Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

A couple weeks have rushed by since we last wrote. While we’ve been at home, it feels like we’re traveling. This must be what they mean by ‘staycation’, one of our favorite portmanteaus. Hosting out-of-town friends and family, we're seeing lots of what makes the Twin Cities and Minnesota great: art fairs, outdoor concerts, museums, theater, parks, bike trails, swimming holes, and great restaurants across town and state. In Minnesota, August comes up quickly, so we kick it up a gear to fit in all the summer fun.

🧳 Our Latest Posts

Lisbon seems to be on everyone's tongue these days — and for good reason. Our freshly updated guide covers the museums, the hidden food walk through Campo de Ourique, the fado bars, and how to add a few days in Lisbon to your Spain itinerary. Check out our updated post about Portugal’s capital city for a refresher on the city’s hidden gems.

Also, we've recently had occasion to put our Wise account to work when we had to both receive and spend some money (in Euros) from the comfort of home. The Wise debit card makes that easy, and is a great way to buy things in foreign currency without paying a foreign exchange commission. Check out our post to see if a Wise card makes sense for your next trip abroad.

🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

Palermo, Sicily: 8 days, October 4 – 11, 2026

We’re going to Sicily – one of the ancient world's most extraordinary corners. Join us on a deep dive into Palermo and the city’s continual adaptation under successive cultures – from Phoenicians and Greeks to Arabs, Normans and Spanish. With Elective Study Abroad, we’ll enjoy learning from the experts while staying in 4-star accommodations and taking in the food, wine and culture of the region.

NOTE: Travel Past 50 readers save $250 with the code TP502026. There’s no single supplement. Plus, we’ll happily help with suggestions for any of your pre- or post- travel extensions

​REGISTER HERE. Space is limited.

Spain 2027

Inquire now if you might be interested in joining us in Spain. From Andalucia to Castille y León, we’re mapping out plans for Travel Past 50 Tours, just your style. If you've been following our posts on Extremadura, the Camino, and the cathedrals of Castile — this tour is being designed for you. More details soon.

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🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• Are you traveling this Fall? Prepare now to vote early or by mail. We recommend Vote411.org to get a complete view of races and candidates – local, state, federal, and right down to your school board level. The League of Women Voters (go to your state or local chapter) has excellent information on registering and how to research candidates – even judicial candidates. Questions? Your state’s Secretary of State or voting page will help.
• If you think world news is affecting your travels, think of the impact on travel destinations. Recognizing troubling conditions in various parts of the world, UNESCO has added several sites to its list of World Heritage in Danger. Fans of the new Christopher Nolan movie, The Odyssey, will appreciate that Mount Olympus has been added to the regular list of World Heritage Sites, as have the D-Day beaches. See all of UNESCO's 2026 newly inscribed properties here.​
• ​The Bayeux Tapestry — the 900-year-old embroidered chronicle of the Norman Conquest of England — will be on display at the British Museum in London from September 10, 2026 to July 11, 2027, while its permanent home in Bayeux is renovated. It has never previously been permitted to leave France. If you're planning any time in London in the next year, this is not to be missed.

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is finding a pattern in her reading lately, if two books in a row by and about artists constitute a pattern. Her current read is the entertaining Contrapposto by Dave Eggers, complete with drawings by the author. (He even makes reference to Patti Smith and Mapplethorpe, connecting with Kris’s recent read, Patti Smith's Bread of Angels.)

The smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota and Canada has been hanging over the Twin Cities this summer, which is what led a friend to recommend this book to Tom. When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World, by Jordan Thomas, who is both an anthropologist and a U.S. Forest Service Hotshot firefighter, approaches the topic from both perspectives and brilliantly illuminates the history of all the huge mistakes we've made, especially here in the U.S., that have led to the current conflagrations.

Find most of our recommendations at our Amazon book shop — or, if you prefer supporting independent booksellers, Bookshop.org is excellent. Art book lovers: Taschen's catalog is a rabbit hole worth falling into.

If you buy a book through our links, we make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

Never mistake motion for action. – Ernest Hemingway

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning ​Travel Past 50​ Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Join our Facebook community.

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