Reminiscences of a former traveler

Regarding “Careful Planning and Little Comforts Can Help Smooth the Way for Seniors” (Sept. 15): Having a younger companion is a lovely idea, as it would take care of a huge problem most seniors have when traveling -- carrying luggage.

Millions of us seniors who try to keep traveling as we get older find we have more and more handicaps that hamper our mobility and strength.

Travel is no longer possible for me because I am a 91-year-old who cannot move a filled suitcase. I have only my memories of the 61 countries I managed to visit, despite hardships that included flights of stairs at train stations where luggage with wheels was of no use; long stations where I had to drag my luggage for a quarter of a mile or longer, with no available luggage carts; airlines that charged extra to provide oxygen in flight while not allowing me to carry my own; not being able to lift luggage into the overhead bins.

Ben Rinaldo

Studio City