🌎 A new season of merino wool and scholarly travel


Hello Reader,

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đź§­ Where in the World?

September’s unpredictable weather gives me a big case of springcleaningitis. (Kris is speaking for herself here.) I've always been more susceptible to these fits in the Fall: cleaning house; reorganizing the garage; reconsidering garden pots, indoor plants and art on the walls; washing screens; doing big loads of laundry. I should add banking and email cleansing to the list, but I’m not there yet. Don’t get me started on scanning old family photos to distribute at the holidays….

We’re prepping for travel at the end of this month, too. Even though it’s not exactly autumn yet, we’re sure to face bare branches and brisk air when we return in November. It’s no fun sorting through the garage in the cold.

🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

Toying with the idea? So are we. We’ve been considering leading tours in Cuba and in South America (Santiago-Mendoza-Buenos Aires) in early 2026. While we’re on the fence, if any of you are keen on hopping on one of these trips, speak up now. Just contact us by replying to this email and we’ll give you the details.

Scholarly Travel. We’re being treated to the first installments of our curriculum and recommended reading for our upcoming trip to southern France, with Elective Study Abroad. We’ll report from France in detail, but meanwhile, consider their offerings across Europe and beyond for 2026.

Carrie Angoff, Elective’s founder, recently shared some research and this story from the Wall Street Journal about the popularity of study abroad for adults, a great way to embed learning into travels.

đź§ł Our Latest Posts

Unbound Merino. We’ve freshened up our post about Unbound Merino Wool after sampling a couple new products: lightweight travel shorts and a new classic T. I’ve just ordered the one product I was missing – slim Merino travel pants because I’m jealous of the men’s version – and found they are marked final sale! Hurry, if you want to find your size and color at a discounted rate – or wait until next season when they will be re-introduced. (My main gripe with Unbound is their unpredictable inventory for women’s wear.)

Literary Travel. In the middle of our upcoming trip, we’re detouring to England’s Lake District, following in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, at Kris’s request. Here’s a guest post to help inspire your literary travels.

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🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

  • In the tourism run amok category, we’re sad to see this news on the development of a resort and extensive infrastructure in the area of St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. Elsewhere in Egypt, we’re following Viking’s delivery of a new river cruise ship, and the re-opening of GEM, the Grand Egyptian Museum, in Cairo.
  • NPS. If you care about our National Parks, now is a good time to chime in. The National Park Service is seeking input on “improving visitor services” until October 9. This survey, they add, is in support of Executive Order 14314. The essence of that order seems to be a) revoking mentions of diversity and inclusion in parks, forests and other public lands; and b) raising entrance fees for foreigners, while promising to “encourage international tourism.” Here are instructions for submitting your feedback. Most effective are comments that are specific to recent park visits.

đź’¸ This Week's Best Deals in Travel

đź“– What We're Reading

Kris is reading Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (of Olive Kittridge fame). Stories from the assorted characters in a small town in Maine might hearken back to The Canterbury Tales, though these people aren’t on a pilgrimage and may not even have a point to their stories.

Tom is just diving in, or should I say, exploring the depths of hell, in R.F. Kuang's new one, Katabasis.

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

âťťTravel Quote of the Weekâťž

There are three basic rules of traveling. Travel on the ground. Travel alone when possible. Keep notes. That's it. – Paul Theroux

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

P.S. What more can we do for you? Reply to this newsletter and ask us anything.

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Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning

​Travel Past 50​

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Kris and Tom of TravelPast50.com

Since 2010, we've traveled to more than 80 countries. Our goal for our newsletter is to help you travel more, better, and for less money. We do that through our travel tips posts and destination guides. Sign up to see how we can help you achieve your travel goals.

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