Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

We are en route, happily suspended between the first signs of Fall in Minnesota and new learning experiences in Palermo, Italy. Elective Study Abroad has primed us with some reading and movies to prepare for our course in Palermo, so we’re loaded up with downloads for the journey.

✏️ Our Latest Posts

• Our trip to Sicily and Spain prompted Tom to (again) go over his ultralight packing list and make some updates. Nothing like a two-month trip to make you recheck your check lists to be sure you've got everything you need, and eschew everything you don't. So, here's his updated ultralight packing list, including a new hat and a new handy little utility light.
• We've also done a thorough update of our post about Making Flying Easier and More Comfortable. This post is even more relevant with all the recent disruptions to the flying public.

🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

In case you missed it in earlier emails, we’ll remind you of these wonderful, independent travel opportunities we can endorse wholeheartedly.

• A rural UNESCO World Heritage visit in Sweden. The UNESCO-listed Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland can now be experienced through new three- and five-day journeys. Stay at World Heritage farmhouse Erik-Anders, meet the people who own and care for the farms, enjoy private visits to extraordinary painted rooms, and discover Hälsingland through food, stories and landscape. Choose three or five-day experiences, with options to explore even more of the seven UNESCO farmhouses. You can see the brochure here, or make inquiries to Anna Forsell, anna@erik-anders.se.
• A relaxing stay on Puerto Rico’s western coast. Check out La Locura, a private, modern hillside rental property designed by a well-known Puerto Rican architect to take advantage of sea breezes in this tropical climate. At a tranquil distance from the white sands of Buye Beach, La Locura is perfect for couples, families, or friend groups. Three individual houses each offer accommodations for four people. A private swimming pool, outdoor dining areas, and quiet balconies offer everyone social and solitary moments. La Locura is privately owned and loaded with works of art, ornamental plants, and impressive views. Friends of Travel Past 50 can book now – one two-BR house starts at just $200 per night with a five-night minimum. Check availability today by emailing Frank at fdstone1@gmail.com​
• Horse tourism. Coincidentally (is anything really coincidental?), just as Kris was finishing reading the intriguing Horse Lovers by Karin Winegar, she received an email from GLP Films about horse tourism. Both the book and the GLP story are great examples of building your life’s travels around your life’s passions. Read, watch and dream for inspiration. Kris’s favorite riding experience, btw, was years ago in Argentina at Carol Jones Ranch.
• Lifelong learning. Our life passions for learning is what leads us by the nose around the world. Please consider joining us for some of the best small-group experiences you can imagine, with Elective Study Abroad. (We're on their Palermo course as you read this.) Grab a spot now for The Architecture and Cuisine of Andalusia March 14-21, 2027. Read more about Elective Study Abroad programs – including courses in Paris and Istanbul – and inquire today. NOTE: There’s no single supplement and Travel Past 50 readers save $250 with the code TP502026.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• We are always looking to avoid air connections when possible, but when that's not possible, the next-best strategy is to avoid airports that make connections difficult. This list contains three airports that we always try to avoid: Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, and Denver. We can attest: they're all terrible.
• Speaking of airports, there are also some good ones, including our home airport of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. There are some long walks, but it has great food choices, shopping that might actually fill some last-minute need, like that charging cable you forgot, and the concourses are lined with interesting art.
• The NYTimes has recently listed their Seven New Rules for Air Travel. With all deference to the "newspaper of record," we've been making the same points for years. You read it here first.
• In other airport news, some US airports are opening up gate access without a flight ticket. Not all airports are participating, but if you have known traveler number (like TSA Pre or Global Entry), you can pick up or drop off your family members who might need a little help at the gate instead of at curbside.

We like to get our own daily news via short summaries. A big time saver over doomscrolling social media for tidbits. We subscribe to the daily news summary from 1440. Have a look. (BTW, sponsors like this help keep our site and newsletter free.)

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• If you love to use European trains, like we do, and you have a trip coming up, you have through Wednesday night, September 30, to get an Interrail Pass (formerly Eurail) at up to 50 percent off. The one, two, or three month continuous passes are the best deal, at 50 percent off, shorter duration passes are 15 percent off. You have 11 months from purchase to activate the pass, so if Europe is in your future, do it now. The discount is already in the prices on site, so there is no code to enter.

📖 What We're Reading

Tom has finished Roberto Bolaño's 2666, and will tell anyone who will listen that it's among the best books he's read in the last 10 years and that it completely deserves its place among the Top 10 on the NYTimes list of the best books of the 21st century. Next up for his book club is Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. He's also carrying the copy of Madame Bovary that has been on his bedside table for about five years with him to Europe. This may be its big moment. Finally, he's also got Ann Patchett's Tom Lake on Audible for his daily walks.

Kris is between books, having just finished the aforementioned Horse Lovers. As soon as she zips her bags closed, she’ll be starting Whistler by Ann Patchett.

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❞

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. – Mark Twain

See our list of amusing, insightful, and pithy travel quotes here.

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

Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning ​Travel Past 50​ Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Join our Facebook community.

​

Are you planning to book a trip soon?

• Read all our Travel Skills tips posts.
• See our favorite travel resources.
• Check out our recommended travel accessories.

Some other recommendations from our partners:

• See the travel gear and books we recommend at our recently updated Travel Past 50 Amazon shop.
• Shop our favorite place for outdoor gear and travel clothing at REI Co-op.
• For your Spain travel, check out suggested itineraries at Spain's official tourism site.
• For an in-depth educational approach to travel, see the courses at Elective Study Abroad.

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.