This issue of our newsletter brought to you by Thrifty Traveler Premium​

Hello Reader,

​

🧭 Where in the World?

Have you ever considered walking the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage route across Spain to Santiago de Compostela?

There are, in fact, a lot of other pilgrimage routes in Europe that you might be interested in.

• Saint Olav’s Way, also known as Pilegrimsleden, crosses Sweden and Norway from the Baltic Sea west to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. It follows the road that Olav Haraldsson traveled when he returned to the region in 1030 to take the throne.

Tom wrote about St. Olav’s Way here, and Kris interviewed Mattias Janssen, director of the (Norway) National Pilgrim Center about the various routes to Trondheim (10 minute listen).

Want to try St. Olav’s Way? We’re offering short hikes on sections of this route on our Scandinavia Tour in September. BOOK YOUR TRIP HERE.​

• In Spain there are a couple alternates to the well-known routes to Santiago. One is the Camino Lebaniego in Cantabria, leading through the Picos de Europa mountains to the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana. The 73-kilometer (44 mile) pilgrimage starts on the north coast at San Vicente de las Barquera, creating a spur from the coastal Northern Route of the Camino de Santiago. This Camino Lebaniego, however, has its own Holy Year and its own relic: a portion of the crucifix which Saint Toribio was tasked with protecting.

Read more about this area of Spain and the Camino del Norte in our post.

• And yet another pilgrimage route system in Spain leads to the little known Holy City of Caravaca de la Cruz, in Murcia. There in the Basilica is the Sanctuary of the Cross, holding a splinter of the crucifix. More than a half dozen routes point to Caravaca. A primary route, Camino de Levante, beginning in Orihuela in the Valencia region, runs about 118 kilometers (73 miles) and features riverside and greenway paths, nature, small towns and regional cuisine from this agricultural center of Spain.

​

🛫 Come with us to Sweden and Norway

Have you ever considered a trip to Sweden or Norway? Have you been wanting to explore a less touristy destination? Grab your family or friends and join us for our Travel Past 50 tour of Scandinavia. We built the itinerary ourselves based on our trips there, so we know you'll enjoy the food, the scenery, the wonderful cities, and the unique itinerary across Sweden and Norway. The dates are Sep 18 -29, 2025, with an optional 3-day extension to Copenhagen.

If you have questions, you can reply to this email and we'll get you the answers as soon as we can.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• If you've never seen the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy, France, you should get there before August 31 because then the Tapestry won't be receiving visitors for two years. The abbey/museum that houses the tapestry will undergo a big renovation and expansion. We've seen it twice. It's quite an amazing contemporaneous historical document of the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066 – the last time Britain was successfully invaded.
• Are there too many points and miles and too few reward seats? That's what a lot of people are finding out when they try to use their points they've accumulated on credit cards. Mostly what we're seeing is that points travel is getting more expensive, but at the same time, if you're flexible in your schedule (a benefit of being retired) you can fly for points. See the article for tips on how to do that.

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• This Belkin portable charger – the one we use – is 10 percent off on Amazon right now. You can find cheaper chargers, but this one is fast, can charge two devices at once, and has cables included. Choose your version with a lightning connector for iPhones 15 and earlier or USB-C for everything else.

​

​

• You may be getting tired of us recommending them, but Apple AirTags will be a traveler's best companion this summer and they are still on sale for a great price. Get a four-pack for $69.99 and always know where your stuff is.
• The Daily Drop FREE newsletter is a really good way to find the best fare deals to where you want to go. Sign up to get regular emails on discounted flights from your home airport. Did we mention that it's FREE?

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible. ― Doris Lessing

​

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

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

​

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

​

Are you planning to book a trip soon?

• See our favorite travel resources​
• Check out our recommended travel accessories​
• Get the best travel credit card for you​
• Read all our Travel Skills tips posts​

Some other recommendations from our partners:

• See the travel gear and books we recommend at our Travel Past 50 Amazon shop​
• Shop our favorite place for outdoor gear and travel clothing at REI Co-op​
• Get your travel insurance with Allianz Travel Insurance​
• For your Spain travel, check out suggested itineraries at Spain's official tourism site​

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.