The DNA Journey competition is open once more! Head to Let’s Open Our World, and tell us how you would open the world through travelling for a chance to win a DNA kit. You never know – you might be going on your very own DNA journey…
‘Would you dare to question who you really are?’ It was the question we asked at the launch of The DNA Journey, a campaign and competition destined to showcase that an open world starts with an open mind.
We offered up the chance for people from 17 different countries to learn a little bit more about their background and win one of 500 DNA kits. After a staggering 170,378 people entered the competition, we handpicked our favourite 500 contestants and sent out the kits. By filming themselves reading their DNA results, they entered momondo’s competition to win a holiday based on their very own DNA journey, to the value of €1,000.
Melbournian Francesca Codd is our proud Australian winner of The DNA Journey. Inspiring and sincere, Francesca’s DNA reveal video hit straight to the core values of The DNA Journey, “we need to look for things that bring us together, rather than separate us,” she says. It’s also the ability to see the world through open eyes; that there are more things uniting people around the world, rather than dividing us; and that, above all, one should always stay curious and open to new experiences when travelling.
To celebrate her nationwide victory, we spoke to Francesca and asked why she decided to get involved in The DNA Journey, and how learning more about her DNA has shaped her outlook on the world.
1) What compelled you to join The DNA Journey?
I’d always been curious about my ancestry and DNA tracking, so when this opportunity came up I was keen to get involved and find out as much as possible.
2) What did you already know about your heritage and DNA?
I knew about my dad’s Irish roots and French background and my mum’s German heritage but anything further was a mystery.
3) What did you expect to find in your results?
I was expecting some Irish and western European ancestry, but in general I was expecting to be mostly British as I’ve identified as English all my life even though I’ve lived in Australia since I was 9.
4) How have the results and the “new found you” effected the way you see yourself within the world?
Finding out that I’m not nearly as genetically ‘English’ as I thought was a big surprise, and was also strangely liberating. Having moved to Australia in my childhood, for some reason I’d always clung to my English identity and never quite accepted calling myself ‘Australian’. Realising that I was less English than I thought, and that I have heritage from places I’d never expected, like Scandinavia, Spain and Portugal, opened up new opportunities to explore the world and visit new places, especially places with which I have a previously unknown connection.
5) How have the results changed the way you will travel?
The results have definitely changed the attitude I have towards the countries listed in my DNA profile. Whereas before I would have visited those countries with general curiosity, now I’m keen to visit and explore the culture and history to better understand my own family history and where I’ve come from.
6) Why is knowing your DNA important to you?
I think it’s important we know where we come from to appreciate where we are now. I think knowing my origins gives me the need to visit those places and learn more about my family history, which will inform the way I see myself and relate more closely to other people with overlapping history.
7) How does your DNA affect your national identity?
Knowing all the different places my family comes from does inform the way I see my national identity. While I identified as English before, now that I know genetically I’ve got a much more mixed ancestry does make me more open to learning about these (and other) cultures.
8) Why do you think the purpose behind The DNA Journey matters for Australia?
The DNA Journey makes the connection we all have to each other much clearer. Given how genetically diverse an individual can be, we are more likely to have something in common than nothing at all. It can only be a good thing for Australians to find and celebrate shared history or characteristics rather than focus on the things that separate us. Also knowing how diverse your heritage is rather than identifying as singularly ‘this’ or ‘that’ is likely to make you more open to people of other backgrounds.
9) Where will you go with your €1,000 prize fund, and what will you do there?
I think the place that surprised me the most showing up in my DNA profile was the Iberian Peninsula. I had absolutely no idea there was any Spanish or Portuguese heritage in my family so it was a nice surprise. I’ve always wanted to visit so this is the perfect excuse. I’d like to visit either Spain or Portugal to see their cities, learn the history, and get to know the people with whom I share even the smallest history.
10) Up until now, what has been your most amazing/memorable travel experience, and why?
This year I did a 24-day tour of Europe and saw so many beautiful places; it’s hard to pick a favourite! Skydiving over the absolutely stunning Swiss Alps and exploring amazing Budapest were definitely two highlights!
Winner bio:
- Name: Francesca Codd
- Age: 21
- Occupation: Student of Bachelor of Commerce and Arts at Monash University Australia
- Citizenship: Citizen of both UK (born in England) and Australia (resident)
- City and country of residence: Living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia
DNA Results:
- Europe West 65%
- Ireland 28%
- Scandinavia 4%
- Great Britain 2%
- Iberian Peninsula <0.1%
