With airlines devaluing their award miles programs lately, award miles are becoming less and less valuable. In most situations, travelers get a better value by using travel points instead of award miles. However, the savvy traveler can find ways to get the best value out of their award miles program by following the tips presented here by The Traveling Professor.

Last year, The Traveling Professor ran the inaugural Christmas Markets of Austria and Bavaria tour.  Our journey was like going back in time, to the Christmas you remember as a child. Local markets with hand-made crafts, hot mulled wine, horses clip-clopping on the cobblestone, trumpeters in the evening, carolers,  and lots of good cheer.  This year we go back with a slightly modified itinerary.  See my blog post on what its like to visit Austria and Bavaria for at Christmas time.

The safest and most efficient way to pay for items while traveling overseas is to use a credit card. Amex is widely accepted but not as much as the Visa and MasterCard. By the way, forget about Traveler's Checks.  In countries like Norway, Iceland, and Denmark, it seems as if credit cards are the preferred method of payment and on some of these trips, we never even touch cash.  In places, especially southern Italy, cash is king. But there are 5 things to remember when using a credit card overseas.  Check my blog post for my tips on using credit cards overseas.

Let's face it.  The world can be a dangerous place. However, as a traveler, you can make the travel experience as safe as possible. There are some easy steps that can be taken that can reduce the risk of being exposed to dangerous situations while overseas. In today's blog post, The Traveling Professor has outlined 10 steps that can be taken that will reduce the risk of being put into a dangerous situation on your next trip. Travel safe!

I am a semi-regular guest on the Scott Thompson radio program in Hamilton, Ontario.   In between interviews on the eclipse and Jerry Lewis, Scott spoke with me on-air about stories he heard about tourists no longer being welcome in Europe such as this one.  He also had some anecdotal stories of being treated rudely in Italy.  We had about 10 minutes to talk on air and afterwards, my website lit up like a Christmas tree.  See my comments on tourists being treated rudely or not being welcome in Europe.

The Traveling Professor has been consulting with travelers regarding airfare for a few small group tours coming up this fall and in 2018. It seems like anything to do with booking airfares can be somewhat of a hassle these days.  However, The Traveling Professor tells you some quick and easy things to remember when booking airfare.  See The Professor's easy airline booking tips in today's blog post.

It's not difficult to find a good restaurant in Rome. Of all the cities we visit on our small group tours, we find Rome to have the least varied, but the most consistent quality of food.  Let's face it, a Roman restaurant would not survive unless it served good pastas and a nice selection of meats and fishes.  In today's blog post, I have picked out 4 restaurants in Rome that travelers always enjoy on The Traveling Professor's small group tours to Rome.

Can't go on one of The Traveling Professor's small group tours?  Want to plan the perfect trip?  The Traveling Professor is proud to announce a new service for all clients - travel planning.  Now, you can rely on The Traveling Professor's advice for hotels, guides, itineraries, advice on airfares, Europe train tickets and even more. Check out the blog post to find out more about new travel planning service provided by The Traveling Professor.