How to trace your ancestors’ travels

Once you’ve gathered known information, you can turn to online genealogy records to delve deeper into your family story. Travel records spanning hundreds of years have been digitised, and are available to search online on family history websites like Findmypast.  

You may be able to trace your ancestors’ movements using the following record collections: 

• Passenger lists: These records show people travelling by ship to and from Britain. Outbound lists (c.1890–1960) often include names, ages, occupations, addresses and the destination country, while inbound lists capture arrivals.  
• Naturalisation records: If your ancestor became a citizen of another country, they may appear in naturalisation files. These can include personal statements, addresses, occupations, other family members’ names and even photographs. 
• Criminal transportation records: Many people, especially in the 18th and early 19th centuries, were transported from Britain and Ireland to penal colonies, mainly in Australia. These records often include court proceedings, sentencing details, and descriptions of the convict. 
• Passport applications: Though rare before 1914, later British passport applications may contain photographs, reasons for travel, and intended destinations. These are useful for tracking both civilian and military travel overseas. 

When searching, be flexible with spelling, and try a range of search terms. A name, date and rough destination are often enough to start uncovering your ancestor’s journey.  

Historical newspapers can add colour and context to an ancestor’s journey, as they help you to understand the wider context of their lives. There are millions of digitised newspaper pages available to search online. 

Departure notices, shipping lists, and immigration stories were often reported in local papers – especially when someone was setting off from a small community or returning home after many years away. 

Newspapers might also feature letters from abroad, family announcements, or reports of ship arrivals and disasters. Searching by name, date, or location can uncover surprising mentions and help confirm key events. 

Why did your ancestor travel? Understanding the bigger picture adds depth to your discoveries. Some common motivations for domestic and international migration included: 

• Economic opportunity, such as emigration to the Americas or Australia in the 19th century. 
• Religious or political persecution, especially for ancestors from Eastern Europe or Ireland. 
• Military service, particularly during World Wars or in colonial postings. 
• Family reunification – joining relatives who had emigrated earlier, known as ‘chain migration’. 

Knowing what was happening in the world at the time of their journey helps explain not just where they went, but why. 

As with all genealogical research, the best way to keep track of your travel and migration discoveries is in a family tree. Adding travel dates, destinations and relevant records to your tree allows you to store them in an organised manner. They’ll be presented alongside key life events like births, marriages and deaths.  

This helps you to build a well-rounded picture of your ancestors' lives and share what you’ve discovered with friends and family. By preserving their stories, we can understand the legacy of their travels, from their day-to-day hardships to the historical tides they were part of.