This issue of our newsletter brought to you by Thrifty Traveler Premium Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World?Greetings from Valencia, Spain. We’re in the midst of Valencia’s annual Fallas festival. The five-day celebration is centered around 800 fantastic Fallas structures built by some 400 local clubs. In preparation for the final night’s burning of all these artistic sculptures, the days prior are filled with firecrackers, food, and parties. We’re gathering our photos and stories to share with you. In the meantime, see our video of the daily Mascletà fireworks extravaganza. Volume up! It’s loud! Get our Spain Mini Guides for your next visit Every time we visit Spain, we update our Spain city mini-guides, perfect for your self-guided visits to any of our featured cities: Madrid, Seville, and Málaga. As a subscriber, the bundle of three guides – in downloadable PDF format – are yours. Do you have a friend you might want to subscribe? They can sign up here (or just forward this email to them.) You'll get handy suggestions for museums and monuments; walks and notable neighborhoods; shopping; bars, restaurants, and food markets; festivals; and hotels. 🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For YouWe still have nine spots left on our Scandinavia: Cities, Culture, and Adventure with Kris and Tom, September 18-29. Book by March 31 and save $125. We’re happy to consult with you if you want to extend your travels. We love all the tours organized by our fellow nomad, Sherry Ott. She’s having some fun with her next tour to Japan: The Ultimate Cat Lover’s Tour of Japan, November 3-10, 2025. See what we mean about affinity group travel? “This tour isn’t just about cats," says Sherry, "but it covers another part of my life I love.” We’d go strictly for the culture and adventure and enjoy the bonus cat photo ops! See all Sherry’s tour offerings here, including a more adventurous Japan itinerary just before the cat tour, as well as tours to Nepal, Patagonia, and Panama. Tell her Kris and Tom say ‘hi’. 🧳 Our Latest PostsAs part of our time in Valencia this time, we revisited the astounding City of Arts and Sciences designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. Here's our post about that from a few years back. We've also admired Calatrava's work in Toronto and Milwaukee. Packing light – our YouTube post Also new on our YouTube channel is our video about packing light. After requests from friends to observe our packing process, we created this step by step guide to packing, including tips for your minimalist wardrobe and, step-by-step, how to pack your bag. 🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web
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📖 What We're ReadingKris is reading Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond. Tom is taking the opportunity while in Spain to read El Árbol de la Ciencia, by Pio Baroja, in Spanish, which he bought at the great Espasa Calpe bookstore on Madrid's Gran Via. Baroja was one of Hemingway's favorite authors, which is where Tom got the recommendation. He's read a couple of his books in translation. For our previous book recommendations, check out this list. ❝Travel Quote of the Week❞Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. – Mark Twain 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.
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Hello Reader, 🧭 Where in the World? It’s summer and I have an outsized desire to talk about the weather. We’re based in the North Country for the summer, traveling a bit in Minnesota and a couple other U.S. destinations. This time of year, we’re looking for every opportunity to visit friends, relax lakeside, and even work or read outside on a shady deck or screened porch. Summer is fleeting, so we remind ourselves: carpe diem! Book now for the last spot on our Ireland tour. And, have one on...
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