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25Meeting People and Making Friends in Paris  Before I ran tours to Paris, I used to do a lot of solo travel to Paris. I would enjoy traveling on my own schedule, but there were times I wanted to meet up with other travelers, especially for dinners. In this Paris blog post, I tell you where and how to meet other travelers while in Paris.
| 26 | 27Public Transportation Ticketing Options in Paris  Public transportation is the best way to get around in Paris. On all of our small group tours to Paris, we only take the bus and the metro. It gets us where we want to go in Paris quickly and inexpensively. The types of tickets can be confusing, so in the following Paris blog post I have outlined the most common Paris ticketing options.
| 28 | 29 | 30Why Go To A Canadian Bar When Touring Paris?  Why would a traveler in Paris want to go to a Canadian pub in Paris where the bartender’s name is Mike, the barmaid is from Plattsburgh, New York, and Strongbow Cider is on tap? The answer is simple: to meet Parisians. That’s right, on any given night, the Moose Bar & Grill, this Canadian outpost in the Latin Quarter, is filled with fascinated Frenchmen who want to see how the other half lives. It's one of my stops whenever I am on tour in Paris and maybe it should be a place for you to go to also.
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2No Goodbyes on Isla Amantani  I ran across this essay I wrote a few years ago during a tour of Peru. It involved a "homestay" tour to Isla Amantani, an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca in Peru. The people who live there have no electricity, no phones, no Internet, no newspapers. Until recently, they have had no visitors. My tour there was an eye-opener and is an example of how travel has the ability to make us all better people. Please read my blog post on my tour to Peru.
| 3A Day Trip to Venice from Florence  Can you do a day trip from Florence to Venice? Sure you can. It might be a better alternative than staying overnight, since Venice hotels can be pricey. Venice is one of the most unusual places in the world. I always enjoy traveling to Venice and we go there on my small group tours to Italy too. I have done it as a day trip many times and you can go there too. In this blog post I will show you the best way to get to Venice and what to do on a day trip to Venice.
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9What Does a Week in Paris Cost?  What does a week in Paris cost? The major expenses of a vacation in Paris will consist of lodging, meals, tickets to museums/monuments, and transportation. In this blog post, The Traveling Professor will break down what it typically costs for a week-long visit to Paris. We will talk about Paris lodging, admission to Paris museums and attractions, local transportation, and meals for a week-long (7-day, 6-night) stay in Paris during a typical “shoulder” season. | 10What Does a Week in Italy Cost?  A typical trip to Italy might involve staying 3 days in Rome and another 4 in Florence. Let’s take a look at what a trip like that to Italy would cost a traveler. We’ll take into account lodging costs, meals, admissions, local transportation and miscellaneous items. After reading the blog post, you should have a good idea of what it will cost you to travel to Italy for a week-long vacation. | 11 | 12Italy Travel Itinerary  Some people make the mistake of trying to do too much when they take a tour of Italy. For instance, they will want to go to Rome, Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Milan, etc. all in one trip. My advice is to just take Italy in comfortable segments of a week or two. In this blog post, I lay out a typical one week Italy travel itineary.
| 13Two Hikes at Machu Picchu  When on a tour to Peru and Machu Picchu, the majority of travelers make the mistake of visiting Machu Picchu for only one day, arriving on the train in the morning and then departing later that day. For me, this is the biggest mistake someone can make when taking a trip to Machu Picchu. There is plenty to see and do at Machu Picchu and in this blog post I will talk about two spectacular hikes, one to Huaynu Picchu and the other to The Sun Gate.
| 14Trip Interruption Insurance  It is safe to say that I travel internationally more than the typical person. On top of that, I am usually traveling with more than a dozen people coming from all parts of North America on my small group tours to Europe and Peru. Over the years I have seen travelers trips interrupted for a variety of reasons such as snowy weather, lost luggage, loss of a job, erupting volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, strikes, mechanical issues with planes, missed flights, lost passports, and illness of relatives, among others. Fortunately, these issues don't occur as frequently as you might think, but they do happen. Let's face it, going on vacation is expensive and you might want to protect your vacation from being a total disaster and there is a way to do that - with trip interruption insurance.
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16What to do in Case of a Special Situation or Emergency in Italy  Chances are, your next trip to Italy will go flawlessly, without any trouble or issues. However, it is well-advised to be prepared before something happens as opposed to when it happens. In today's blog post, I have outlined some procedures and given some information in case of some type of special situation or emergency while on tour to Italy. There are also some tips on safe travel to Italy as well.
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20Wine Bars in Paris  One of those perfectly French things is a wine bar. It's a place to hang out, try some wines, have some cheese and maybe some olives or dried meats. Whenever I travel to Paris, I make it a point to stop in at a wine bar. They are scattered all over Paris, generally open after 5 pm at night, and are full of Parisians and the occasional Paris tourist. Check out my blog post to find out about my favorite Paris wine bars.
| 21The Duomo of Siena  Many of our small group tours to Italy include a visit to Siena. It is only an hour or so away from Florence by bus and a pleasant ride through the Chianti countryside. Once arriving in Siena, we usually sit in Il Campo, the most beautiful of all Italy squares and enjoy a cafe or have lunch. After that, I always make sure to visit the interesting, colorful, and historical Duomo. See my blog post on what to see and do when traveling to Siena and visiting the Duomo.
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| 23 | 24How to Get Into Paris from Orly Airport  Orly airport in Paris used to be the main international airport. Now, it is used mostly for intra-continental flights. However, there are times when the traveler to Paris will be routed through Orly airport instead of the more commonly used CDG Paris airport. In this blog post I have simplified for the Paris traveler, how to get from into the city when arriving at Paris Orly.
| 25What Season Has Lowest Airfares to Europe?  One of the largest expenses on a tour to Italy or a tour to Paris is airfare. Airfares vary widely depending upon season. It always isn't as straight-forward as it seems when trying to determine the least expensive time of year to fly to Europe. In this blog post I will talk about when to fly to Paris or Italy and there might be a surprise or two as to when to make your trip.
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30Favorite Hotels in Machu Picchu and Peru  On our small group tours to Peru and Machu Picchu, we stay in modern, full-service hotels that have all the amenities you would expect in a US-based hotel. Many people I meet (incorrectly) perceive Peru as being a "third-world" country with sub-par accommodations. However, those who have traveled on one of The Traveling Professor's small group tours to Peru and Machu Picchu wil tell you, the hotels we stay in are first-rate, and are still bargains and superior quality to those found in Europe.
| 31 | 1 | 2What's New in "The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris, 2nd Ed."  The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris, 2nd Edition is expected to be available this month. My first book came out in 2009 and I am excited to bring readers some great updates and new features in the new edition, keeping the theme and content of that made the original book the smashing success that it was. Travelers to Paris loved my book and I am sure they will enjoy the new edition of The Traveling Professor's Guide to Paris too. In the blog post I have described what's new in the 2nd edition and how you can get a copy at a discounted price.
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