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Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

We are officially settled in for the holidays, back home. Lights in the windows, on the tree, and at the front door are designed to stave off the cold dark of these shortest days. Where we live, right at the 45th parallel, and approaching Winter Solstice, we have under 9 hours daylight. Out our windows, sunrise on December 21 will be at 7:48 a.m.; sunset at 16:34. (The earliest sunset was actually on December 9.)

The trick, methinks, is to fill the dawn and twilight hours with … something. A puzzle, a chapter, some cooking, a task, anything to avoid noticing the fading light. So. We’ve been busy planning for future tours and travel!

Travel with us on an exclusive tour of Sligo, Ireland

This fall (October 2025), we’re taking a tour to Sligo, Ireland, and we hope you’ll consider joining us.

We've partnered with Ciaran McHugh of Ireland in Focus because he's created a wonderful tour of County Sligo and environs that involves both the heritage and the stunning beauty of the western coast area of Ireland.

The tour dates are October 17 – 24, 2025.

For a limited time, Ciaran is offering a $300 discount to our readers. On the checkout page, enter the promo code TP50 to get the discount. Don't wait. Deadline for this discount is January 10, 2025.

Our accommodation will be fixed in an historic Georgian manor on a 1000-acre estate. We won't be packing up to move every two or three days. Yet, every day will be different as we'll venture out on day trips to capture the beauty, the history, and the culture of different parts of Sligo. We'll get to meet and interact with the locals, and even share a pint or two in the local pubs.

Ciaran, our guide, is steeped in the history and beauty of the area and primed to share his personal connections. He also happens to be a first-rate photographer and will share his photo tips for those who are interested.

We're looking forward to traveling with you.

You can see all the tour details and sign up now via the Ireland In Focus website. Make your deposit soon, as this will fill up quickly.

Feed your Ireland dreams with a look at this post from our earlier travels to Sligo and the famed Ben Bulben and the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

Ready to Plan Your Dream Trip to Europe?

Exciting news we’re a little bit proud to share. We are (well, Kris is) presenting a webinar on Packing Light for Europe for the DIY Trip Summit. The free online conference runs January 7-9, 2025, and is focused this year on travel to Europe.

Discover how to plan your own unforgettable trips with expert tips on finding hidden gems, saving money, and avoiding common travel mistakes. Register now to save your spot for the 3-day event with sessions collected under Dream, Plan, and Go practical tips. Join now so you don’t miss it: January 7-9.

P.S. It’s completely FREE to join the DIY Summit!

🧳 Our Latest Posts

Now’s the time to plan your Christmas market travel for 2025. Or so we’re told. We spent Thanksgiving weekend based in Strasbourg, France, on the first days of the Christmas market there. (Strasbourg is also famous for its cathedral and celestial clock.) From Strasbourg it was an easy day trip to enjoy the markets in Colmar and Riquewihr, the little “provincial town” said to have inspired the setting for Beauty and Beast.

Here's more detail about the Strasbourg Cathedral.

You can look farther south for your European Christmas Market travel, too. Spain’s cities and Christmas markets are filled with traditions around food and fun and local churches.

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• What airports have the most (and fewest) flight delays? Here's a list, along with some tips on how to avoid taking flights that are more likely to be delayed.
• This is the time of the year for lists, and Chase Travel has published a list of 25 places to visit in 2025. We've been to several of these, and there are plenty of others that are going on our list to consider. (By the way, our favorite travel card's signup bonus can do lots to get you on your way.)
• US visitors to the UK will need to apply for a visa waiver in advance of their visit as of January 2025, and pay a £10 (about $13) fee. (UK visitors to the US have had to pay a fee for years. They finally got around to reciprocating.)

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• Our favorite merino wool walking socks, Point6, is having a 50 percent off sale sitewide until Christmas day.

📖 What We're Reading

Since Kris finished The Ministry of Time (by Kaliane Bradley) as our flight home from Paris was landing, she’s taken the last fortnight to read magazines, feature stories, and assorted Substack essays. This week’s standout is “All the Pretty Little Horses,” the story of Cormac McCarthy’s ‘muse’, by Vicenzo Barney in Vanity Fair. She’s now settling back into fiction, starting with The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, selected for its title, author, and position at eye level on the “want to read” bookshelf in Kris’s office.

Tom is continuing Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels tetralogy with Book 2, called The Story of a New Name. Tom called the first book, My Brilliant Friend, one of the best books he's read in years.

For our previous recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. ― A.A. Milne

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

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

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