The Traveling Professor is off on a "Grand Italy Tour" with 9 travelers.  We will tour Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice.  The weather should be terrific this time of year and we are looking forward to another great small group tour of Italy.  In the blog post, I have published our ambitious and exciting Italy itinerary.

On Saturday I depart for 14 days in Italy on a Traveling Professor Small Group Tour to Italy.   We are taking 9 travelers to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice.   I only do carry-on because based upon my experience, about 15% of all luggage transported internationally does not meet its owner upon arrival.   Also, we are handling our own bags on/off trains, vans, buses and in Venice, even boats.   See what The Traveling Professor is packing in his bag on his small group tour to Italy.

Generally, there are two forms of public transportation in most cities, the bus and the metro.  In Paris, the metro is as sophisticated as can be found.   In Rome, for now there are only 2 metro lines so the buses are much more widely used.  But on any tour to Paris or to Rome, I always prefer using the bus, and I will tell you why in this special Paris and Rome travel blog post.

Everyone loves a good, inexpensive Paris hotel.   I can't even count how many times I have toured Paris, but it must be at least 60 times and over that period, I have collected quite a list of affordable Paris hotels.   Check out today's blog post and get the information on where to start looking for an affordable Paris hotel.

Lodging is probably the most expensive part of any tour to Paris or anywhere else for that matter.   For me, the location of a hotel is the most important factor when making a selection.  I also like a place that is clean, comfortable and quiet.   While we don't use 1-star hotels on our Traveling Professor tours, I have some recommendations for Paris travelers looking to save a few dollars on their next tour to Paris.

The Traveling Professor will be leading a small group tour to the Amalfi Coast and Italy next week.   As part of that tour to Italy we spend 4 nights in Sorrento as a base to visiting the Amalfi Coast.   We have a definite itinerary of what to see and do while in Southern Italy that The Professor is happy to share with you on this Italy blog post.

The Traveling Professor is getting ready for another small group tour to Rome as well as the Amalfi Coast, Florence, and Venice.  A significant part of touring any Italian city is a visit to their markets.   I have listed in today's blog post some of my favorite markets while visiting Rome.   There will be food, wine, cheese and all sorts of wonderful items that I will stock up on for our 2-week tour of Italy.

Even with the euro being at historic lows against the dollar, people are still looking for the best bargain hotels in Paris.   The ones listed in The Traveling Professor's blog post are selected for their location, cleanliness, friendliness, and value.  In fact, one of my hotels was selected by Conde Nast Traveler as a featured pick, based upon my recommendation.  So, if you are looking for a best bargain hotel in Paris on your next tour to Paris, check out my blog post first.