TourMagination

06/19/2025

Have you ever considered taking your kids or grandkids on an Anabaptist heritage tour?

Here is your chance. We created a 9-day, 8-night tour special for families.

Discover Faith, History & Fun in Holland, Belgium & Germany, July 11-19, 2026 with Ayold Fanoy.

Looking for a memory-making experience? Journey through vibrant cities, medieval towns, and meaningful faith landmarks as you explore the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany on this family-friendly group tour.

Hear stories of courageous believers like Dirk Willems, Menno Simmons, Conrad Grebel, and Corrie ten Boom.

Discounts available for teens and children. From $2,750 USD/$3750 CAD/person.

LEARN MORE from the link in the bio!

06/17/2025

In 1528, Agnes Linck was buying a German New Testament at a bookshop, when a schoolteacher overheard her saying something controversial and dangerous. A literate peasant, Agnes said she wanted a “pure” New Testament without all the “heresy in the preface.” Martin Luther’s ground-breaking German translation of the New Testament was first released in 1522, but it contained commentary that Agnes felt was contrary to her Anabaptist beliefs.

Authorities put Agnes in a Basel, Switzerland jail for five months. She was released when the bookseller testified that he didn’t hear Agnes speak any heresies.

Agnes Linck read the Bible and other Christian materials to women during their spinning and weaving sessions. As Agnes read, she formed her own opinions. Outspoken and bold, she called priests unlearned since they couldn’t or didn’t read the Bible.

In 1528, authorities apprehended Agnes again. “Usually, when somebody was caught for the second time, the authorities executed them almost immediately,” says historian Dr. Kimberly Schmidt. According to historic court records, Agnes defended herself in court and was released after a day in jail—with no discipline.

At first, the court interrogator said that Agnes must swear an oath recanting Anabaptism, which she opposed. Ultimately, authorities did not fine Agnes or make her swear an oath. “Agnes was able to talk her way out of two courtroom appearances in two different towns!”

This is just one story of a woman who had an impact in the early days of the Anabaptist movement.

In May 2025, Kimberly co-led a heritage tour with her Eastern Mennonite University colleague Mary S. Sprunger called Radical Reformation @ 500: Gender and Class. The tour focused on how women and peasants shaped the Anabaptist movement.

In fall 2026, Kimberly will lead a new tour, Vienna to Venice: Untold Stories of Women, Peasants & the Anabaptist Witness.

Post in the comments if you want to be kept informed about this unique tour. Or send an email to office AT tourmagination.com

Also, read a profile about Dr. Kimberly Schmidt from the link to our website!

06/12/2025

Would you like to go somewhere warm next February? Join Audrey Voth Petkau on the 2026 Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Escape, February 9-18.

There are only a few spaces left on this faith-based cultural encounter that includes two game drives plus a few days on the tropical island of Zanzibar.

On the game drives see:

- Wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, hippos, aardvarks,

- A large assortment of colourful birds

- And maybe the Big 5--lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and African buffalos.

In the tropical paradise of Zanzibar:

Relax on pristine beaches beside turquiose waters

Tour a spice plantation where you can smell and taste fresh cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg and so on.

Unlike a mainstream tour, your TourMagination travel experience also supports vital conservation and community initiatives, including:

Chagga village, museum, and cultural centre – Preserving the rich heritage and traditions of the Chagga people.

St. Catherine Monastery and elementary school – Supporting education and spiritual heritage.

Emusoi Project – An initiative that empowers Masai girls by providing them with access to education, helping them avoid early marriage.

What a traveller said about this tour:

"I would highly recommend this trip for folks who enjoy learning firsthand about cultures different from their own!” TM Traveller

Learn more from the link to the website in the bio!

06/10/2025

Have you ever wondered about the role women played in the early days of the Anabaptist movement?

Dr. Kimberly Schmidt, an Eastern Mennonite University Professor Emeritus, spent her career studying the history of social movements and women’s history, including civil rights, abolition, women’s suffrage, and the progressive movement. Though primarily focused on American history, Kimberly has also researched the role of women and peasants in the Anabaptist movement.

In May 2025, Kimberly co-led a heritage tour with her colleague Dr. Mary S. Sprunger called Radical Reformation @ 500: Gender and Class. Travellers visited Anabaptist sites in Austria, Czechia, Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The tour included a special emphasis on how women and peasants shaped the Anabaptist movement.

TourMagination owners Richard and Diane Bergmann were intrigued as they developed this custom tour for alumni and friends of Eastern Mennonite University. “We asked Kimberly if she would share her unique perspective and knowledge by taking our traveller community to a new and unique area,” says Richard.

Pending sufficient interest, Kimberly will lead the new Vienna to Venice: Untold Stories of Women, Peasants & the Anabaptist Witness in 2026!

“This tour, will expand travellers definitions of early Anabaptists,” says Kimberly.” She adds, “It will also cause us to reflect on our own beliefs and what’s happening in our time. I hope people will be inspired by these people who were courageous and stood up for what they believed in.”

Post in the comments if you want to be kept informed about this unique tour. Or send an email to [email protected]

Photo: Dr. Kimberly Schmidt with TourMagination owner Richard Bergmann exploring heritage sites in Italy for her new heritage tour.

