Kristin Henning

Minnesota

Freelance Travel Writer at Freelance

Now reporting at http://t.co/jPWl2ihFfc, too. I follow media, travel, arts and culture, funny people, and good writing. Former publisher in the Midwest.

Articles

Find Top Things to See and Do in Valencia Spain

1 week ago | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

Valencia has a story all its own. While it’s the third largest city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona, it feels smaller and more rural, surrounded as it is by some of Spain’s most fertile agriculture. The personality of the city is unique; Valencia could live with any number of tag lines. It’s a port city, a culinary capital, an architecture and design center, a green city, a college town, a beach resort, and home to an amalgam of historic, religious, and secular cultural festivals.
Our Favorite Hotels of 2024

Jan 20, 2025 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

Every January we join the universe in pausing to take a look back, just as we're striving to look ahead. It’s supposedly a good time to review and reevaluate. OK, but also it's just fun to recap. You know…lest we forget where we've been and how far we've come. In short, Tom and I covered a lot of ground, traveling to 14 countries on four continents in 2024. That included 57 cities for Kris, and 42 for Tom.
Three Days in Bratislava Slovakia: Top Things to Do

Jan 20, 2025 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

Bratislava, Slovakia, is easy to get to, easy to get around, and filled with interesting historic sights. Just an hour by train from Vienna, Austria, Slovakia's capital city might be just a day trip for some. We were glad to spend three days in Bratislava, soaking up history and bits of local culture, enjoying art old and new, and eating up highlights of the local cuisine. Our hotel played a big part in the Bratislava allure, too, so read on for specifics. We arrived in Bratislava by train.
Merino Wool: Best T-Shirts and Clothing for Travel

Jan 13, 2025 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

We were compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. We have said it repeatedly, packing light is the very best travel tip we can offer you. And, as we've also learned in our nearly 15 years of full time travel, the best way to accomplish that is to travel with the right clothes. For us, the basis of the right clothes for packing light is merino wool garments from Unbound Merino.
Tips for Train Travel in Europe with a Eurail Pass

Dec 23, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

The last time we wrote about traveling by train in Europe with a Eurail Pass was ten years ago, after completing a two-month tour. We've just returned from another two-month trip. This 2024 version reminds us how convenient, enjoyable, and affordable it is to see the world via European railways. Using Eurail’s Global Pass, in particular, along with the Rail Planner app, this Eurail trip was even easier than it was ten years ago.
Mallorca, Spain: Best Things to See Across the Island

Oct 7, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

Mallorca, Spain, is so popular it’s been almost embarrassing to confess it was the only one of Spain’s 17 regions we’d not visited – up until now. Mallorca is the largest of the four populated Balearic Islands, which lie in the Mediterranean Sea east of Valencia, Spain. To the north of Mallorca is Menorca, a small, green wind-swept version that is one-fifth the size and one-tenth the population of Mallorca. Ibiza and tiny Formentera are situated farther south.
How to Make Spanish Gazpacho at Home

Aug 12, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

One of the things we most enjoy from our travels to Spain is the dishes we've learned to make while there. Tom is really good at two of our favorites: paella and tortilla espańola, the famous Spanish potato omelet. But our real favorite is the gazpacho that I make in the summer from the abundant produce we can find even at Minnesota farmers' markets (and, sometimes Whole Foods.) We're huge fans of gazpacho, and that's not limited to just the tomato-based variety.
How to Plan Your Easy Road Trip Itinerary

Jun 25, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

It never gets old in our book: the pleasure of a road trip, the freedom of the open road, the ability to stop and start when we like, the easy access to countryside and wilderness. Passing through small towns and neighborhoods across the united states, we imagine ourselves in this place that seems both familiar and other worldly, all at once. Planning your road trip is easier than ever. Yes, you can still go to AAA and get assistance mapping your itinerary.
Great Food and Top Things to Do in Cáceres, Spain

Jun 10, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

The first time we visited Cáceres, in 2015, we basked in sunny and shady corners of the medieval city’s plazas and delighted in unexpected sips of delicious soup and bites of local jamón. Beyond photographing a couple churches, we didn’t dig too deep into this UNESCO World Heritage Site city. On our recent stay, we toured the Old Town, explored the Jewish quarter, revisited some of Cáceres' landmarks, and again were surprised and impressed with the world class cuisine coming out of this city.
Top Things to Do in Jerez de la Frontera: Two Days

May 21, 2024 | travelpast50.com | Kristin Henning

Too little time in Jerez de la Frontera. That’s our take-away after visiting this historic Spanish city in Andalucía, the province of Cadiz. With our stay of two nights, we couldn’t possibly take in all the important attractions of Jerez, but we did our best and vow to return.