I read the subscriber’s letter “Care of a Tilley Hat” (June ’15, pg. 24). I’ve been wearing Tilley hats for 20-plus years. The first one I had I wore so much it totally wore out. The second one, a replacement under their guarantee, was stolen in Tangier over 15 years ago. I’m now on number three, a blue one.
SAMANTHA SARTAIN
Colorado Springs, CO
Since 2003, my wife and I have never traveled without our Bose noise-canceling headsets.
These headsets deal extremely well not only with airplane noise but with noisy neighbors at campsites. Their effect is quite amazing. Donning the headset reduces ambient noise by half, but activating the switch opens a world of absolute silence to the wearer.
Attaching a device such as an iPod is easy, and the resultant sound reproduction is of concert-hall quality.
Elaine Chew of Sacramento, CA, found out about baggage-delay coverage in an annoying, frustrating way.
In October 1995 she transferred from a San Francisco/London flight to a connecting flight on to Frankfurt; unfortunately, her luggage did not make the connection.
She joined her tour group without the luggage and spent a good bit of her first three days on the phone to British Midlands Airlines trying to locate the missing bags.
The Ultra Fast-Dry Towel is lightweight and absorbent, dries up to three times faster than a cotton towel and is treated with an antimicrobial solution that reduces foul smells.
Available in 16 colors, it comes in four sizes: large (58 by 34 inches and weighing 9 ounces, $34.95), medium (34"x28", $24.95), small (28"x16", $19.95) and extra-small (13"x10", $12.95). Shipping/handling cost is extra (example — $8.13 on an extra-small towel shipped to Miami).
For lost baggage, up to $2,000 can be awarded to a traveler using the service Blue Ribbon Bags (www.blueribbonbags.com).
A single service fee, paid anytime before departure, covers all checked bags. If any of that baggage is lost by the airline, Blue Ribbon Bags will provide a dedicated representative who will work with the airline to expedite the return of the bag(s). On a website, the traveler can view real-time updates of his claim.
Iceland is a beautiful country that is very affordable in the winter, but the weather can change quickly. When my parents and I traveled there independently, Feb. 21-25, 2015, we had three days of gale-force winds and two days of significant snow, but we made the most of our vacation due to careful pre-trip preparation. Here are a few travel tips.
• Wear good walking shoes. They’re essential. In the snow, slush and ice, most travelers wore boots.
A couple of ITN subscribers recommended the Tilley hat (May ’14, pg. 37 & Sept. ’14, pg. 47). About four years ago I purchased a hat from Tilley Endurables (800/363-8737 or 716/822-3052, www.tilley.com). It’s olive-green, and I wore it often, including on trips to the Galápagos, Costa Rica and elsewhere.
Unfortunately, I sweat a lot, and after about a year a stain had developed, seemingly due to the rusting of the brass grommets. The orange-brown mottled stain encircles the hatband and more.
Preparing to fly back to the US from our second trip to Japan in 2014, my husband, Clyde, and I were at Narita International Airport on Dec. 16. While waiting for the United Airlines check-in counter to open, we saw a new rule posted above each of United’s couple dozen check-in stations: all checked luggage had to be left unlocked, even bags with TSA locks.
This caused us much concern until we spoke to an agent at the check-in desk and learned of an easy solution.
I returned from a month-long holiday in Argentina in January 2015, and an item that I took along for the first time will be a constant in my luggage on future trips.
The Stuff Travel Pack, from the recreational equipment store REI (www.rei.com), is a lightweight (10 oz.) daypack that, at 6½"x10"x18½", is the perfect size for carrying a water bottle, guidebook, sweater, umbrella, rain gear and a snack.
The straps are super-comfortable, and the sturdy, rip-stop nylon fabric resists light rain. When not in use, the pack squishes niftily into its zip-top pocket.
I want to thank Elizabeth Pugh-Zaleski for her travel tips on drying clothes more quickly after washing them (Feb. ’15, pg. 47). I’ve found that the hardest things to dry are men’s socks, for which a hair dryer works very well. You can fit the nozzle inside a sock and dry it from the inside out.
Also, if your hotel room has a window that gets sunlight, you can hang or lay clothing on the windowsill. The sun will help dry clothes much more quickly.
MARCIA BRANDES
Atlanta, GA