To really understand the people and background of these countries means you must learn about their history. The best person to teach you, is someone who has lived through it, and has a genuine love of history and the importain role that the Czech and Slovak people played in it. While some guides and researchers do their work because they love it, others are more interested in the amount of money they can make from you. The records are very hard to understand, you must be trained to read the various scripts. Most of the time you will know more about the family history then your relatives in the old country do.
Most people go over to see the ancestral homes, and church and meet their relatives.
Don t plan on getting a great deal done, everything will take longer I highly suggest you prioritize your wishes, start at the top of your list and just work your way down. Everyone s agenda will not be yours, most relatives will feed you to death, then will show off their American relatives to whoever. In this case, being on a tour is better as you will still see everything you want, plus meet the relatives. Finding a place to stay should not be a problem, except for weekends, and holiday s. German s have many holidays and the vast number of tourist are German.