The rain lightly pelted my window just as dawn was breaking on the Ionian Sea. I was lying snugly in my hotel bed in Syracuse, the venerable, ancient city on the eastern coast of Sicily. I dozed off for another hour or so before I was awakened once more by morning light through the balcony window.

Does travel get any better than this? I thought. I sat up and set my feet down on the floor. Wet. It was very wet. Rain had leaked in and flooded nearly half of my hotel room. To make matter worse, I had unwisely laid my laptop on the floor, along with my phone. I leapt to my feet, panicking, and ran to get the hair dryer.