Travel Photography — Photos and Tips from 80+ Countries
Browse Tom’s travel photography collections from 16 years and 80+ countries — annual photo roundups, destination galleries, photography tips, and the gear we use.
Tom Bartel
Spain Travel Guide for Travelers Over 50: Culture, Food, Slow Travel
Plan a smarter trip to Spain with our guide to the best places to visit, when to go, food, culture, trains, packing, and slow travel ideas for travelers over 50.
The Christian Churches of Granada, Spain
Most visitors to Granada come for the Alhambra — and miss three extraordinary Christian monuments just as worth your time. Tom explores the Renaissance Cathedral, the breathtaking Monastery of San Jeronimo, and the wildly ornate Carthusian Monastery, all built to celebrate the Reconquista in grand style.
The Ultimate Carry-On Packing List for Travelers Over 50
This is our ultra light carry-on packing list for travelers over 50. It all fits easily into a 35 liter backpack.
The Ultimate Ultra Light Packing List for Men
This post was updated May 2026. I will cut straight to the bone – the bare bones of my super light travel packing list. This list should be more than … Read more
The Complete Camino de Santiago Packing Guide: What You Actually Need—and What You Don’t
First-time pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago always carry too much. Let us share our experience from our Caminos with you. Packing right affects your comfort, your energy, and ultimately how much you enjoy the experience.
10 Basic Tips to Make Your Travel Photos Better
Here are a few rules I try to follow to make good photos. Many, not all, of these tips are based on using an actual camera that has exposure and … Read more
Pablo Neruda’s Home, Santiago, Chile
The home of Pablo Neruda, the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet, is famous for its quirky art and eclectic layout. Neruda called his home in Santiago La Chascona, after his nickname for his lover Matilde Urrutia. Chascona means “tangled one,” a name he gave her because of her curly red hair.
Bellavista Neighborhood Murals, Santiago de Chile
We were pleased to wander the Bellavista neighborhood of Santiago de Chile where we’d lived many years ago and find that many of the shop and apartment walls were still covered with imaginative murals.
The Best Introduction to Madrid is the Madrid Food Tour
Every traveler deserves a great gastronomic introduction to food in Madrid, Spain. These walking tours will help you find the places you’d never discover on your own, and wrap up your experience with great stories describing the history and culture of food in Spain.
