🌎 The best foods of Spain, region by region, and how to think about travel in uncertain times


Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

We are busy back at home after a couple quick jaunts, including Kris's 50th college reunion. Though we didn’t have far to travel, the reunion brought the world closer to home. It was record-breaking attendance for a Carleton College reunion, and even our class (consider the disaffected era) exceeded expectations.

Remarkably, the gathering wasn’t a trip down memory lane. The tone reflected the group’s engagement in the present and concern for the future. Most fellow alumni I talked to were decidedly not retired but involved in new enterprises: working or volunteering for social and environmental causes, writing books, picking up family responsibilities, building guitars, traveling, making music, creating art, practicing yoga or sports, building crossword puzzles, teaching, or committing time to reading and further studies.

All that, I guess you could say, aligns with the spirit of travel: stay curious, keep exploring. We didn’t feel so old, after all – though I doubt we’ll ever choose to stay in a dormitory again.

🧳 Our Latest Posts

Last week we published our Ultimate Guide to Traditional Spanish Foods. It was a big project, but it’s easy to navigate to the region of Spain most of interest to you. Over the past five decades, we’ve traveled to – and eaten in – all 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain. We share a bunch of recipes in this post and give regional agriculture notes to bring context to Spain’s incredible and diverse cuisine. Check out the recipes we include, too.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

Given the precarious situation in the Middle East, you’re undoubtedly aware of evacuations and travel warnings there. Ben Gurion Airport (Israel) remains closed as of this writing, evacuations are underway, and both regional and worldwide air traffic will be affected.

We still believe, however, that you can go about your travels in Europe or elsewhere in the world without undue concern. No matter where or when you go, we do offer these reminders:

Stay clear of demonstrations, avoid U.S. Embassy neighborhoods, and keep obvious signs of your nationality lowkey. Congregating with larger groups of Americans is not advised. You can check out country by country advisories here.

Concerned about anti-tourist protests? We might suggest you book hotel versus Airbnb accommodations and, as noted above, avoid wandering into large crowds or protest areas. As always, we recommend travel in shoulder or off seasons, and we encourage itineraries outside major metro areas. Discover something new!

Finally, if you need some destination ideas, here are 10 suggestions for the best places to travel this year. (We've been to six of the ten, and want to go to the others.)

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It’s a cute 4” x 6” volume (great for travel) she picked up at Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, dubbed ‘the most beautiful bookshop in the world’.

Tom has just finished The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak and enthusiastically recommends it as the "best book I've read in the last year."

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. – Oscar Wilde

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

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Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning

Travel Past 50

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Kris and Tom of TravelPast50.com

Since 2010, we've traveled to more than 80 countries. Our goal for our newsletter is to help you travel more, better, and for less money. We do that through our travel tips posts and destination guides. Sign up to see how we can help you achieve your travel goals.

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