Whenever I am on a tour to Italy, especially Florence, I like to go into the countryside.  The hills are filled with olive trees and grape vines.   Bicyclists go up and down the hills.   It seems like on every distant hilltop sits a small fortified town.   Read my blog post to find out more about my tour of the Chianti region.

One of the most popular Traveling Professor tours is our tours to Paris for ladies only.   It is a week full of luxury, art, culture, shopping, and fun.   We start the trip off with a private limo pickup at the Paris airport.   We stay at a wonderful 4 star hotel in the heart of the authentic Latin Quarter, our small group size lets us move around Paris quickly and efficiently, we have professional tour guides leading us on a wonderful itinerary.   Chocolate tasting, wine tasting, fashion and shopping sites are all on the plan.  Join us for a tour of Paris for ladies only.  Read the blog post for details.

A tour to Paris is not a tour to Paris without a visit to a market.   Paris has a wide variety of markets selling flowers, food, antiques, toys, pets, and just about anything else you can think of.  Take a look at The Traveling Professor's blog post to find out more about the best markets in Paris.

Hotel rated as 3 stars in Paris usually are usually well-appointed.    Good ones are tastefully decorated and have amenities like wi-fi, modern facilities, and quality services.  However, on your tour to Paris, don't be surprised if the room size is small, regardless of star rating.   Also, location has very little or nothing to do with the star rating.   Most 3 star hotels in Paris I have stayed in do not have restaurants.   See my blog post for my recommendations for the best 3 star hotels in Paris.

Since 2009 I have been offering small group tours to Paris, Italy, Spain and Peru.  In 2015 we have our first preview tour to Norway and Iceland.   Norway is spectacular in culture, art and of course in natural beauty.    The Traveling Professor's small group tour to Norway features 4-star hotels and 10-star scenery.   Check out my blog post to find out our planned itinerary for The Traveling Professor's preview tour to Norway and Iceland.

Peru is a wonderful journey.   Lima is like Southern California and old Europe mixed together.   Cuzco is a cultural experience that all travelers should experience.   The train ride from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu is one of the most dramatic in the world.   It is difficult to describe in words the beauty and thrill of Machu Picchu.    The Sacred Valley is a spiritual journey.   The Amazon Jungle is one of the great outdoor experiences in this world today, right up there with the Galapagos Islands.   Peru is safe.  The hotels we stay in are better than anything we stay in Europe.   The food is world-class.  So, why are we not going to Peru in 2015?

I am frequently asked if The Traveling Professor's tours to Paris are like Rick Steves tours to Paris.   Frankly, I didn't know if they were or were not.  So, since I am asked the question with some frequency, I decided to go to the Rick Steves Paris tours website to see what he offered compared to The Traveling Professor.   I found a comparable Paris tour.   Using the information I had from Rick Steves' Paris tours website, I compared the two.  See the results in today's blog post.

The great attractions of Paris like the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie are all on everyone's list when taking a tour to Paris.  But admission to these attractions can be expensive.   The lines to get in can be overwhelming.  In this blog post I am going to tell how to get into these Paris attractions inexpensively and without waiting in line.   On The Traveling Professor's tours to Paris we never wait in line and neither should you.   Check out today's Paris blog post to find out more about the Paris Museum Pass.