About The Travelin' Bear

While attending college in the late 70's I had the privilege of meeting a guy who would become a lifelong friend and one who would start me on one of the true loves of my life, traveling in Europe.  That friend was Mo Princiotta and I dedicate this site to him.  

 

My first visit was in 1978 and it was the traditional budget backpackers romp through all of the famous sites from Scandinavia to the Sicilian homeland of our ancestors we saw it all. This whirlwind left me wanting more of the same and my next trip was my honeymoon with my wife Arlene.   Over the years I was fortunate enough to work a number days a year in the UK and Ireland where I developed a habit of jaunting off on the weekends to visit some of my favorite spots on the continent.

Fast forward to now and we have some 30 plus leisure trips under our belts and have refined both the way we travel and the places we seek out. Still very much budget minded, the focuses on smaller towns that are off the beaten tourist path of most Americans but are well known to most Europeans. We like to combine these hidden nuggets with better known big cities for the perfect combination of urban and back roads vacation adventures.

Most of what I now focus on are small towns with historic significance which contributes to why they are interesting today. Many were wealthy at one time and the churches, homes and other buildings of the time were created to show off that wealth and survive to this day for our viewing pleasure. So if this is the type of adventure that interests you please reach out and I'll be happy to help with your planning.