It has been a summer to forget in Paris with temperatures skyrocketing.   Believe it or not, a good percentage of hotels in Paris do not have air conditioning.  Finding a budget hotel in Paris with air conditioning is another matter.   But if you look at The Traveling Professor's blog post, I will turn you on to a couple of budget-priced hotels in Paris to enjoy even in the hot summer.

The Traveling Professor has been running small group tours to Italy, including Rome, for about 5 years now.   Although Rome is one of the most fascinating cities in the world, it has its issues.   There was even a recent article in The New York Times (see it on my FB page) describing the problems Rome is facing.   For my take on the issues, see my Rome blog post.

The Traveling Professor runs several small group tours to Italy every year.   We go to Rome, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, and Venice.  We even do tours to The Veneto region which encompasses Padua, Verona, Vicenza, and Lake Garda.   Travelers complain that Italy has become too touristy, too crowded, and too expensive.   Listen to what I say about making your trip to Italy more pleasant.

The Traveling Professor just returned from a small group tour to Norway and Iceland.  It has quickly become our most popular tour, even more popular than our small group tours to Italy or Paris.   I took the time to talk with our travelers and ask them why they were attracted to a tour of Norway and Iceland and what motivated them to go.  Check out my blog post to see why.

If you haven't noticed, airfares to Europe are off the charts.  Despite falling costs, namely fuel, major airlines have continued to jack up fares, mostly by reducing capacity.   However, there are ways to get flights under $1,000 to Europe.  In fact, this summer I have flown to both Copenhagen and Oslo for $321 each way on American Airlines.   So, there are bargains to be found, if you know how to find them.  In today's blog post The Traveling Professor gives REAL tips on how to get the best airfares to Europe.

We really do something special here at The Traveling Professor.

It is hard to believe that I have been taking people on small group tours since 2009.  We started running strictly "budget" trips but as time went by, we kept upgrading and upgrading to the point where we use nothing less than quality 3-star deluxe hotels on all our regular tours, we have professional guides, limo pickup at the airport regardless of time of arrival, VIP no-wait-in-line admission.  Our small group size lets us into places where no other tour goes and no guide book will tell you about.  For instance, the ancient ruins you can get up close to an personal with in Rome, the restaurants only known by locals, the artisans in Florence that only WE get into to see, in Iceland we go off the beaten path for lunch at a dairy farm, and in Peru we hike the REAL Inca trail, not the one you always see on TV.   To find out where The Professor is going in 2016 and to find out how you can come along, read today's blog post.

The Traveling Professor resisted the opportunity to run a small group tour to Cuba because of the restrictions, expense, and other special situations.  Earlier this year we were presented with a program that just fit our requirements perfectly and we decided to offer it to our clients because we think NOW is the time to visit Cuba.   See why in The Traveling Professor's blog post.

I usually advertise about 10-12 tours for the general public on The Traveling Professor website.  However, what you don't see on the website is the schedule for private tours.  Some of the private tours are for civic organizations, charitable organizations, or special interest groups.   These tours are organized with fund-raising in mind.   Take a look at the blog post for some ideas of running a tour for fund-raising purposes.

After finishing up in Norway, our small group did a 4-day, 3 night excursion to Iceland.  I never thought I would ever go to Iceland, but now, I can't wait to go back.   The amount and quality of natural beauty far exceeded my expectations.  Take a look at today's blog post to get the scoop on our tour to Iceland with The Traveling Professor.