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.
🌎 Bayeux Tapestry Goes to London, D-Day Beaches Go UNESCO, and We're Going to Sicily
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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 PostsLisbon 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 YouPalermo, 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. Advertisements like this one is what keeps our newsletter and blog free to readers. Thanks for having a look. (BTW, we think it's only smart to keep up with AI these days, that's why we subscribe to the Superhuman newsletter.) 🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web
📖 What We're ReadingKris 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 Read past editions of our newsletter here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have any feedback? Ideas for future posts or email topics? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at feedback@travelpast50.com. Happy travels, Kris and Tom
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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.
Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? Now that the Minnesota State Fair is over and Labor Day has passed, the rest of the year seems entirely too short. That’s why a lot of people – in the Midwest, at least – are squeezing in little road trips. It’s a great time to take in the scenery and make visits to places you missed over the summer. Fall color maps are available now. (It's not just the Midwest – New England is in here, too.) And, for those who didn’t get enough of the farm vibe at the...
Hello Reader, Somewhere in Ecuador, 2010. 🧭 Where in the World? We were just reminded this week by a Facebook prompt that it’s been 16 years since we picked up and moved to Quito, Ecuador. That was the first step, and it was also the longest we’ve stayed in one place since: nine months. I can’t say we had a plan in mind beyond that first stop, which might explain why we’ve rarely, if ever, been disappointed by our travels. (Unhappy? Move on.) The highlights? Our compass leads us to new places...
Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? There’s a shift in the air – which in our case means slightly less smoke. The Minnesota State Fair is upon us, Fall travel plans are coming into focus, and our gardens are looking like they may need a long rest. (Cue the garage cleaning.) While we savor these last summer days, we’ve finalized our travel plans to Sicily and Spain in October. Read on! ✏️ Our Latest Posts Between trips, we've been doing some quieter work behind the scenes cleaning up a few...