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

Hello Reader,

​

🧭 Where in the World?

We're here at home in Minnesota, doing more than our usual due diligence on a couple of upcoming trips to Europe. Given that the dollar has lost about 10 percent of its purchasing power in the last couple of weeks vs. the Euro, researching lower priced hotels and securing bookings before prices escalate further seems to be worth the effort. At any rate, it keeps us from peeking at our retirement portfolio.

🧳 Our Latest Posts

We've just finished compiling our extensive list of reasons why Valencia has moved up the charts on things we love about Spain. (It's quite a long list.) From the Fallas, to paella, to amazing architecture and art, to green space and wide beaches, to nature preserves and rich cultural traditions, Valencia has it all. Note to anyone considering a multi-gen trip: this fits the bill for all ages.
​

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• The New York Times this week had a handy story about some strategies you can use to get the best hotel rates. The best one overall is one we use a lot for both hotels and airfares: be flexible on your dates. Often moving your dates as little as one day forward or back can save you hundreds.
• As we mentioned last week, the deadline for having a Real ID to fly in the United States is coming up soon. As of May 7, you'll need one to get on a plane in the US. I wonder if Kristi Noem will have her IDs replaced by then.
• The winners of the World Press Photo Contest have been announced. Lots of amazing photos in here and well worth the time to have a look.

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• One of our favorite travel accessories, the Belkin portable phone charger, is on sale now for 25 percent off. This is an essential accessory, especially if you're using your phone a lot for photos or mapping while you travel.
• The Waschii portable laundry bag is still on sale for 20 percent off. This is a recent find for us, and we've found it to be one of our new fave accessories – and maybe the best pack light tool since merino wool.
• Our favorite travel socks, Point6, are always on sale for 40 percent off. When you compare the quality and price of Point6 to all the other merino wool socks, you'll see why these are our favorites.

✈️ Points and Miles News

• The best deal on one of the best cards for travel has just gotten better. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is now offering a 100,000 point bonus when you meet the minimum spend of $5000 in the first three month after card approval. When you spend those points on travel through the Chase Travel portal, 100,000 points is worth $1250 toward airline or hotel costs. Add to that a $50 hotel credit and the total offer is worth $1300. Don't miss it. Here's our comprehensive review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
• Our other go-to travel card is from Capital One, which is still making its welcome offer of 75,000 miles and a $250 travel credit when you apply for their Venture Rewards credit card. It's a card we carry and use a lot. We don't know how much longer this offer will last, so if you're looking to save about $1000 on your travel this year, I wouldn't wait to get this card. You can read our review here.

📖 What We're Reading

Tom's reading Your Steps on the Stairs, by Antonio Muñoz Molina, a brilliant psychological suspense tale interweaving the tragedy of 9/11 in New York and a move to Lisbon in an attempt to escape the trauma.

Kris is still reading A Prayer for Owen Meany... and is continually amused and amazed at how well Irving captures young kids.

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast. – Ernest Hemingway

​

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

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

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

​

​

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​
• 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.