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.)

Alaska! This is our first time visiting, and our first time traveling with American Cruise Lines. The itinerary is Juneau to Juneau aboard a ship that accommodates just 170 passengers. Over 12 days, we’ll make seven ports of call plus other excursions off ship to kayak, hike, and take in the scenery. Though we don’t have time to extend the trip on our own, as is our habit, we know we’ll find this introduction inspiring. Tell us about your favorite places to visit in Alaska!

🧳 Our Latest Posts

As we mentioned, we're just coming home from Spain where Tom just had a fun week brushing up on his Spanish with eight other like-minded scholars of the "50+" variety. We've always recommended learning a little bit of a language before you visit a foreign country – or while you're there – and this is a great way to do it. Read about Tom's experience here: Language Classes Abroad for Adults Over 50: A Slow Traveler's Guide. As part of his time there, he's also working on updating our Guide to Málaga.

While we've been in Spain, we've taken the opportunity to consolidate our Spain destination and cultural recommendations into one post. If you are ever thinking of visiting our favorite country, you should check this out: Spain Travel Guide for Travelers Over 50: Culture, Food, Slow Travel.

Last week we shared Kris’s thorough guide to Jerez de la Frontera. TLDR? Have a listen to this Amateur Traveler podcast by Chris Christiansen, fellow traveler on the Jerez press trip. He tells some fun back stories, and chatted with Kris about her takeaways, too.

🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

Now's the time to register for our special November 2026 week in Córdoba and Granada, Spain, in partnership with Elective Study Abroad. Join us for The Architecture and Cuisine of Andalucia.
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We can't imagine a better way to enjoy Spain than with this slow-travel, relaxed approach to learning: experiencing these beautiful cities with experts covering the history, food, and culture (flamenco!) of Andalucia.
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​NOTE: Travel Past 50 readers save $250 with the code TP502026. There’s no single supplement. Plus, we’ll happily help with suggestions for any of your pre- or post- travel extensions in Spain, our home away from home.

Read more about Elective Study Abroad programs and inquire today – with us or them – if you have any questions about our November options in Andalucia.
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Check out our Travel Past 50 Tours page and sign up for email alerts of our future tours.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• This is actually one of the more useful news items we've run across lately: The 8 Best Apple Watch Tips I Didn't Know by erstwhile NY Times tech writer David Pogue. These tips include one that can save your life, as well as several that will just make your (Apple) life a little easier. I started using two of the tips right after reading this story.
• The iconic American road trip road, Route 66, that "winds from Chicago to LA" is turning 100 this year. We liked this essay in the LA Times about "taking that California trip."​
• Are you coming back into the US from abroad through an airport in New York or Los Angeles? (Or Minneapolis and a few other cities?) If so, Homeland Security may have a surprise for you. Warning, it's not a pleasant one. So far, it's just a threat, but who knows?
• Ever had your phone stolen? We have, twice, and it's not pleasant. In fact, just losing your phone might not be the worst. You might start getting physical threats if you don't unlock it for the thieves.

📖 What We're Reading

Tom is currently reading John of John, by Douglas Stewart for his book club, and Middlemarch, by George Eliot because he hasn't read a 1000 page book in a while and he's feeling kinda stubborn.

Kris is delighted to get back to reading. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is intriguing and fun and features the stubborn letter-writer, Sybil, who sometimes reminds Kris of herself. Same age, anyway…

You can see most of the books we recommend in one place at our Amazon book shop. If you'd prefer an alternative to Amazon, there is Alibris.com, where we frequently buy used books, and Bookshop.org, which supports independent booksellers. And, if you're into art books, like we are, check out the catalog at Taschen, the world's foremost publisher of art books.

If you buy a book through our links, we make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

Imagine living life so carefully there are no signs that you lived at all. – Raven Leilani

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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.

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