The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris by me, Professor Stephen Solosky, was first published in 2009. To my great surprise, it was purchased by thousands of people. The success of the book launched my small group tours to Paris business. Since the publication of the first book, I have traveled to Paris over 20 times. I have led many group tours to Paris. I have learned much and it is all incorporated into the 2nd Edition of The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris which came out earlier this year. For details on what's in the book and how to get an autographed copy, see the blog post.
The highlight of any tour to Peru is a visit to Machu Picchu. The town at the base of Machu Picchu is actually called Aguas Calientes, so any trip to Machu Picchu will involve getting to Aguas Calientes. There are no roads to Aguas Calientes, so the only way to get there is to walk or take the train. The Traveling Professor has been taking small groups to Peru for about 4 years now, so here is some advice on taking the train to Machu Picchu.
Paris hotels can be expensive, as expensive as any city in the world. Whether it be on your personal tour to Paris or one of my small group tours to Paris, the cost of a hotel makes up a major part of the expense of a trip. However, there are times to splurge. In today's blog post I have listed some of my favorite luxury Paris hotels. My picks are based upon location, comfort, amenities and value. So, if you want to go "all the way" on your next tour to Paris, check out my hotel choices.
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.
2014 is the 70th anniversary of the invasion of France at Normandy and it will surely be a top travel destination. On several of my small group tours to Paris, I offer an extension to visit the Normany Invasion Beaches. Personally, I have made the trip about 10 times and I recommend it highly. In this blog post I have detailed an itinerary that will help in planning a trip to the Normandy Invasion Beaches.
Our small group tour to Italy arrived in Florence on Tuesday night and it has been a great success. We are preparing to leave this morning to travel to Venice by high-speed train. I am sure on our adventure to Venice we will be talking about all we saw in Florence including our countryside wine tour, all the great sites of Florence including the Duomo, the frescoes, the artisan's workshops, the great Italian art, and the wonderful scenery and history of Renaissance Florence, Italy. Please see the blog post to view our photos and comments on this wonderful small group tour to Italy.
We are into our 2nd week on our small group tour to Italy and we have a wonderful group of 12 travelers enjoying the weather, great food, wonderful wine and the history/culture of Italy. In Rome we saw the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon. A special tour of the Vatican will be remembered for years to come. After taking the high-speed train up to Florence yesterday, we went on a tour into the Italian countryside with a visit to a Tuscan winery. Read more about our small group tour in the blog post.
We have a small group of 11 travelers enjoying the Amalfi Coast this minute! Our tours of Amalfi, Sorrento, Ravello, and Positano have been nothing short of spectacular. And let's not even mention those authentic lunches high in the hills of the Amalfi Coast. They are without question, some of the best meals I have ever had with scenery that is unmatched anywhere. In the blog post I have put a link to my FB page where you can see the photos and video of our trip.
Our small group tour to Italy consisting of 12 adult travelers starts when we meet in Rome on Tuesday. We have a full and active itinerary planned for the whole time we are there. What I like about this trip (and all of my trips) is that I enjoy the hotels, we tour on our schedule and not the schedule of some big tour company, we have some great guides lined up, the itinerary is paced so that not only is it active, we have some really lazy but fun days like when we drive into the Tuscan countryside to visit some old hill towns and wineries. It will be a fun time in Italy and I invite you to look at our itinerary in this blog post.