Tom Bartel

What’s in My Carry-On Personal Item

August 20, 2024August 12, 2024 by Tom Bartel

Part of making flying easier is having a well thought out and packed personal item that fits under the seat in front of you on the plane. Here’s our list of what to carry on every flight.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy

November 10, 2024August 7, 2024 by Tom Bartel

unesco world heritage Italy florence duomo

Italy has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of any country. Most of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy are cultural sites, given Italy’s history as both the home of the Roman Empire and of the Roman Church and its medieval city states such as Venice, Florence, and Milan.

The Plantin Moretus Museum, Antwerp, Belgium

August 5, 2024July 29, 2024 by Tom Bartel

The Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium holds a distinction. It’s the only museum in the world that is a Unesco World Heritage site. An extensive museum of the printing arts, including a Gutenberg Bible and books illustrated by Rubens and Bruegel the Elder.

Day Hiking Essentials: What to Pack in Your Day Pack

July 1, 2024June 24, 2024 by Tom Bartel

The key to a packing list for a day hiking trip: have everything you need; don’t carry any weight you don’t have to; and be ready if something doesn’t go exactly according to plan.

The Best Resources for Travel Planning

November 12, 2024June 9, 2024 by Tom Bartel

Travel resources and tips to make your travel easier, cheaper, safer, and more fun. Flight information, lodging, luggage, tech, travel clothing, credit cards, and more.

The National Parks of the United States by State

August 17, 2024June 8, 2024 by Tom Bartel

A list of National Parks and Monuments by state, with links to our stories about parks we’ve visited. There are 62 U.S. National Parks, including two in American Samoa and the United States Virgin Islands. Lots of other fun facts about National Parks.

What to do in Mérida, Spain: Three Days of Roman History

June 12, 2024May 15, 2024 by Tom Bartel

It’s a bit hard to imagine that in all the times we’ve been to Spain over the last nearly 50 years that we took that long to finally get to Mérida, in Extremadura. Especially because I’m sort of a Roman history geek and Mérida, by far, is the repository of the most spectacular ruins of the Roman Empire in Spain.