I ran my first small group tour to Paris in 2008. The cost was $999. But while it is true I have upgraded hotels and offer far more services such as professional guides since then, the cost of running a tour to Paris has more than doubled. When I ran my first small group tour to Italy back in 2011, we could offer a great tour for just $1,499. But now that cost is up by over 1/3. Again, we have upgraded hotels and offer more professional guide services. I'll explain why Europe has gotten so expensive and why the trend will continue to go that way.