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.
🌎 Fresh Back from Alaska: Cool Weather, Totem Poles, and Seven Pairs of Shoes
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Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World?We happen to be back in Minnesota, one of the places in the world not experiencing a heat wave. Just back from cool days in Alaska (some sunny, some damp), we are delighting in these fresh temps in the 70s and giant puffy clouds against bright blue skies. Does weather color your opinion of places you visit? For us, honestly — yes. Alaska in the rain is still spectacular, but Alaska in the sun is something else entirely. For us, summer is the season when we welcome visitors, rather than acting as visitors. We'll be home until August, when we may be off to London to see some plays, and then on to Spain again in October and November. 🧳 Our Latest PostsThe first post from our 12 days in Alaska with American Cruise Lines is Visiting Sitka National Historical Park: Totem Poles and Tlingit History, where we spent a couple of engrossing hours among some of the finest examples of Tlingit art outside a museum. If you're over 50 and traveling internationally, this is the most important post we've published this year — especially the section on what Medicare doesn't cover abroad. Here are her best recommendations on Best Travel Insurance for Travelers Over 50 (and Over 70). 🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For YouIf travel planning got pushed to the back burner earlier this year, now is a good time to revisit it. Two trips we're excited about: Andalucia Cuisine and Architecture, November 8-15, 2026 Read all about it on our tour page and contact us if you’d like to chat about details. Kris hasn't stopped talking about the food since she got back — which tells you everything. Patagonia eBike Small Group Tour Join our buddy Sherry Ott on this soft adventure trip promising stunning views, local culture, and wonderful food and stays in Patagonia estancias. (Or look ahead to her 2027 trip trekking in Nepal.) 🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web
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📖 What We're ReadingTom is still staring at his copy of Middlemarch by George Eliot, from which he got sidetracked during our recent trip to Alaska, where he picked up John Muir's Travels in Alaska and thought he should read that while he was there, and because we were visiting some of the same places Muir saw from a Tlingit canoe instead of a comfortable cruise ship. Kris is reading Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro, a surprisingly easy read for such a complex subject. It was one of several books mentioned in The Correspondent (Virginia Evans) which she read recently, so the bedside book pile keeps on stacking up! 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. ❝Travel Quote of the Week❞Think you these places would satisfy an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon? Never! Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. – Abraham Lincoln 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? We’re passing through our Minnesota home this week, coming from Spain and going to Alaska. It’s more of a pit stop than a ‘back home’ vibe. While here, I’ll throw some flowers in planters and pray for rain. Here in the Midwest, we’re finding temperatures 20 degrees above average, and Europe temps are soaring, too. (Have you packed your hat, sunscreen, and water? Here’s a refresher packing list for your convenience.) We're going to be on this boat looking at...
Hello Reader, Typical dishes in Jerez like this Sopa de Tomate Jerezana involve fresh garden ingredients: tomatoes, red peppers, chard, onions, garlic – and freshly laid eggs. This dish is from the popular Venta (roadside restaurant) El Albero. 🧭 Where in the World? You guessed it: we’re still in Spain, though we’ve moved on from Andalucía to Valencia. We’ve been working on our respective stories about visiting the South of Spain over the last couple weeks. Now, in Valencia we’re continuing...
Hello Reader, Kris communing with the distinctive Andalusian horses at the Carthusian horse breeding center in Jerez de la Frontera. 🧭 Where in the World? We’re both in Spain right now, continuing travel after a week in Andalucía. Kris spent the time in Cádiz, home of the sherry wine industry and the city of Jerez de la Frontera, 2026 Gastronomy Capital of Spain. She assured Tom that she has now thoroughly sampled all the various types of sherry and most of the delights of the local cuisine –...