06/05/2025

See what participants in last week's Mennonite World Conference - MWC CMM Courage to Love event had to say about celebrating 500 years of Anabaptism with people from around the world.

Post in the comments if you recognize anyone.

06/03/2025

Momentum is building for the Romanian Culture and Hutterite Heritage Tour happening in summer 2026. This tour is perfect for teachers and students who want to explore Anabaptist heritage, whether their ancestors were Hutterites or not.

Hutterite history enthusiast Rod Hofer is gathering a group for this one-of-kind tour.

Travellers will retrace the footsteps of Hutterite ancestors in the Transylvania region of Romania, home to the small Hutterite community of Alwinz for nearly 150 years. Explore the historic great escape that thwarted the Jesuit plan as the last 78 Hutterites, one-third of whom were children 12 and under, fled over the Transylvanian Alps and miraculously escaped to safety in a Muslim-controlled country.

This tour is especially relevant for Hutterite descendants of the Wipf, Tschetter and Stahl families and Hofer, Kleinsasser, Glanzer, Waldner, and Wurtz—who were Carinthian Lutheran converts to the group.

Storyteller and Hutterite descendant Rod Hofer can’t wait to share this incredible tour with you.

“Rod Hofer’s historical perspective was thorough and interesting. I deeply appreciated the inclusion of both Hutterite and non-Hutterite information and exposure. It was excellent and invaluable.” - Alan P. 2019 Hutterite Tour Participant.

If you’re interested in this tour, complete a short survey or leave a message in the comments.

https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/AAMn7n

05/29/2025

This is a quick reminder to register for the Enticing Douro River or Charms of the Mekong River Cruise in 2026. Register before May 31, 2025 to save up to 500 USD/person. Plus, you have your pick of cabins!

LEARN MORE about the cruises from these links!

Join the Enticing Douro River or Charms of the Mekong River Cruise👇

https://www.tourmagination.com/tours/2026-douro-river-cruise

https://www.tourmagination.com/tours/2026-mekong-river-cruise

05/28/2025

Join thousands of Anabaptists around the world as they commemorate the birth of Anabaptism.

Thursday, 29 May 2025 (Ascension Day)

WATCH the livestream of MWC's Courage to Love Event!

https://mwc-cmm.org/en/zurich-livestream/

05/27/2025

Here is the group from Eastern Mennonite University in the same spot under plaques about Gottfried Willhelm Leibniz, Konrad Grebel and Ulrich Zwingli in Vienna.

Kimberly D. Schmidt, a professor of history at Eastern Mennonite University, standing beside local Anabaptist guide Alexander Basnar. (Photo 2)

Alexander Basnar identifies somewhere between Beachy Amish and Hutterite. He carried copies of the Martyrs Mirror and the Hutterite Chronicles with him!

Exploring Anabaptist heritage in Austria is new territory for TourMagination. We're excited to develop a tour in Austria and Italy with Kimberly focused on the stories of women and peasants for the fall of 2026.

Comment below if you want to be kept informed about Kimberly’s 2026 tour called, Austria & Italy: Untold Stories of Women, Peasants & the Anabaptist Witness.

05/22/2025

To help the Anabaptist family celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism, TourMagination had the privilege of planning six tours that include the Mennonite World Conference - MWC CMM
Courage to Love Event.

More than 100 travellers will explore their Anabaptist heritage with expert leaders.

Here are some photos from the first few days of the:

Celebrate 500: Classic Anabaptist European Tour with John Sharp

Commemorating 500 Years of Anabaptism: Friends of Grebel European Tour with Troy Osborne and David Yoder Neufeld. (a group from Conrad Grebel University College)

EMU Radical Reformation @ 500: Gender and Class with Kimberly D. Schmidt and Mary S. Sprunger.

The Eastern Mennonite University group “rowing in their ancestors' benches” as they imagine what it would have been like for Anabaptists to experience persecution. From Falkenstein, Austria, Anabaptists were sent to Venice as galley slaves on ships. (Photo 1)

Here’s the Classic Anabaptist group in Amsterdam’s Dom Square leaning in as John Sharp shares the story of Anabaptists dying for their faith. (Photo 2)

The Friends of Grebel took a tour of the Rijksmuseum with Nina Schroeder, art historian with a specialty in Dutch Mennonite history. They saw Dutch Golden Age works, to see pieces by world-renowned artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Jan Steen. Nina also told them about the museum’s collection of Mennonite works. (Photo 3)

Here’s the Friends of Grebel group in front of a part sculpture representing a church at the Menno Simons birthplace memorial in Witmarsum, The Netherlands. (photo 4)

See more tour photos and updates in our newsletter. Join from the link in the comments.

05/22/2025

We're so glad travellers, including Anabaptist World editor Paul Schrag, are enjoying the Eastern Mennonite University Radical Reformation @ 500: Gender and Class Tour with Kimberly D. Schmidt, Mary S. Sprunger.

We were pleased to help develop six Anabaptist Heritage tours to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Anabaptism.

Editor Paul Schrag says: I’m on an Anabaptist history tour leading up to the 500th anniversary celebration in Zurich on May 29. Michael and Martha Deimel of the Vienna Mennonite congregation went with us to a museum at Niedersulz, Austria, where a house features displays about the Anabaptists.