Your elder editor and always-patient spouse have wandered the world frequently for more than 70 years, throughout America, Europe and Asia. Since retirement, travel happens at least once a month. After considerable experiences in the sky, at sea and on the road, here are some very basic tips that may help other seasoned citizens:

Go light. Unless you're sailing on a super-formal cruise or will attend a function at the White House or Buckingham Palace, pack just basic comfy clothing. Take only what you can carry and wheel yourself without checking.

Travel used to include a big suitcase, to lug around, check and, after flights, wait by the merry-go-round hoping they weren’t lost. Most airlines now charge for check-in bags from $15 to $25 each, and it can be avoided if you go light.

Visiting the historic city of London can be a very expensive venture, especially during tourist season. Hotel prices are high, and in posh restaurants sky higher. Also, expect to dig deep if you go shopping in ritzy neighborhoods.

For senior tourists on budgets, the city also offers many of its most fascinating attractions at no cost. First of all, you can freely walk/jog/bike across Tower Bridge day or night. Here are a few other freebees:

Antwerp is a beautiful city, just a 90-minute high-speed train ride from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It’s a vital, modern destination, offering considerable art, culture and history, yet not a big, crowded tourist draw.

Antwerp has been a world trading center since the 16th Century, and many areas retain that old world atmosphere. Due to heavy bomb damage in World War II and rebuilding, there are many modern structures to admire.

Thalys is the modern train system in Northern Europe, similar to the Eurostar between Paris and London. Its schedule includes Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam, with stops in Antwerp. Daily departures from Amsterdam Centraal Station are about every ten minutes.