Cruise

When you're away from home for more than 30 days on travel outside of the US, how do you handle your mail, and what arrangements do you make to pay bills, watch the house, etc.?
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I had the same questions before my wife, Bonnie, and I took our first extended trip, a 4-month around-the-world cruise in 2012.

• The first issue is the United States Postal Service. Since the USPS will not hold your mail for more than 30 days [without additional authorization — Editor]*, you need to have your mail forwarded to someone else or to another address for the duration of the trip.

• In Japan, as of Jan. 7, 2019, a departure tax of ¥1,000 (near $9) is being charged to any traveler departing the country by air or sea.

• As of January, each passenger arriving in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by cruise ship is being taxed €6 (near $7) for a one-day visit or, for an overnight stay, even if it's on the ship, €8 per day, starting on the day of the ship's arrival. This tax is included in the cruise fare.

The online travel agency CruiseWire (Miami Beach, FL; 888/422-4334, https://cruisewire.com) has introduced a Back to Back Cruises search option, allowing visitors to the website to find and book one-way and back-to-back cruises.

The website lists 11 popular cruise lines offering a total of 25,000-plus cruises to 121 countries. Custom searches can be sorted by company, destination, date and even age of ship.

Carnival Cruise Lines (www.carnival.com) announced, on Nov. 26, that any passenger caught smoking in an undesignated area, including in his or her own cabin, will be fined $500, and he or she, and any other person staying in their cabin, may be removed from the ship at the next port of call. Anyone removed from a ship for a smoking violation will be banned from future Carnival cruises.

Previously, smoking violators only faced a cleaning fee tacked onto their bill.

The Russian Coast Guard opened fire on three Ukrainian naval ships near Crimea, the peninsula at the south of Ukraine, on Nov. 26, eventually capturing the ships and detaining their crews, all to international condemnation. At least six Ukrainians were injured. Crimea, almost universally recognized as part of Ukraine, was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The next day, Ukraine declared 30 days of martial law in 10 regions, five of which border Russia. The order gives the country's military more policing power and could later include a civilian draft.

8-day, 7-night cruise plus biking (average 15-35 miles daily). Departures May 25, June 8, Sept. 7 & Oct. 12, 2019. Highlights: Embark gulet in Marmaris/from village of Turunç, ride bikes to lookout point, Serçe Cove/cruise to bay of Bozukkale for hike to ancient ruins/bike to Bozburun for snorkeling or kayaking in Aegean/on Datça peninsula, Greek ruin of Knidos/on Sedir Island, ruins of Kedrai/Bodrum. From $6,595 ppdo. Single supp., $1,200.

If you are a single traveler who enjoys cruising, we're still soliciting responses to this information request from Edna R.S. Alvarez of Los Angeles, who would like "solo travelers to each share the experiences they've had in a ship's assigned-seating environment at mealtimes."