My daugther, Amanda, gives the best travel gifts. About 6 years ago she gave me a simple, yet elegant gift that I use on every trip I take. It's that one thing that people on my small group tours always admire when they see it and ask where I got it from. My passport holder is always there with me on every trip and I love carrying it. To see the details, check out my blog post for my Travel Product of the Month
3 Discount Airlines Worth Flying On
The second most costly part of a tour, after lodging, is airfare. Airfares were sky-high a few years ago and it is my opinion the legacy carriers like American, Delta and United were gouging the consumer, despite lower fuel costs, on their fares to Europe. It was my prediction that other "discount" airlines would come along and take advantage of a lucrative market by offering lower-fares to a variety of destinations in Europe. But be aware, not all discount airlines are the same. In this article, The Traveling Professor names his favorite discount airlines to Europe.
Favorite Places to Eat in Florence
For me, the best food is Tuscan food. There is no better place to find it than in Florence, Italy. I love going on our small group tours to Italy and especially Florence to sample the wide variety of (mostly) healthy and fresh food. In today's blog post, The Traveling Professor lets you in on some of his secrets for his favorite places to eat in Florence.
We're Off to Iceland
On Tuesday I board an Icelandair flight from Boston to Reykjavik, Iceland. We will meet 13 travelers there for a small group tour of Iceland and the Northern Lights. Although I have been to Iceland several times, never for the Northern Lights. We hope Mother Nature cooperates and gives us some cloud-less days. I've also been answering a lot of questions on Iceland, mainly about how cold it will be. I'm anticipating temps in the 30's and maybe the 40'. Take a look at our blog post to see what will be going on on our small group tour to Iceland and the Northern Lights.
Iceland Trip Report
The Traveling Professor ran two small group tours to Iceland. We took in Reykjavik, the South Coast of Iceland, the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon. We saw volcanoes, geysers, black sand beaches, unbelievable landscapes, glaciers and too many spectacular waterfalls to count. Read my trip report of our small group tour to Iceland.
4 Places to Eat in Rome
One of my favorite things to do on The Traveling Professor's small group tours to Italy is to eat in Rome. To be honest, the menus don't vary too much from restaurant to restaurant, but the quality of Roman cuisine is some of the best to be found in Italy. In today's blog post I have picks for dinner, lunch, and a gelato spot or two. I'm sure after you read the blog post, you will want to run out and sign up for a tour to Italy!
3 Monet Museums in Paris
Claude Monet was a prolific Impressionist painter. Paris is the perfect place to see the best examples of his works. We will be on a Traveling Professor small group tour to Paris next month and we expect to make Monet a major focus of our tour. In today's blog post, I tell about 3 places to visit in Paris to see the best of Monet.
5 Religious Sites in Paris
Paris is a multi-faceted city full of historical, cultural, culinary, and religious attractions. Today we take a look at 5 different religious attractions worth visiting on your next tour to Paris. Some of the Paris religious sites listed in today's The Traveling Professor blog post will be familiar, some will surprise you. In any case, take a look at The Professor's 5 religon-oriented sites of interest in Paris.
How to Get Through Airport Security Quickly
For me, the only part of traveling I don't like is getting through the airport. It can be a real hassle dealing with the long security lines. And if I'm running on the late side, it an be stressful too. I fly about 75,000 to 100,000 air miles a year all over the United States and Europe and through trial and error, I have learned quite a bit on how to get through airport security lines quickly.
Travel Product of the Month
Tips for Photographing the Northern Lights
We just got back from 2 small group tours to Iceland and the Northern Lights. Contrary to what you may believe, the Northern Lights are not always visible. First of all, there needs to be no cloud cover and of course, it needs to be dark outside. The darker the better which is the reason we search for them outside the city of Reykjavik. Secondly, the Northern Lights needs to be there, which as we found out, is not always the case. On our first trip, we did not get Mother Nature to cooperate. However, on our second tour, we had a spectacular night. Here are my tips for photographing the Northern Lights.
5 Best Places to Eat in Florence
If you are hungry, Florence is not a bad place to be. Fresh vegetables, fat cuts of beef, and let's not forget the marvelous desserts. The Traveling Professor does at least 2 small group tours to Florence each year and we've found some very good dining spots. Listed in today's blog post are 5 of The Traveling Professor's favorite places to eat in Florence.
Is It Worth It To Accumulate Frequent Flier Miles?
Being a frequent flyer and a member of American Airlines AAdvantage program, I have accumulated millions of miles since I became a member in 1984. I have accumulated these miles mostly through purchases on credit cards and through flights themselves. I would use these miles to get "free" flights or upgrades. Is it worth it to accumulate and redeem miles anymore? Please read my blog post and see what The Traveling Professor has to say.
Are Points Better Than Miles?
In our blog post yesterday, we examined how airline award miles have become devalued, are harder to redeem, and have added extra fees. Today we talk about accumulating points through credit card spending to help people fund their travel endeavors. So, check out The Traveling Professor's blog post on using points instead of airline reward miles.