The paper investigates the temporary home visits of African transnational migrants residing in South Africa. Many aspects of such return visits overlap with diasporic tourism, Visiting Friends and Relatives tourism and related types, but they are also uniquely different. Informed by narrative identity theory and an analytical lens focused on memory, the paper explores how memories of home influence the migrants' touristic activities, behaviour and experiences. A qualitative research approach involving in‐depth interviews with 20 participants from two different sectors was pursued. Findings illustrate how the encounter with traces of the person's autobiographical past (spaces, objects, social relations) can lead to a shifting sense of self. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.