On my tours to Paris, Italy, Spain and Peru, travelers often ask me what type of travel insurance, if any, to purchase. There are several travel insurance products out there. The descriptions can be lengthy and confusing. So for your next tour whether it be to Paris, Italy, Spain or even Peru and Machu Picchu, I have put together some concise information on what kind of international travel insurance a travel might want to consider purchasing for their next tour.
The Traveling Professor's monthly newsletter has been published for about five years now. It is extremely easy to sign up. Just look at that box at the upper right side of this website, put in some very basic information, confirm your subscription with an email and you are good to go! Once you are on the mailing list you'll get my monthly travel newsletter and maybe one or two special notices of tours, airfare specials, or important travel news. It's easy to unsubscribe if it clutters up your inbox or if you feel The Traveling Professor's newsletter is just not for you. For details of what you can find in the newsletter, read the blog post.
Since 2009, The Traveling Professor has been offering small group tours to baby boomers. It all started with a small group tour to Paris. In 2015 we will be offering:
We will be adding features and comforts that NO OTHER tour company offers. Read the blog post to find out what's new with our 2015 tours.
Let's face it, the world of travel has been transformed by the use of technology. There is yet to be one website or app that encompasses everything, but I do have a few favorite websites and apps that I use frequently when traveling solo or planning my group tours to Italy, Spain, Peru, or Paris. Check out the blog post to find my choice of best travel websites.
We recently returned from a small group tour of Italy. In Rome, there were masses of people at the Colosseum and the Vatican. The lines to see "David" at the Accademia snaked over a hundred yards around the block. The Uffizi, with it's rich Italian art, had a wait of hours and hours to get in. In Venice, the lines looked liked those in DisneyWorld, only on steroids. On my small group tours to Italy, we just don't wait in lines. Look at my tips for getting into those popular attractions like a VIP, with no waiting in line.
I ran my first small group tour to Paris in 2008. The cost was $999. But while it is true I have upgraded hotels and offer far more services such as professional guides since then, the cost of running a tour to Paris has more than doubled. When I ran my first small group tour to Italy back in 2011, we could offer a great tour for just $1,499. But now that cost is up by over 1/3. Again, we have upgraded hotels and offer more professional guide services. I'll explain why Europe has gotten so expensive and why the trend will continue to go that way.
With exchange rates putting North American travelers at a severe disadvantage these days (it costs nearly $1.40 to purchase a euro), being smart about getting and spending currency while on a tour to Paris, Italy, or Spain is more important than ever. In this blog post we will talk about how to spend foreign currency and some innovative ways to get it that I am sure you have never thought of before. Read my blog post on European money matters and be money smart!
Probably the largest expense behind the cost of lodging on a tour to Peru or a vacation to Europe is going to be airfare costs. With fares to Europe this summer in the $1,500 range for economy class, people are scrambling to find the best airfares. In this blog post I put down some of my best tips for finding bargain airfares to Italy, Paris, and Spain as well as Peru. So now on your next tour to Europe or even Peru, spend money on dining, touring, or a great hotel instead of giving it to the airlines.
In 2012, I had the opportunity to be profiled in The Wall Street Journal. A journalist had heard about me retiring from my position as a professor in the State University of New York System and my change of careers to leading small group tours to Paris, Spain, Italy, and Peru. It took about 2 months from the time all the interviewing was completed until the time the article was published and I remember the first time I saw it in print. I was traveling home from a small group tour to Peru and Machu Picchu and someone in the seat in front of me was reading The Wall Street Journal. As he opened it up, I could see he was reading the article. I resisted the urge to get out of my seat and point to it and say "Hey, that's me!". It was an exciting time. Read the blog post to see the WSJ article.