Been to your birth country before? Your next trip is going to feel completely different and that's okay. 💜 We're diving into what adoptees can expect on return trips: bigger feelings, new perspectives, and the beauty of seeing familiar places with fresh eyes. Featuring real stories from Ties Team Members and alumni, it's an honest and encouraging guide to traveling with an open heart, releasing expectations, and embracing every feeling along the way.

Sixteen years after adopting their son, Noah, Amelia reflects on their powerful 2025 heritage trip to Kazakhstan with The TIES Program. This blog spotlight details how TIES expertly balanced deeply emotional work with genuine fun and adventure, allowing Noah and other adopted kids to connect in a way that required no explanation. Amelia shares how the experience deepened her understanding of international adoption, replacing initial anxiety with ease and joy.

Read the powerful story of adoptee Dulce’s heritage journey to Guatemala, accompanied by her favorite aunt, Allison. This moving post details how the aunt-niece duo navigated the emotional complexities of a Ties trip, from discovering the program to successfully meeting Dulce’s birth family and siblings.

Learn why having a non-parental "sidekick" made a difference in Dulce's reconnection experience, the process of finding birth family, and how their family continues to build connections to Guatemala through Spanish classes and plans for future trips.

Exploring identity, connection and community alongside fellow adoptees and loved ones, Paraguayan adoptee Beth shares a powerful reflection on moments in Asunción and Pirayú, bringing to life the depth of heritage travel and the lasting impact of connecting with culture, language and roots.