The first thing The Traveling Professor does in the morning is open emails from travelers. This morning I received one from a traveler that (in part) read, "As a single traveler, I do not feel my fee [the single supplement] should underwrite the cost of a couple or two people in the same room. Single traveler do not use more services than coupled travelers; thus no need for a fee. Single supplements are discriminatory towards the single traveler.". So, let me take the opportunity to explain exactly what the single supplement is and why it exists and why nearly all single travelers pay it and how The Traveling Professor helps single travelers.
I can remember flying on American Airlines to Paris in 2003 for $351 R/T. Those days are gone. Airfares, even in the off-season on legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United are well over $1,000. It is not unusual to see regular coach airfares reach $1,800 in peak season. These high airfares take a big bite out of one's vacation budget. However, there are good alternatives to these legacy carriers. Let me tell you about Norwegian Air in this blog post.
A Paris food market is a circus of smells, tastes, touch, colors and even sounds of food. Discover any of the 56 cheeses classified and regulated under French law. The salty smell of fresh oysters and mussels from the coast will make you take a deep breath and exhale with an “ahh”. The burst of color from the blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and oranges lights up the day. Wait on line for a baguette, put it under your arm and enjoy the pageantry of a Paris food market. Take a look at The Traveling Professor's picks of his 4 favorite food markets in Paris.
I travel about 100,000 miles a year and I travel with well over 100 travelers per year. I've encountered about every travel situation you can think of. Like a Boy Scout, I advise the philosophy of "Be Prepared" when traveling. Look at my blog post and see the 5 essential items that every traveler should have when going on a small group tour with The Traveling Professor or traveling on their own.
People tell me all the time they want an "authentic" travel experience. I am not sure what they mean by that. I'm not even sure what an authentic travel experience is. Is it a location tourists don't go to? Is it food only locals eat? Let me tell you about a trip I went on about 2 years ago and I will let you be the judge to determine if my trip was authentic or not.
The horror stories are coming in already of the unbelievable delays getting through security lines at the airport. Peter Greenberg reports the TSA is short-staffed and poorly managed resulting in ultra long waits at the airport and flyers missing their planes. The Traveling Professor recently waited over 20 minutes for TSA Pre-Check (the fast lane) at DFW. Even the TSA is apologizing for the long lines travelers will face this summer. Read the blog post for The Traveling Professor's tips on getting through security as quick as possible and getting to your seat quickly.
Lodging is probably the most significant expense when traveling overseas. If you are like me, you like to stay at a nice place and spend as little amount of money as possible. My personal preference is to stay at a minimum of 3 star quality hotels but there are some very good 2 star properties out there too. In today's blog post, The Traveling Professor gives a couple of tips on how to find the best hotel room at the best price.
While The Traveling Professor only runs a few tours to London and Great Britain, we have found the food to be on the "interesting" side there. There is more to British food than fish & chips or curry and the reputation of British food of being sub par is really unfair. So, I have brought in two experts, Anisa and Katherine, from the popular website, Two Traveling Texans, who spend a fair amount of time traveling to Great Britain, to give their opinion and "wish list" of foods they would like to see in the U.S.A.
The Traveling Professor has been going to Venice for about 5 years now and we like to visit about four times a year. Over that time we have developed an itinerary to enjoy over a 3 or 4 day stay. When selecting a hotel and deciding what to see and do, there are some factors to consider. We'll go over those factors and give some choices on where to stay and what to see and do on your tour to Venice.
3 BEST Lunch Spots in Italy
I've been to Italy many times. I've seen Rome, Florence, Padua, Siena, Venice, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Lucca and many other places multiple times. The Traveling Professor has dined in a lot of places but in today's blog post I list my three favorite places in Italy for lunch. We always visit them on my The Traveling Professor's small group tours and if you come with me, I will take you to these places. But if you go on your own, don't pass on this trio of authentic and delicious Italian restaurants for the best lunch in Italy.
4 Great Sites for Getting Great Airfares
Some of The Traveling Professor's most popular blog posts are on how to find great air itineraries and how to save money on flights. I have put together 4 websites that I like for not only getting the best airfares, but also get tips on how to use frequent flyer miles better, tips on credit cards, upgrades and all sorts of airline perks.
A Visit to the Paris Theater
People who go on The Traveling Professor's small group tours are busy people. I am often amazed by how much energy they have, even after spending a day at Versailles, Notre Dame, Montmartre, or the Louvre. My friends at "Theater in Paris" have developed a great concept that will make any visit to Paris even more enjoyable and interesting.
Top 5 Tips for Visiting Venice
British Foods We Need in North America
How to Get Good Hotel Rates Overseas