The Traveling Professor has been hearing tourism is down, especially in Europe and South America.  People generally don't like traveling during an election year.  Terrorism fears have put a damper on travel to places like Paris and Italy.  My guides, hotels and other sources think tourism has declined about 30% this year.  The Zika virus has put many travelers plans on hold to spots like Peru and Machu Picchu.   Of course we all deplore any kind of terror and violence and we sympathize with those affected with the Zika virus, those willing to travel will find low prices and less crowds.  Today's blog post tells you of some fantastic airfares to Europe and how to find them.

The first thing The Traveling Professor does in the morning is open emails from travelers.  This morning I received one from a traveler that (in part) read, "As a single traveler, I do not feel my fee [the single supplement] should underwrite the cost of a couple or two people in the same room.  Single traveler do not use more services than coupled travelers; thus no need for a fee.  Single supplements are discriminatory towards the single traveler.".   So, let me take the opportunity to explain exactly what the single supplement is and why it exists and why nearly all single travelers pay it and how The Traveling Professor helps single travelers.

I can remember flying on American Airlines to Paris in 2003 for $351 R/T.   Those days are gone.  Airfares, even in the off-season on legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United are well over $1,000.  It is not unusual to see regular coach airfares reach $1,800 in peak season.  These high airfares take a big bite out of one's vacation budget.  However, there are good alternatives to these legacy carriers.  Let me tell you about Norwegian Air in this blog post.

A Paris food market is a circus of smells, tastes, touch, colors and even sounds of food.  Discover any of the 56 cheeses classified and regulated under French law.   The salty smell of fresh oysters and mussels from the coast will make you take a deep breath and exhale with an “ahh”.  The burst of color from the blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and oranges lights up the day.  Wait on line for a baguette, put it under your arm and enjoy the pageantry of a Paris food market. Take a look at The Traveling Professor's picks of his 4 favorite food markets in Paris.

I travel about 100,000 miles a year and I travel with well over 100 travelers per year.   I've encountered about every travel situation you can think of.  Like a Boy Scout, I advise the philosophy of "Be Prepared" when traveling.  Look at my blog post and see the 5 essential items that every traveler should have when going on a small group tour with The Traveling Professor or traveling on their own.

People tell me all the time they want an "authentic" travel experience.   I am not sure what they mean by that.  I'm not even sure what an authentic travel experience is. Is it a location tourists don't go to?  Is it food only locals eat? Let me tell you about a trip I went on about 2 years ago and I will let you be the judge to determine if my trip was authentic or not.

The horror stories are coming in already of the unbelievable delays getting through security lines at the airport.  Peter Greenberg reports the TSA is short-staffed and poorly managed resulting in ultra long waits at the airport and flyers missing their planes.  The Traveling Professor recently waited over 20 minutes for TSA Pre-Check (the fast lane) at DFW.  Even the TSA is apologizing for the long lines travelers will face this summer.   Read the blog post for The Traveling Professor's tips on getting through security as quick as possible and getting to your seat quickly.

A visit to the beaches, cemeteries, and battle sites pays tribute to the acts of bravery our heroes displayed on June 6, 1944 in Normandy.  It brings with it a greater understanding and appreciation of the events surrounding that fateful day.  Walk in the sand at Utah and Omaha to get the vantage point of the liberators when their landing-craft ramps dropped into the surf.  Visit enemy bunkers. See the cliffs scaled by the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc.  Walk through the liberated villages still scarred by the ferocious fighting that took place.  Everyone experiences different emotions upon seeing the field of crosses and Stars of David at the American Cemetery, but be assured of this - the memory will stay forever.

Lodging is probably the most significant expense when traveling overseas.  If you are like me, you like to stay at a nice place and spend as little amount of money as possible.   My personal preference is to stay at a minimum of 3 star quality hotels but there are some very good 2 star properties out there too.  In today's blog post, The Traveling Professor gives a couple of tips on how to find the best hotel room at the best price.

While The Traveling Professor only runs a few tours to London and Great Britain, we have found the food to be on the "interesting" side there.  There is more to British food than fish & chips or curry and the reputation of British food of being sub par is really unfair. So, I have brought in two experts, Anisa and Katherine, from the popular website, Two Traveling Texans, who spend a fair amount of time traveling to Great Britain, to give their opinion and "wish list" of foods they would like to see in the U.S.A.