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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Peru, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and the Amazon jungle is one of the most fascinating tours in the world.  TripAdvisor.com just ranked Machu Picchu as the #1 destination in the world.   The Traveling Professor runs a fully guided small group tour to Peru for adults in November (see HERE).  However, The Traveling Professor will also custom-design a tour to Peru for you with the dates you want to go and highlighting the sights you want to see.   Peru is exciting, safe, in many ways very modern, and a great travel value.  Take a look at the blog post for an example of a tour I just put together for two travelers from California.

A cruise around Paris is a great way to get off your feet for a few hours and relax.   On our tours to Paris we usually do a Seine River cruise.  When I travel solo to Paris, I like to do the cruise down the Canal Saint-Martin.   Read the blog post and enjoy your next tour to Paris.

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.

The Traveling Professor started running small group tours to the Amalfi Coast and Italy in 2015.  In 2015 we will expand our program to run more tours to the Amalfi Coast along with our regular Italy offerings in Rome, Florence and Venice.  Whether traveling solo to Italy or with The Traveling Professor, read the blog post for a 5-day Amalfi Coast itinerary.

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:

• Tours to Paris with Special Paris Tours for Ladies Only and Tours to the Normandy Invasion Beaches
• Tours to Italy
• Tours to Spain
• Tours to Italy including the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Venice and the Venetto.  Tours to Italy for Ladies Only
• Custom Tours to Peru and Machu Picchu

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.