Gerald: I have been to Hungary several times and to Slovakia once. Here are my thoughts on your upcoming trip. We have been in contact with relatives of both grandparents over the last 10 years. Neither my wife nor I can speak Hungarian but I believe our Hungarian relatives may take care of someone who can translate at least on a limited basis. It is likely that someone in the family who is in high school will be able to translate for you. If possible, you should try and arrange your trip to ensure that the person translating for you is out of school for the summer. One of my cousins in Hungary went with us to each family so that he could translate. It was an incredible help. My grandfather's village is now located less than 2 miles into Slovakia but half of the 2,000 residents are ethnic Hungarians. We will fly into Budapest and stay a few days then visit Gavavencsello (which is very close to the village of Tokaj, the famous wine center). We will then travel to Miskolc & visit the town of Turna nad Bodvou which is just 2 miles into Slovakia. My suggestion would be after Budapest that you travel to Miskolc and then into your Slovak villages, so that you only had to make one border crossing. We traveled from Bratislava to Budapest by train. The workers at the Slovak train station were no where near as helpful (we could not locate anyone who spoke English) as those at the Budapest train station. In Budapest, you should try and see one of the local ethnic shows -- they are excellent. We also signed up for an evening tour of Budapest and then had dinner at a local restaurant that had entertainment -- great fun. If you are interested in any of these activities let me know and I can search my travel journal to give you some operator names, including a guide that gave tours of the Castle Hill, Mathias Church area. Also, see the Parliament -- it is exquisite and they have English guides for the tours, which I would recommend. In Budapest we stay at the Taverna Hotel (nothing too fancy) because it is on a pedestrian shopping mall and very easy to access or the Alba Hotel (name might have changed), which is at the bottom of Castle Hill. There are also several good sights not too far from the town of Miskolc if you are interested. My questions are: 1. Is the train transit method of travel good in Hungary? It is excellent and fairly inexpensive. If the train schedule says that the train leaves at noon, it leaves at noon! I used my travel agent to purchase tickets here in the US -- go first class, because the cars are air conditioned and it is only slightly more expensive than 2nd class. I loved traveling by train -- it is so restful and the countrysides are so beautiful -- you could tell a village was coming up because you could always see the church steeple. 2. Would a language course at our local Hungarian-American club help? Absolutely! If for nothing else, the families will appreciate your knowing the basic pleasantries and it will help at train stations, restaurants, etc. 3. Please let us know of any advice or thoughts on us making the trip. Be prepared to have the best trip of your life. Meeting families for the first time is so emotional and they are so welcoming! Take some photos of your family for them to keep. We do have a few travel guides but I would like to hear from our readers on your experiences. I, too, am planning another trip to Hungary in September or October of 2009. Take lots of film to record your fabulous trip! Rita **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)