Packing and Gear

I travel with a carry-on and only enough clothes for three days. One advantage of traveling alone is that no one complains if I wear the same clothes over and over. I don’t consider travel to be a fashion show.

In each city, I stay a minimum of two nights so my clothes have enough time to dry. I hand-wash my quick-drying shirts and quick-drying underwear every night, and they usually dry overnight, unless the humidity happens to be high. My socks can take two nights to dry, so I wash them every two nights. I’ve found that Merino wool socks dry quicker than cotton socks.

The piers are long gone, and so are the ships that offered romance and adventure. All that is left are the memories of sailing days….

An oppressive heat is in the air. Cars and honking taxis in a serpentine line snake their way under New York City’s West Side Elevated Highway as they inch toward the pier.

Welcome to another edition of readers’ On-the-Road Travel Tips. Little did we know that this COVID-inspired undertaking over a year ago would take on a life of its own. We greatly appreciate all of the positive feedback about it that we continue to receive, and please keep sending in your tips related to anything that enhances the travel experience while actually traveling. Keep in mind our 125-word (or close) limit.

"I certainly empathize with Mrs. Zent’s experience of being disembarked unexpectedly from her cruise. My husband, Bob, and I have been disembarked unexpectedly not once but twice from cruises.

"The first time was in October 2018 while traveling on a Panama Canal trip aboard the Volendam of Holland America Line (877/932-4259; www.hollandamerica.com). ... At every step, I felt support from the ship's staff. ..."

With the Radical Storage app, free for Apple and Android, travelers in cities in more than 70 countries can find locations nearby that will store their bags for small fees. Each bag stored with Radical Storage is insured up to €500 (near $592).

To celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, my wife, Anne, and I signed up for the “2020 World Cruise – Navigate the World,” Jan. 5-May 17, with Regent Seven Seas Cruises (844/473-4968, www.rssc.com). After we had sailed aboard the Seven Seas Mariner for most of January, February and into mid-March, however, the rest of our 4½-month cruise was canceled, as so many ports were closed due to COVID-19.