Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:00AM: While researching my travel series on Greece I noticed some interesting things that didn't fit into any of the articles. Some of these observations may be obvious to those more familiar with Greece, but odd first impressions are one of the fun things about travel!
1. Flying low over the Aegean as we made our descent into Athens airport, I swear I saw dolphins playing in the blue waters. We were ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
smokingban posts
Ten random observations about Greece
Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:00AM: While researching my travel series on Greece I noticed some interesting things that didn't fit into any of the articles. Some of these observations may be obvious to those more familiar with Greece, but odd first impressions are one of the fun things about travel!
1. Flying low over the Aegean as we made our descent into Athens airport, I swear I saw dolphins playing in the blue waters. We were ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade
Feb 6th, 2012 at 10:00AM: There's nothing like having a sealed train compartment full of Serbian farmers blowing smoke in your face on your 30th birthday. One of the strangest elements of expatriate life is that you sometimes find yourself celebrating major occasions with people you just met, rather than friends and family.
I had just started a tour as an American Foreign Service Officer in Macedonia right before my ...Photo of the Day: Smoked Turkish cheese
Jan 5th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
It used to be a common expression to say that someone "smoked like a Turk," and I can confirm after living in Istanbul for nearly two years, Turks still love their smoking. Even after the indoor smoking ban of 2009, cigarettes and nargile (water pipes) are very common here. This portrait by Flickr user MichaelAV captures two of the Turks' other loves: çay (see the tiny tea glass on the ...Belfast airport now charging for smoking
May 7th, 2011 at 9:00AM: Belfast International Airport has introduced a new charge. After deciding to charge people £1 ($1.64) to drop off passengers and £1 for a clear plastic bag to put liquids in, now passengers are going to be charged £1 to use the smoking areas.
Airport officials defend the charges saying it costs them extra to maintain separate smoking areas, which are used only by a minority of ...Smoking ban takes effect in Spain today
Jan 2nd, 2011 at 9:00AM: Starting today in Spain, it is illegal to smoke in any enclosed space where the public gathers. This includes bars, cafes, and restaurants. It will also be illegal to smoke in school playgrounds and near hospitals. Smoking will even be banned from TV shows.
Spain joins a host of countries that have recently toughened up anti-smoking laws, including Finland, Egypt, and Syria. Countries with ...Global Exec Aviation and Blu Cigs partner to keep smokers satisfied
Nov 2nd, 2010 at 12:00PM: Global Exec Aviation would like to thank you for smoking. Sorta.
The charter airline is sympathetic to the feelings of smokers, a rarity in today's world. Spend a few hours on a plane, if you're in the habit of puffing, and the result is a nic fit with an intensity determined by the length of your flight. Cross the Atlantic, and that first opportunity to light up is impossible to describe.
...New York City's Bloomberg proposes outdoor smoking ban
Sep 15th, 2010 at 4:30PM:
Thought you were going to light up a cig on your next trip to Central Park? Think again! Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to get a new measure passed that would prohibit smoking – outdoor smoking – in parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks and pedestrian areas in New York City, according to the local Fox affiliate.
Even the mayor hasn't always been convinced that he could pull this ...
New Wisconsin hotel smoking ban: big fines, no choice
Sep 5th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Wisconsin has just cracked down on smokers from out of state. It's only the second state with a smoking ban that applies to every hotel room in the state. This differs from most smoking bans, like the one in Kansas, in which the properties can allow smoking in a certain percentage of guestrooms. Michigan is the only other state with a hotel smoking ban this severe.
The hotel business in ...Egypt plans smoking ban
Jun 10th, 2010 at 4:30PM: Smokers beware--there will soon be nowhere to run.
It started in Europe and North America, and now it's spreading around the world. Country after country is banning the use of tobacco in public places. Some countries are going even further. Finland plans to ban smoking entirely, while more limited laws are appearing in the most surprising places.
Even the smoker's haven of the Middle East is ...A smoking ban... in Syria!?
Apr 22nd, 2010 at 4:00PM: The War on Tobacco has struck the Middle East.
The government of Syria has implemented a ban on smoking in public places such as cafes, restaurants, and other buildings where the public gathers. It's the latest in a series of measures to reduce tobacco's role in society.
