In planning a trip to Paris, hotels probably take up most of the traveler budget. Paris hotels have become very expensive in recent years. But money can be saved by staying in a comfortable 2 star Paris hotel. See The Traveling Professor's picks for the best 2 star hotels in Paris.

Independent travelers love to be independent and travel alone. They like to see what they want to see. They like to eat where they like to eat. They don't like waiting around for other people. So why should a solo traveler go on a small group tour? Find out in today's blog post.

One of the reason The Traveling Professor loves his small group tours to Italy is that the dining options are plentiful, especially in Florence. One of the best references for finding dining spots in Florence and the rest of Italy is my friend Andy Herbach's book, "Eating & Drinking in Italian". With Andy's permission, here are 3 of his picks for great spots to eat in Florence. The Professor has also dined at these places and can also highly recommend them.

The Traveling Professor is always a little bit leery about getting sucked in and going to a tourist trap. Here are 6 places that I thought I would hate, but actually liked quite a bit on our small group tours to Europe.