Hello Reader,

Are you ready to plan independent travels around Europe? Are you searching for travel ideas that suit your personal interests and help you find special sites that aren't teeming with people?

Next month Kris will be part of a free online event that brings together more than 30 travel experts to help you plan your personal Europe trip for 2026 that will fit your style and not leave you fighting the crowds.

Kris will talk about Hybrid Travel, or how to segue from group tours to independent travel. Other veteran travelers and destination representatives will share insider strategies to plan smarter, save money, and discover hidden gems all across Europe.

Registration is now open for DIY Trip Summit: Europe Beyond the Crowds.

Claim your FREE ticket now for this 3-day, online event, January 13-15, 2026.

🧭 Where in the World?

While we're waiting out the blizzard here in Minnesota. Tom's gearing up (literally) to attend the Consumer Electronics Show next week in Las Vegas to get the dope on the latest gadgets for travel, and for managing your home while you're gone.

🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

• South America (with us!) We're leading a small group (maximum 12) to Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay in February-March. We're concentrating on food and wine, with some history and culture thrown in. If you're a fan of wine, you're probably already familiar with the wines from Chile's Colchacua Valley and Argentina's Mendoza region. We'll be visiting both, and we'd love you to join us. There is more info on our Tours Page, and if you're interested in even more info, email Kris at kristin@travelpast50.com with the subject line "South America Wine and Culture."
• Elective Study Abroad. Pick your dates (as early as March 2026) or pick your destination, but do have a look now at the 2026 course offerings by Elective. Their study abroad model is a great kickstarter for your thoughtful travel. (Read about our experience here.) Consider your study options: Palermo, Paris, Istanbul, Andalusia, and more, to experience this unique approach to travel. We are going on the Istanbul course ourselves, and would love to have you join us there. Also, Travel Past 50 readers get $250 off per person for enrollments in any of Elective's 2026 courses. Just use the exclusive code TP50.
• Ireland. The Ireland in Focus tour to Sligo that we did in October has announced its next tour for October 2026 and is offering a $300 discount to our readers. Use the code TP50 at checkout to get the deal. You can read about our experience here, or listen to Kris's radio broadcast on Travel Writer's Radio here.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• Artist Residency in Alaska: We mention this opportunity every year, because it sounds so darn appealing to us! The Voices of the Wilderness artist residency program has announced its 16^th year of hosting artists in Alaska. Artists are invited to apply, free, for seven different opportunities across Alaska’s national parks, forests and refuges. The residencies provide a chance for artists to be paired with wilderness specialists in a backcountry setting, to engage in stewardship projects while creating art in some of our nation’s most scenic wild public lands.Artists of all mediums are welcome to apply. In exchange for the opportunity, artists donate a work of art and provide a community extension. (Transportation to and from Alaska is the responsibility of the artist.) Check out the Forest Service website for details and to view work and stories from previous hosted artists. Applications are due by 11:59 pm Alaska time, March 1, 2026.
• More Alaska Opportunities: No application required for this one: Join us when we travel to Alaska this June with American Cruise Lines. Our Alaskan Explorer Cruise dates are Jun 5-16, 2026. It’s on sale now. Our plan is to take it easy and enjoy this introduction to Alaska’s natural history and indigenous traditions. Just let your agent know you are joining Kris and Tom of Travel Past 50.
• We read with interest a story in The New York Times earlier this month, about how to go about finding a restaurant when you’re traveling. Our oldest advice is to talk to locals (especially at the market or at your hotel) and see where they eat. Our newest advice is to use Google reservations to secure a table before you go. The restaurant and your weary feet will thank you. We’re still learning about new places in cities we’ve spent the most time, thanks to food tours and foodie events. In Madrid, find Walk and Eat Spain tours (use code TP50 to save), and in the U.S. check out the Tasting Collective, at least to see who’s playing in your area.

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is still speed reading Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, while browsing all the year-end magazine roundups.

Tom is reading Louise Erdrich's Pulitzer Prize winner, The Night Watchman. This is about the sixth or seventh book by Louise Erdrich he's read and he's loved them all. We suggest buying books by Louise from her own bookshop, Birchbark Books, which is in our Minneapolis neighborhood. If you call them to order, you can usually get a signed copy.

You can see most of the books we recommend in one place at our Amazon book shop. If you'd prefer an alternative to Amazon, there is Alibris.com, where we frequently buy used books, and Bookshop.org, which supports independent booksellers. And, if you're into art books, like we are, check out the catalog at Taschen, the world's foremost publisher of art books.

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

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

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