Dear Ageless Traveler,

What can you do at 80? Bob Becker completed the Badwater 135 ultramarathon the world’s toughest foot race. “I had a score to settle,” he said.

Paul McCartney announced his Got Back 2025 US tour. At age 83, he will do nineteen dates in arenas and stadiums starting Sept. 29 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. Tickets went on sale July 15. You go, guys!

This week’s guest on The Ageless Traveler, Lea Lane, an octogenarian, world traveler, and journalist, regales us with charming stories of her adventures from her book Places I Remember.

I thought about this a lot and did some research. It seems the longer you live, the longer you are slated to live. According to insurance stats that make up the actuarial tables, every year you live, you add a few more months to your life…like the rich get richer and the old get older.

According to longevity societies like People Unlimited, we could live to 150. That means I am middle-aged. Sounds better. I asked a friend who is 88 (the average American’s age limit, according to the most optimistic stats) what he thought about his age. His answer, “I never think about it.” Good answer.

In the following weeks, I will give you information, podcasts, and reports from geroscientists, travelers, and age experts that make you “Ageless.” Step One starts today…get inspired by Leah and our podcast interview of the 86-year-old world traveler, Irvina Lew. Never Stop Traveling.

This week’s newsletter includes our usual sections:

• Ask Adriane: The long walk to your flight gate.
• News You Can Use: TSA’s NEW Shoe Rules, and The Gilded Age Tours in Newport, RI
• Culture Vulture: The World’s Best Tea Experiences
• Luxury Travel For Less: Tips for the South of France

Please support our work. Ask friends to subscribe to our newsletter free of charge, and if you have not subscribed through our new link, do so and get all the discounts and booking apps we now provide free of charge.

If you have travel questions, I can answer them. Send voicemail and text questions to fanlist.com/ageless traveler.

​

P.S. Please send me your email address to get our free eBooks, live Ask Adriane events, discount alerts, tutorials on using AI for travel, how to listen to podcasts, and more. Three ways to send me your email: ​Join our Private Facebook Salon​ Subscribe here. Send me a message here.

P.P.S. Interested in our Japan trip in July 2026? Leave your expression of interest at fanlist.com/ageless traveler or email me at adrianegberg.agelesstraveler@gmail.com ​

​

This Week’s Highlights

On Our Podcast Inspiring Life-Long Travel: Solo Adventures, Gorilla Trekking, and More with Lea Lane

Discover the transformative power of travel with the author of Places I Remember, Lea Lane!

Join us as we explore her incredible adventures across over one hundred countries and the lessons learned along the way.

From her enchanting honeymoon in Europe to her unforgettable encounter with gorillas in Rwanda, Lea reflects on the awe and joy of travel. With stories that span decades, she highlights the importance of curiosity, the thrill of exploration, and the transformative power of travel experiences. Lea Lane’s journey is a testament to the power of travel to transform lives. Her stories inspire us to embrace our adventures, reminding us that the world is vast and full of possibilities.

Whether planning a trip across the globe or exploring your backyard, Lea’s insights will inspire you to never stop traveling.

​

Tea Culture…Everywhere

England

1885 The Langham became the first London hotel to serve afternoon tea. I am a fan of both Harrods and The Ritz. I’ve read that Prêt-à-Porte at The Berkeley is a modern twist on the usual small sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and petit fours. Pret-a-Porter serves iced biscuits shaped like dolls’ clothes. Imagine coming into a Christian Dior, pinky up!

China

The Yunnan province in southern China has a centuries-old tea culture. Tea is considered one of the seven daily necessities of life, like firewood, rice, vinegar, salt, oil, and soy sauce. Tea is brewed in clay teapots, and fill your cup only halfway. The rest of the cup is filled with friendship, respect, and love. Swallow in three mouthfuls, thank your host by tapping your finger on the table three times. Swallow what’s in your cup in three mouthfuls.

Japan

The Japanese tea ceremony is 800 years old. Traditionally, you will have tea in a teahouse, and we will visit one and have a whole ceremony next July on our group trip. Your tea master, Teisha, will help sit on the floor, and after we are settled, will whisk Matcha with boiling water. Take the bowl in your left hand, hold it with your right, and turn the cup before you drink to show humility (You’re not good enough to drink from the best side.) But drinking up, as to leaving anything in your bowl, is considered rude.

Russia

My grandfather put a whole cube of sugar in his mouth and filtered super-hot Russian tea through it. I still have the samovar his parents brought with them when they fled persecution in 1888 (he was 8 years old). Since they took little else with them, we can conclude that tea was significant to Russian Jews. It’s too bad they left their cup in its silver metal holder (podstakannik). I would have loved to drink from his cup…Yes, the picture of the samovar is granddad’s, which I still own.

​

Luxury Travel for Less

The South of France has always been associated with luxury at a price. I found a pleasant surprise while researching my August trip to France. Check out Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle at 199 euros, a Maison Alain Ducasse 5-star hotel in the heart of the Var. Love villas amid acres of a private park? Consider Cotignac, one of the most beautiful villages in France, where you’ll find Hotel Lou Calen, a converted mansion with star quality