KRIS AND TOM’S STORY
After a 30-year career in publishing, Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning shed their last publication, their house, and most of their possessions. In 2010, they gave their dog to their daughter and set out on a journey to see the world. Kris and Tom combine a love of culture with a love for the outdoors. Their travels vary between long stays in such cultural cities as London, Barcelona, Rome, and Beijing, detours to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and spurts of hiking or biking in Europe, Australia, Asia, or through the National Parks of the United States.
Travel Past 50 reflects Kris and Tom’s appreciation of international cultures and active soft adventure. They’ve hiked in Spain, biked in Brittany, trekked through the Guatemalan jungle, and crawled over the glaciers of Patagonia. They’ve also spent months in London going to the theater, a summer in Rome studying Latin, three months in Florence studying art history, and have visited nearly every major museum and church in Europe. It’s a diverse curriculum, and one we hope you’ll like.
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We’ve traveled to more than 65 countries since 2010. Read all about it.
Podcast Episode: European Bike Tour
Biketours.com's Jim Johnson describes the wonders of slow travel by bike. As we prepare for our bike tour in Italy, we’ve been catching up on expert opinions and industry news about touring by bicycle. This is a relatively [...]
Training for a Bike Tour in Italy, Kris and Tom Style
Training 101: Shovel bike out of the snow. This seems like a good day to talk about the extensive training Tom and I are factoring into our upcoming Italy bike tour. As you may recall, we’ve already decided [...]
Åre, Sweden: Adventures in Jämtland
The wind dusting up fresh fallen snow adds to the thrill of dogsledding in the wilderness near Åre, Sweden, under a cold sun. Åre (pronounced or-rey), Sweden, isn’t just a ski town, though it would be the first [...]
Annual Travel Insurance Plans Cover Multiple Trips
Miami to MSP along the Florida coast, on our way back from Cuba. Note: This is part of a series of posts we’re writing about travel insurance. Especially among seniors, travel insurance is one of the top questions [...]
The Fotografiska Photography Museum, Stockholm
Ships that pass in the day. Not a lot to say about this shot, other than we were at the Fotografiska Photography Museum in Stockholm and thinking of eating, when this big cruise ship passed by the cafeteria [...]
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Denmark
Kronborg Castle at Helsingor is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Denmark. There are nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Denmark. Six are cultural and three are natural sites. The Kronborg Castle at Helsingor is of particular interest, [...]
Kronborg Castle, Helsingor, Denmark
Kronborg Castle in Helsingor. You can imagine the ghost of Hamlet, Senior walking the walls. You'll also have to imagine it's night. Kronborg Castle in Helsingor, Denmark, immortalized in Shakespeare's Hamlet as Elsinore, actually represents a significant place [...]
Sepulchre of Frederick II, Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark
The beautiful decoration of the tomb of Denmark's King Frederick II shows through the whitewash. The Roskilde Cathedral (Domkirke) of the ancient capital of Denmark is the first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick. Because of this [...]