On our small group tour to Paris this month, we visited Giverny, the home and gardens of the famous impressionist painter, Claude Monet.  It's and easy day trip from Paris and quite easy to plan.  In today's blog post The Traveling Professor tells you how to plan a trip and what to see once you get to Giverny.

I frequently get questions on travel insurance such as "Do I Need Travel Insurance?", "Where Do I Get Travel Insurance?", "What Kind of Travel Insurance Do I Need?" and similar questions by those going on my small group tours and by those traveling individually.  In this blog post I will give the basics of travel insurance along with two recommendations as to where to purchase travel insurance.

On all of The Traveling Professor tours, we employ licensed and professional tour guides.   There is no phone app, guide book, or audio guide that comes close to the interaction of touring with a good guide.   In this blog post, I will briefly tell you what it takes to become a professional tour guide and how it will enhance your next visit to Paris, Italy, Norway or just about any other destination.

Just got back home today from a small group tour with 10 travelers.   We started in Paris then went onto Giverny, the home of Monet.  From there we did 2-days in the Normandy Invasion Beaches followed up by 4 nights in London.   June and Jeff, Gail and Jim, Cindy and Larry have all been on tours with The Traveling Professor previously.   We had 4 new travelers, Joe and Nancy, Kris and Alex join us this time.  Read the blog post to get an overview of The Traveling Professor's small group tour to France and England.

On Friday I depart Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT to meet up with travelers in Philadelphia for an overnight flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.   From there we meet up with 8 other travelers for a 5 day tour in Paris, 3 days in Normandy via Giverny, the home and gardens of Monet, for a tour of the Normandy Invasion Beaches, then we finish up with 4 days in London.   The best place to follow our progress and see photos is on The Traveling Professor's Facebook page or check back here for updates.   Read the blog post for the details of our trip.

Because of the strong dollar and The Professor's business relationships with some of the best hotels on the Amalfi Coast and Florence, luxury Italy is back at bargain prices.   Here's the opportunity to stay at the super-luxury Grand Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento while we visit Capri, Positano, Ravello and the Amalfi Coast.   Then we go up to Florence for a few days at the spacious and centrally located Guelfo Bianco, just steps away from Michelangelo's David.    And if that's not enough, we have a TOP hotel for you in Venice on an optional 4-day extension.   Read more to get the details on The Traveling Professor's luxury tour to Italy. 

When choosing to travel, I find people tend to go places they are familiar with,or have a good perception of what they can expect.  For instance, there is a never-ending supply of people who want to visit Italy or Paris because they have heard so much about these destinations and they know what to expect in terms of sites to see, language, hotels, and culture.    Whenever we take people to Peru, the most common comments we hear are, "I didn't expect the hotels to be so nice",  "I didn't think the food would be so good", or "It is much more modern than I thought it would be".   I understand people might think Peru is a "third-world country", but it is far, far from that.  So, when they travel to Peru, it becomes a great surprise when they find the hotels, service, and restaurants to be MUCH BETTER than what they can find in Europe in many cases, and an even greater value.    Read the blog post to find out more about our tour to Peru, Machu Picchu, and the Amazon.  

The travel story of 2015 has been the strong dollar vs. the weak euro.   People are flocking to Europe in droves to take advantage of strong pricing.   But is it really that cheap?   Let The Traveling Professor's , take a look and see if now is really the time to take a tour to Paris, a trip to Rome, or a jaunt to Spain.

For travelers who have never been to Italy before, I highly recommend a visit to historic Rome, Renaissance Florence, and perhaps the most fascinating city in the world, Venice.  These cities are usually packed with tourists, however.   But for those who have been to Italy, I recommend getting past the trinket stands, the fast food restaurants, the maddening crowds.  Enjoy a more authentic Italy with a visit to the places I recommend in today’s blog post.