First, I do not want to dumb-down the game.

However, I would like to suggest that the current storage desks be adjusted to allow access to all qualified storage, regardless of zone, and that there be such a desk in every zone.

Players would still need to travel and gain favor to open the various storage options, but would have access to contents in whichever zone they were in. Thus, if you were in Sunvale, and needed an item stored in Ilmari, you could retrieve it from the storage desk without having to spend the time traveling back and forth.