To me, Venice is the most unique city in the world. It floats in the sea. The canals weave in and out of the city full of gondoliers, water taxis, and vaporetto.  It's definitely not a Roman city, but a mix of East and West. The pedestrian streets (there are no cars on the island, except for one very limited place) wind through the city with no rhyme or reason. We often travel there on The Traveling Professor's small group tours and our travelers love it. But there are a few tips we have for you in today's blog post about the city of Venice, or as they say it in Italy, Venezia.

The Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay, Louvre, Montmartre, Seine River Cruise, Pantheon, Pomidou Center, Rodin Museum, Arc de Triomphe - those are all things people see on their first trip to Paris.  They are timeless sites that probably could be visited time and time again. But what should you see on your second and even third or fourth visit to Paris. In this blog, The Traveling Professor gives some ideas on other great sites that would be superstars in nearly any other place in the world. 

Vincent Van Gogh is considered by many to be the greatest painter of all time. He spent much of his time in France.  Those who have gone to Paris with The Traveling Professor on one of his small group tours to Paris can remember walking the neighborhoods frequented by Van Gogh and seeing his paintings at the Musee d'Orsay. In today's guest blog post adapted from a  post originally done by Laura Keefe Junod of VoyageScholar.com, she talks about visiting Auvers - the place where Van Gogh lived, died and is buried. She does a wonderful job of explaining where Van Gogh  lived, died and is buried.

Everyone loves Italy.  The Traveling Professor's small group tours to Italy usually covers Venice, Florence, Rome and Sorrento (the Amalfi Coast).  Planning an itinerary can be daunting, but The Traveling Professor makes it easy for the first-time Italy traveler.  See all the great sites, eat wonderful food, experience the culture. Take a look at our introduction to Italy itinerary and get ready to say "Ciao!" to Italy.

Ah, we love to eat when we go on our small group tours to Paris.  Who doesn't?  The Professor presents his list of Paris restaurants. The list includes places for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.  Some are expensive, some are not.  Some qualify as a great place for a romantic dinner, but most of them are on the casual side. Take advantage of The Professor's experience and see where to eat in Pars. 

The Traveling Professor ran small group tours to Iceland, Peru and Machu Picchu, Scotland, Croatia, Italy, Normandy Invasion Beaches, and Canada in 2019.  We had a wonderful year, making new friends and traveling to great places.  But who goes on Traveling Professor tours?  In this blog post, we will tell you the number of people and what the make-up of our small group tours looks like.

Any experienced traveler will tell you that "stuff happens" on a trip.  Luckily, a majority of trips go as planned without any major hiccups. But sometimes luggage is lost, reservations at hotels are incorrect, or a reserved car is not exactly what you specified.  The Traveling Professor has PLENTY of experience in booking arrangements and it is rare that we ever have a problem.  Let's face it, on our small group tours we can't afford to have any problems and it is a rare occasion that we do. That is because we have learned over the years how to make sure your plans go as planned.  Get a look into how you can make sure your plans go the right way when booking your own vacation and what to do when "stuff happens" 

People are traveling more than ever.  The economy is good, people seem to have more leisure time, and they want to go to new places and experience different foods and culture. The Traveling Professor small group tours go all over Europe, to Canada, and South America.  People generally travel to places they have heard of before, but in today's blog post, The Traveling Professor has some suggestions of places to travel in 2020. Take a look, some of them are quite interesting!

The Traveling Professor is on the road with his small group tours about 150 days a year.  We visit places like Paris, Peru, Norway, Ireland, Italy, and Croatia.  We can be in a warm climate one week and a cold one the next week.  For instance, we finished up a trip in Croatia where the temperature was in the 90's and the next week in Norway we saw snowflakes.  We travel on all types of transportation, at all hours of the day, eat all kinds of foods, and use all kinds of public facilities. Keeping healthy on a trip is a challenge and in this blog post, The Professor gives his best tips for keeping healthy while traveling.

Everyone seems to be traveling these days, so a holiday gift for the traveler in your life seems appropriate for the upcoming gift giving season. The Traveling Professor takes travelers on about 15 small group tours every year.  He gets to see what travelers are using, what their needs are, and what they would like to get from you this Christmas.  In this blog post, The Traveling Professor has culled together a collection of 10 of his best travel gift ideas. He's picked all sorts of gifts for all sorts of travelers. Take a look at The Professor's Top Ten Holiday Gifts for Travelers.  Happy Holidays!