiple compartments if possible. I sometimes find a small cosmetic bag works fantastic and is so much more beautiful than the standard pencil pouches available. The possibilities are endless when it comes to colors, designs, and patterns. Another plus of using a cosmetic bag is that they will generally hold more, making it great for the lady who consistently takes too many supplies. Start out with a good mix of pens, pencils and highlighters (I love the Sharpie S Gel 0.7 pens in multi colors. I find that if I mark notations in different colors it keeps me more organized (i.e red for corrections, green for sourced facts, blue for follow ups, etc.) Color coding = clarity! Never leave home without a few good sharpened pencils; many locations will not allow pens or highlighters. Sticky notes and page flags for marking items to copy. A small lighted magnifying glass. Fine print, faded handwriting, and old records make this a must. Let's face it I'm not getting any younger so my eyes continue to get weaker and I rely on my trusty magnifying glass more and more. A USB flash drive or two for those places that allow you to print/copy or save records this way. Paper clips or binder clips for holding papers together. Loose change for copiers and for parking meters. There are some places that will require you to feed coins into a copier (though most will allow you to make your copies and pay in one lump sum later) so you always want to have some dimes and quarters on hand.
A few plastic zip close folders. I find these are a great way to protect precious documents or photographs you find along the way until you can get home and properly store them.
My portable scanner or at the very least a scanner app on your phone. My go to portable scanner is the Epson ES-60W scanner. This scanner is extremely easy to use and it is small enough to throw in any bag. I love that you can scan papers, photographs, even newspaper clippings in a snap and save them to your device in whatever format you choose (jpeg, png, pdf). You can also purchase this great case to protect your scanner. Apps like Genius Scan or CamScanner are also good for scanning book pages, photos and documents on the fly. Keep in mind that many of the premium features in these apps require a subscription.
Portable power bank. You never want to risk losing power to your phone, tablet, or laptop in the middle of a fruitful research day. I try to have a couple fully charged power banks tucked in a pocket of my bag.
Portable Voice Recorder. I like to have a voice recorder with me always in case you find yourself in a once in a lifetime interview that you want to remember forever. I did a couple of these interviews with my mother and now that she has passed, being able to hear her voice again is absolutely priceless! You can also find some good apps on your phone but I find these to be less reliable as phones crash all the time so unless you are backing it up very often you stand the chance of losing these recordings.
A clipboard or travel writing surface. Trust me, you never know where you’ll be trying to write: a cemetery wall, the hood of a car, or a dusty courthouse bench. A firm surface is magic when you’re on the go.
Printed Research Goal Sheet and Research Logs. The Research Goal Sheet helps keep me focused when I walk into a library or archive. It’s easy to wander (and I love to!), but this form brings me back to what matters most. The Research Log is also super important as you want to document where you have searched, what you found, and follow ups. Not only is this vital for sourcing your information but it helps you avoid looking through the same resource twice. You can find some simple ones in my Research Workbook or any number of websites.
Build a Kit that is truly “You”
You don’t need everything on this list. Maybe you prefer a digital note-taking app or a pocket-sized journal. Maybe your “bag of wonders” lives in your trunk, or maybe it’s simply a notebook in your purse. The point isn’t perfection: it’s intention and making it yours. Do what makes you happy and fulfills the needs of your soul.
Because the road is always waiting. And your ancestors are never as far away as they seem.
Coming Next:
I’ll share some items that I keep in my car so that I am prepared for whatever adventure calls my name. Until then… Pack intentionally. And always be prepared for serendipity!