🌎 Great Memorial Day gear deals, and Ireland 2026 tour on sale


Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

Whee! We’re sliding into the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer and a new travel season.

What is it for you, road trip or air travel? Domestic or foreign? To your usual retreat, or to someplace new?

For our part, we’re planning a trip to Vail, Colorado, for food and outdoor fun in the Rockies, and a visit with family in Bellingham, Washington. In the meantime, Kris is threatening to clean out some closets and clear some corners to make room for summer visitors hanging out at our house for a few weeks.

For road-trippers, check out these reminders for a safe drive.

Flying? We know you’re aware that delays are on the increase. Here are some tips to ease your way:

  • Plan your arrival at least a day or two before the start of any planned tours or itineraries so that a cancelled flight or missed connection won’t spoil your entire trip. (And you‘ll be rested for a bright start.)
  • Get your travel insurance and read your policy.
  • Dress comfortably and carry water, battery chargers, and snacks, in case of delays onboard the craft.

🛫 2026 Ireland Tour Now On Sale

Our October 2025 trip to Sligo in western Ireland with Ireland in Focus is sold out. (Message us if you want to be on the waiting list.) But the 2026 version October 2-9, 2026 has just gone on sale.

For a limited time, you can get a $300 discount on the Ireland in Focus 2026 tour by using the promo code TP50 at checkout when you make your deposit.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

  • Apparently, the world didn’t come to an end when TSA started, earlier this month, requiring Real ID for all domestic air travel. (Passports are required for all international travel, including Canada and Mexico.) Be prepared at the airport with your proper ID! If you haven't got your Real ID version of your state driver's license yet, you can use your US or foreign passport, passport card, Trusted Traveler cards such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST cards, Department of Defense ID, or Green Card as Real ID.
  • Afar Magazine reported on 13 lesser-known U.S. National Parks, where you might consider avoiding the crowds.
  • Inbound foreign tourism to the US is way down, and it's starting to affect flight and hotel prices. Are you seeing any effects for your travel plans this summer, either foreign or domestic?
  • This is not exactly travel news, but the Wall Street Journal just published a long story about how Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is full of scam advertising and is making no effort to stop it, because...profit. If you still like looking at Facebook, be very careful about buying any deals that seem too good to be true. If you STILL like looking at Facebook, consider doing this to make it a little harder (and less profitable) for them to serve you ads: follow the steps here, and you can stop Facebook from sharing your preferences with third party advertisers, and vice versa. It won't stop all the odd and scammy ads, but it's a start.

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

Memorial Day seems to be the time for all the pre-summer sales. There's a whole list of good deals available this week. To wit:

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is moving on, at last, from A Prayer for Owen Meany, but not done thinking about it. Next up, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See, along with more short stories.

Tom is really loving the latest book from Louise Erdrich, The Mighty Red. The surface narrative is that of a teenage love triangle, but the novel emcompasses questions of class, wealth, the environment, inescapable history. In other words, the depth of emotion and thought you expect from the Pulitzer and National Book Award winner. By the way, if you want an autographed copy, you can buy it from Louise's own bookstore, Birchbark Books in Minneapolis.

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

Hotel rooms inhabit a separate moral universe. – Tom Stoppard

Do you like this email? Please forward it to a friend!

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

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

Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning

Travel Past 50

Connect with us: Facebook, Threads, Instagram,

Join our Facebook community.

Are you planning to book a trip soon?

Some other recommendations from our partners:

Travel Past 50 is part of affiliate sales networks and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. If you buy something from one of our links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

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.

Read more from Kris and Tom of TravelPast50.com

Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? We are busy back at home after a couple quick jaunts, including Kris's 50th college reunion. Though we didn’t have far to travel, the reunion brought the world closer to home. It was record-breaking attendance for a Carleton College reunion, and even our class (consider the disaffected era) exceeded expectations. Remarkably, the gathering wasn’t a trip down memory lane. The tone reflected the group’s engagement in the present and concern for the future....

Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? We’re off to Vail, Colorado, and looking forward to some biking and hiking, eating, and wandering around gardens and art galleries. Elevation: 8,000 feet. Wish us well, and if you have experience in Vail, send us a note on what we should not miss! 🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You The last spots on our Ireland tour in October were snatched up quickly. If you missed that chance, you can join the waitlist for this year, or reserve your spot for 2026. 🧳...

Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? Even a week after Memorial Day, we’re still suspended in that space between spring and summer, it seems. Judging from the activity in our TravelPast50 Community Facebook group, though, planning is underway for many of you! Discussions range from walking tours in Brugge, to riding the rails in Canada, to inbound USA travel, to speculation on this summer’s air fares and hotel rates. Do you have questions about your next destination, or helpful experience you...