Battle of the Bulge Tour

Jo and Ian were very helpful in planning 3 days visiting Battle of the Bulge sites. The first 1.5 days were focused on my Dad's Company B and Ian took us from the train station he arrived in a box car in December 1944 to hills he fought up with many stops between. I now have a much better understanding of the role of infantry (my dad was a private) as the first to push through in a battle with tanks to follow--the deadliest positions. Especially memorial were seeing foxholes (to be able to imagine freezing weather, summer uniforms and no ability to warm by a fire) and the Dragon's Teeth. Following the personlized tour portion, Ian shared Pieper's tanks and other sites relevant to the Battle. Thank you to "In The Footsteps Battlefield Tours."

- Trudi Richter USA

Patrick Family Genealogy Tour

We set off to find where four of our relatives had been. We managed something much more special by going beyond 'seeing the battlefields' and somehow were able to meet the men. How was this achieved?
We did a lot of research ourselves but Ian was able to take us to every one of the sites we had identified and give us an in-depth insight based on his previous research, visits and knowledge. Somehow the combination of our research and Ian's knowledge gave us an intangible outcome of something that was extra special that I would find hard to put words to. It was very moving to find the farm my grandfather had stayed in – I found myself bursting into tears a few days after when I looked at a photograph we had taken of it. For the one man who did not make it home (the other three were all wounded) Ian read the eulogy at his monument. A very moving thing to have done. Away – arrangements for travel, hotels, us having three generations with different needs, catering, all the usual stuff that where it goes well is unseen were excellent. (Well done Jo). I particularly liked the fact that on our tour we visited a couple of tea rooms with displays that they had prepared themselves rather than the big museums that we did not have time for. Something special that we went with three generations and shared three perspectives – I can recommend it. Overall, first rate excellent. Well done Ian and Jo we thank you.

- Richard Patrick UK

Kirby Family Genealogy Tour

This was our third bespoke tour with In The Footsteps, this time on the trails of 8 soldier ancestors. We spent 8 nights in Flanders and the Somme battlefields, a relatively long tour compared to many. We had already done a lot of family history and war service research and Jo and Ian were able to expertly translate this detail into a great itinerary. Administration was faultless, and very helpful and responsive to some last minute unexpected health issues. Accommodation in Ypres, Cambrai and Corbie was well located, comfortable and full of character.
Transport in Ian's 4WD was excellent, enabling us to effortlessly go off sealed road to reach our destinations. Ian's military background provided us with an insightful understanding of the conditions facing the soldiers and the conduct of the military operations. In particular, his ability to read maps (including integrating WW1 maps with modern day maps ) and the lie of the land enabled us to get to the very trenches and locations where our ancestors fought, died and won medals. He had a thorough knowledge of the battlefield areas that we were visiting. Documentation provided of various battles and of our tour was great and much appreciated.
Highly recommended. One tip: the more information you have and provide to Ian and Jo, the more they can tailor the tour to your specific needs and interests.

- Michael Kirby Australia