Travel with Holt
Holt International travel opportunities include something for everyone!
Heritage Tours for Adoptees and Adoptive Families
Holt International Heritage Tours give adoptive families and adoptees an opportunity to connect with their heritage and explore the country of their birth.
Vision Trips for those passionate about serving children
Holt Vision Trips are open to anyone who has a heart for orphaned and vulnerable children and wants to be a part of our mission to ensure a stable, loving home for every child.
Heritage Tours for Adoptees and Families
We offer trips for adult adoptees as well as trips for the whole family, including children as young as 10. Read about our annual tours to Korea, China and Mongolia.
China Heritage Tour
On Holt’s annual heritage tour of China, adoptees and their families have the opportunity to experience the culture, customs and history of China as presented by the local people. They get to see everyday life in China, from big cities to rural villages, and participate in cultural activities. They visit a number of famous Chinese tourist sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors and the mountains of Guilin. From local experts, they learn about adoption, orphanages and child welfare in China. Whenever possible, adoptees also have a chance to visit their former orphanage, foster family and/or sites significant to their adoption story and meet people who touched their early lives before they joined their adoptive families. The China tour is open to families of children adopted from any province and through any agency. Adoptees must be 9 or older to participate in the tour.
Korea Heritage Tour
From Seoul to Gyeongju, Busan and Jeju Island, tour participants experience Korea together as they visit national and historic sites, and learn about Korea’s rich cultural heritage. This tour typically includes visits to the Korean Folk Village, Seoul Tower, DMZ, the fish market in Busan, Mt. Hallasan in Jeju, and much more. Tour participants also visit Holt sponsor and donor-supported programs such as the Ilsan Center for children and adults with special needs, a children’s care center, and a shelter for single mothers and their children. This tour is open to all Korean adoptees and adoptive families, whether or not their placing agency was Holt. Adoptees of all ages are able to visit their birth city or orphanage. If an adoptee lived in foster care in Seoul before joining their adoptive family, we also try to arrange a meeting with their former foster family. Adoptees ages 13 and older are able to review their adoption file with a Holt Korea social worker and discuss any questions they have about their roots. And for adult adoptees, ages 19 and older, we can also initiate a birth family search.
Mongolia Heritage Tour
In 2017, adoptees and their families traveled on Holt’s first heritage tour of Mongolia. Designed to be both a personal as well as a shared experience for adoptees, this tour gives adoptees and their loved ones the opportunity, if possible, to visit their orphanages, the locations where they were found, and to meet individuals who may have cared for them before they joined their adoptive families in the U.S. Together, the tour participants learn about the amazing history and rich cultural heritage of this remarkable nation. They travel outside of Ulaanbaatar, ride camels and horses, visit historic sites and spend the night under the stars sleeping in traditional Mongolian homes called gers.
Vietnam Heritage Tour
Traveling from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to Hanoi in the north, tour participants will experience the diversity and beauty of this ancient and remarkable land. They will visit the historic cities of Hoi An and Ha Long Bay, tour important museums and traditional temples, savor Vietnamese cuisine and much more! Whenever possible, adoptees of all ages will have a chance to visit their former orphanage, foster family and/or sites significant to their adoption story and meet the people who touched their early lives. Tour participants will also have the opportunity to learn about Holt’s work in Vietnam and meet some of the children and families in our family strengthening programs. The tour is open to all Vietnamese adoptees and adoptive families who completed their adoption through Holt. All participants should be 9 years or older before they travel on the tour. Adult adoptees, ages 19 and older, can request that Holt initiate a birth family search on their behalf.
Vision Trips
These trips are open to anyone with an interest in Holt and a passion to serve children.
Korea Gift Team Tour
Every year, Holt’s Korea Gift Team travels to Korea to help create a magical, joyous Christmas for a special group of children and adult residents with disabilities at the Ilsan Center! On this special tour, you will also get the opportunity to explore Holt’s history and see Holt’s vision in action – through parties at Ilsan and the Jeonju Babies’ Home, as well as a visit to an unwed mothers’ shelter, and a special ceremony to honor foster mothers. This year’s celebration for foster mothers will be extra special. For the past 50 years, these incredible women have provided nurturing care for children waiting to join adoptive families. As the Korean government will begin overseeing all foster care in the country next summer, Holt Korea’s program is coming to an end — and we hope you can join us to celebrate the many women who made it possible.
Register now to join us on the 2024 Korea Gift Team tour. Learn more below!
Mongolia Vision Trip
In May 2024, Holt supporters joined us on a special journey to Mongolia to experience the culture and visit children and families in Holt’s Mongolia programs. Participants interacted with children at the Red Stone School, visited a Holt-supported orphanage and a new program for children with disabilities, presented life-changing gifts of livestock to three vulnerable families, and more.