While not as comprehensive as Finland's anti-smoking laws passed earlier this year, they're surprising for an Arab ...Five places to puff in Manhattan: Tips for Smokers
Mar 12th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Yes, I know. Every time I write something for the smokers out there, the comments always fill up with an argument over smoking itself. For now, I'm just going to assume that there are some people out there who happen to smoke and travel. I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one. So, for those of you who enjoy a puff on the road, here are five places where you can smoke in ...Smoke if you got 'em: Washington DC to OK hotel smoking
Mar 7th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Non-smokers probably won't be too excited by the news, but cigar smokers will rejoice. The Washington DC City Council passed a measure last week that eases smoking restrictions on hotels in our nation's capital. The Special Event Exemption Emergency Act of 2010 carries an amendment that offers a way for hotels to be exempted from the city's smoking ban. If you prefer your hotels sans puffing, ...Like to smoke? Rethink that holiday in Finland
Jan 14th, 2010 at 12:30PM: Finland is attempting to become a smoke-free country. A new law will ban the display of tobacco products in shops by spring and ban smoking in cars if you have a minor in your vehicle.
The Finnish government has made it plain that these are only the first steps to get rid of tobacco "once and for all," according to State Secretary Ilkka Oksala.
Oksala says "we are not afraid" of the tobacco ...World's fastest train delayed, perp gets away
Jan 2nd, 2010 at 12:00PM: The world's fastest train may be able to top 200 miles per hour, but it can be stopped with a barrier not even three inches long. A rider who opted to disregard the rules lit up a cigarette on the train as it ran from Guangzhou to Wuhan in China, causing a delay of two and a half hours. To put the inconvenience in perspective, that's about how long it takes the train to complete its journey of ...Budget and Avis ban smoking in rental cars
Sep 15th, 2009 at 3:30PM:
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First you couldn't smoke on planes. Then trains banned smoking. Now, you can't smoke in rental cars, at least, not if you rent from Avis or Budget. As of October 1, all cars in both rental companies' fleets will be non-smoking.
Avis and Budget say the policy came ...Ryanair: (don't) smoke if you got 'em!
Jul 30th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Ryanair isn't the first carrier to allow "smokeless" cigarettes on their planes. These devices mimic the sensation of puffing, I'm told by a user, with a water vapor that is released. What makes the announcement distinctly "Ryanair" is that the devices are now being sold on its flights.
You can buy a pack of ten of these smokeless wonders for €6. To purchase the equivalent of a pack of cigs, ...German airline to offer smoking, not non
Jul 16th, 2009 at 4:30PM: How did this one get by me? An all-smoking airline!
Alexander Schoppmann is on the prowl for startup capital for an all-smoking airline. Once he gets the cash, he's going to lease two Boeing 747s and run a route from Dusseldorf to Tokyo. This doesn't do much for the few Americans who still prefer to light up, but if the Schoppmann can squeeze a profit out of this (which conventional airlines ...Hotel du Vin smokin' consistency
Jun 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: I had a great cigar-smoking at the Bothy at the Hotel du Vin in smoke-phobic Glasgow. Well, the Hotel du Vin in Cambridge, England, I was pleased to learn, offers the same environment! Behind the hotel is a small, covered, and heated outdoor smoking lounge where guests are invited to light up and relax. Its name, the "Cigar Shack," is only half accurate – fortunately, it's the first half. ...Turkish smoking ban? Your survival plan
Apr 19th, 2009 at 1:00PM: I never thought I'd have to write about a smoking ban in Turkey. It just struck me as one of a handful of locations that would never extinguish the flame. But, on July 19, the impossible will come to pass.
In part, it exists already. Since May of last year, smoking has not been permitted in Turkish taxes, malls, offices and ferries. Of course, the prohibition does not seem to have been taken ...Smoking hurts on Saudi airline
Feb 4th, 2009 at 2:00PM: For a smoker, nothing is more miserable than staring down a long flight without being able to light up. As if air travel isn't enough of a chore, various regulations and health nuts have taken away our preferred coping mechanism. A Sudanese man fought back ... and paid dearly. According to the Daily Mail, the passenger lit a cigarette on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Qurayyat to Jeddah. ...
