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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OUR TRAVEL BLOG
We’ve traveled to more than 65 countries since 2010. Read all about it.
ScholarTrips: Encouraging Travel Abroad
Returning to Philbeach Gardens in London's Earl's Court: my go-to neighborhood since living there during study abroad programs in London. "Have you traveled outside the United States in the last 21 days?” This is now a standard [...]
Embracing Karpathos Island
The historic town of Olympos in the mountains of northern Karpathos, where first residents could hide from pirates. Family. Togetherness. The mantra of Karpathos Island, a gem in Greece's Dodecanese island group. The family feeling of Karpathos struck [...]
Put the ‘Book’ in Booking: Crafting an Author-Centric Itinerary
Create an itinerary to visit the same haunts as your favorite fictional characters. [Note: Along our travels, we meet many others who are following a path similar to ours: travel writers, photographers, explorers...an assortment of poeple who meet [...]
St. Olav’s Way, the Northern Alternative to the Camino de Santiago
The St. Olav's Way starts in Selånger, Sweden, and ends at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway. It follows the road Olav traveled in the summer of 1030. It has been a pilgrimage route since the 11th Century.
Unexpected Travel Insurance Benefits
Travel insurance benefits that go the extra mile. Travel insurance policies might surprise you. Whether you buy a single trip plan or an annual policy like ours, whether you are a global traveler, senior traveler, or seasonal beach [...]
What to See in Assisi, Italy
Before you start ticking off your list of things to see and do on your tour of Assisi, it would serve you well to at least take the time to learn just a little about the two saints, Francis and Clare, that make this Umbrian town the attraction that it is.
Best Places to Visit in Värmland, Sweden
On the edge of Lake Vänern, Picasso's sculpture in Kristinehamn If you really want to get to know Sweden, visit the heartland, Värmland County. Karlstad, the capital city of Värmland, can be reached in just over two hours [...]
Kizhi Island, Russia, a Unesco World Heritage Site
The island of Kizhi is a museum of the old ways. The fields are now cultivated as an exhibit. It's hard to imagine a tourist getting to Kizhi Island in Russia other than on an organized river cruise [...]