Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

However you plan to spend the 4^th of July weekend, let’s hope you have safe travels, relaxing afternoons with friends or family, and plenty of grilling and potluck dishes to share. The holiday starts now for us. Kris is planning a day trip to her friend’s lake place, a golf game, and a session at the kiddy pool this week. We prefer to stay close to home on the 4^th.

If you're thinking of setting off explosives, please think twice. Consider the noise impact on pets and wildlife in your neighborhood. Many combat veterans, too, have already had too many explosions in their lives. Skip the noise this year.

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🛫 Get Going: Tours We Recommend For You

Join us in Ireland. We've had a single cancellation on our Ireland in Focus tour October 17-24. If you'd like to join us, here's the info on the tour, and here's the direct booking link for the last open spot. We'd love to have you.

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🧳 Our Latest Posts

Our summer really kicked off with our travel to Vail, Colorado earlier in June. Check out our full report on all the best things to do in Vail in the off-season. Summers there are filled with both cultural events and outdoor activities. You can still plan your travel around some of their biggest festivals – international dance and live music – and know that you’ll find great dining experiences, too.

Tomorrow, July 2, you can review your travel safety practices. Check out the upcoming DIY Trip Security Spotlight, a free online event with real-world advice from experienced travelers and security pros. Learn how to protect your phone, data, documents and valuables, and how to spot scams. Tom and I have contributed with a video on protecting your valuables and what to do if your phone is lost or stolen. (Hint: It’s worthwhile to put some protections in place in advance!) The event goes live July 2, and you have 48 hours to watch for free. Sign up now to get the event links and notices.

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🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• Travel isn't cheap these days, but there are still some bargains out there. Here's a list of some exotic, yet comparatively reasonable possible destinations for your next trip.
• Speaking of destinations, here's another list you might want to consider as you make your plans: the world's most beautiful buildings. We've seen eight of these, but now we have some more on our list.
• When we visit the world's best museums, we like to plant ourselves in front of the works and just spend some time looking. (In fact, one reason we love Madrid's Prado is that photography is prohibited.) You'll never see us take a selfie in front of the works. Unfortunately, there is often a crush of people who think the photo on their phone of Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring is the whole point of going to the museum. However, people taking selfies lately have actually, albeit accidentally, damaged artworks. Don't be that person. Take your time and look.
• Finally, if you're travel point enthusiasts like we are, and if you're into the elite level cards such as Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve, those are about to get more expensive. The card issuers are betting that status seekers won't mind the increase to up to almost $800 per year to carry their cards. Personally, we're seeing less value from credit card points schemes lately, and we've noticed that many restaurants – at least here in Minnesota – are adding a 4 percent credit card charge to our bills, which more than negates the value of the points we're getting from using the card.

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• The Eagle Creek packing cubes we use are on sale on Amazon for about 20 percent off.
• And, my versatile light weight Sea to Summit Toiletry bag is also on sale for about 20 percent less than I paid for it.
• The handy Waschii portable laundry bag seems to have also lowered their price by $10. This is one of our best finds of last year, and we never travel without it now.

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is in the final pages of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. (“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”) Which book will she draw on next from the bedside stack?

Tom is reading the semi-fantasy book, Among Others, by Jo Walton, a story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood. It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Science Fiction a few years back.

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment. – Dorothy Parker

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

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

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