Family History Research for Busy Bees: Genealogy on the Go

We all have those days where we would like to spend time on what we love instead of running around for work, for the groceries, or acting as personal chauffeur for kids or grandkids. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for your retirement to dive into the fabulous stories of your ancestors! With MyHeritage’s awesome features, it is so easy to build your family tree and learn a lot about who your ancestors were and what their lives were like.

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Here are some moments you can harness for family history research — and what you can do with the time you have.

1. Shopping

The fridge is empty, the family needs bread, and OMG, there’s no more yogurt! That shopping trip to the supermarket is really a must. But, those supermarket lines are long, right? Don’t worry, MyHeritage has you covered: with the MyHeritage app, you’ll be able to keep track of your research while waiting for your turn. You can review, confirm, and extract information from your Record Matches and Smart Matches™ in seconds standing next to your shopping cart.

2. Waiting for the doctor

Nobody likes to wait: for the doctor, the dentist, the hairdresser, or anything else… but what if you could spend your waiting time making important discoveries about your family?

We wish you the best of health always — but if you’re in the doctor’s office for a checkup, why not take advantage of that idle time to review and confirm Record or Smart Marches™? (And if you’re ill and have to stay at home, I’ve got you covered here: 5 Ways to Make Progress with Your Genealogy Even When You’re Sick)

3. Getting your hair done

You really wanted THAT color… and no other! It’s gonna come out fabulous, but waiting in the hairdresser’s chair counting imaginary sheep? No way! Take your phone with you, open the brand-new Reimagine app, and colorize, enhance, or animate your best family memories — and share them with the people who’ll appreciate them most. After all, it’s not only you who deserves a new color style! 

4. Waiting for the train or bus

You’ve got two choices: sulking because the bus is not coming in the next five minutes… or using those precious five minutes of your life to check out your new DNA matches. New DNA Matches are being added to MyHeritage all the time as more and more people take the MyHeritage DNA test or upload their DNA to MyHeritage. It could be that the DNA Match that can untangle that family mystery you’ve been trying to solve has just been added to your list!

And of course, you can continue on the bus itself… just not if you’re the one driving!

With the MyHeritage mobile app, you can explore your family history while waiting for the bus

5. Sitting in traffic

The red light is always so red… and the minutes always so long. If traffic just isn’t moving, maybe you can spend a few minutes recording the story behind a photo with Photo Storyteller™. Whatever you do, be sure to abide by traffic rules and not put yourself or others in danger. The time lost getting in an accident is time lost for genealogy!

6. Waiting to pick up your kids

You’re in your car at the school gates singing your heart out to the latest radio hits. What is taking those kids so long? You could meditate, or scroll idly through social media… or, you could run a historical record search for an ancestor you’ve been researching and see if anything interesting comes up!

7. In the kitchen

Leaving historical records in the kitchen is a big no-no — that’s just asking for disaster. But you can always bring your phone: these days, we do everything from our phones, including following recipes! So, as you’re waiting for the pasta water to boil, you can check out the photos of the grandmother who gave you the recipe.

And if you’re doing the dishes, you can always let your mind wander to your genealogy plans.

Take a taste of genealogy while cooking your favorite family recipes

8. At the airport

All passengers are kindly requested to proceed to gate 8A to….wait?!

Who has never been bored waiting for a plane to board? Has your flight been delayed again? Don’t fret! Spend those precious minutes reviewing your Records or Smart Matches™ and you will never find yourself bored at a gate ever again!

9. On an airplane

“Passengers, your attention please: your captain is requesting that you fasten your seat belt and get ready for departure!” Sure, that view from above is nice, but it gets old pretty quickly. The MyHeritage app requires an internet connection to function, but the free downloadable software Family Tree Builder does not — and it will sync with your tree once you’re connected again. You can take the time to check your tree for duplicates, add new family members, or generate a lovely family tree chart. Check out this article by our Support Specialist Ziv Sorrek to discover some of Family Tree Builder’s super helpful tools: Helpful Tools to Know About in Family Tree Builder

11. On an elevator

You know that awkward moment in an elevator where your fellow “travelers” and yourself are avoiding eye contact at all costs, and in an attempt to look busy, you refer to your beloved social media feed? Well, instead of checking your likes, shares, and retweets, why don’t you enjoy the ride and take that elevator minute (or more if you’re going to the top floor) to review your matches? You may end up with more known ancestors when you step off and the best news is, on your next long elevator ride, you’ll have a great conversation starter at the ready.

Whether you have 5 minutes or 50 to get some research done, we wish you the best of luck — and if you have another 5 minutes, we’d love to hear all about your discoveries!

Have fun!

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Marie Cappart fell into the genealogical cauldron as a child and is the MyHeritage Country Manager for Belgium and France. She is a historian (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and a professional Anglo-Belgian genealogist based in Brussels. Passionate about family histories, always looking for more information about her own and other people’s ancestors, author of the “Guide de la Généalogie en Belgique” (Jourdan 2017), RootsTech ambassador and historical consultant for several Belgian and international media, she also teaches courses and coaching worldwide and is passionate about genetic genealogy.