2007 Cool List

Three years ago, Ireland made news by becoming the first country to ban smoking in all enclosed public spaces. Critics said businesses (pubs in particular) would suffer. They envisioned floods of people crossing nightly into Northern Ireland, which had no such ban, to enjoy cigarettes with their pints. It turns out the border crossings never occurred, at least not to a significant degree. This April, Northern Ireland is enacting a similarly strict smoking ban of its own. Tough new restrictions on smoking are popping up all over. At press time there were bans in most public buildings in 22 U.S. states (though some have loopholes for casinos and places where minors aren't allowed). Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands have also passed antismoking legislation. The most interesting developments, however, are in Europe--where it once seemed impossible to find a café that wasn't filled with clouds of smoke. Even France, the grande dame of café culture, has jumped on the antismoking bandwagon. A ban on smoking in all offices, stores, museums, and train and bus stations went into effect in February, and lighting up won't be permitted in restaurants, bars, or cafés as of January 1, 2008. Smoke-Free HotelsUnfortunately, in many hotels it's possible to get stuck with a room that smells like an ashtray, even if you request a nonsmoking room. One way to guarantee a night without cigarette odors is to stay in a hotel that's entirely smoke-free. Last year, Westin's 77 North American properties banned smoking, as did all Marriott hotels in the U.S. and Canada. To find properties with similar bans, use the special "Smoke-Free Hotels" search feature at booking engine Quikbook, or try the websites smoke-freehotels.com and freshstay.com. As of now, most properties listed on the websites are in North America, but the trend is sure to spread across the Atlantic and beyond. Map Legend1. No smoking: Strict bans are in effect in office buildings and public places that include museums, stores, and train stations (see "So What Exactly Is a 'Public Place'?" below). Smoking is also banned in all parts of restaurants, bars, and cafés. 2. Smoking in certain areas: Smoking is outlawed in all of the same places as above, though cafés, bars, and restaurants may have designated smoking sections. 3. Smoking in small cafés and bars: Most enclosed public places ban smoking; the exceptions are tiny eating and drinking establishments. In Belgium, for instance, there's a loophole for cafés, restaurants, and bars of less than 50 square meters. 4. Smoking in restaurants is fine: Smoking is not allowed in most workplaces, as well as in public places such as movie theaters and train stations. But restaurants, cafés, and bars have few or no restrictions on smoking. 5. Smoke 'em if you got 'em: There are few regulations, if any, on where you can light up. Switzerland, for example, outlaws smoking only on public transportation. So what exactly is a "Public Place"? The phrase public place, which appears often in antismoking legislation, generally means museums, theaters, hospitals, schools, restaurants, bars, and shops--basically everywhere indoors other than hotel rooms and private residences. In many countries, smoking is also banned in outdoor areas like train stations, bus stops, pedestrian tunnels, and open-air sports arenas. Each country's rules are a little different. On public transportation in Portugal, smoking is outlawed during trips that last under an hour, but is acceptable on longer journeys. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, there's no smoking in restaurants during mealtimes, but lighting up is fine during certain afternoon and late evening hours. Latvia lets municipalities decide whether to restrict smoking at public parks, squares, and beaches.

Many travelers think of low-fare carriers and rail passes as the smartest means for touring Europe. But in the same way that airlines offer last-minute deals to fill empty seats, Europe's rail networks have deeply discounted point-to-point tickets under promotional names like Smart Price and Bargain Berths. The tickets typically sell out quickly and may require Internet booking, though you're saved from the hassles (and costs) of getting to airports. Offers are generally nonrefundable and valid only on the train you book (no changes). While availability is limited, bargains exist for travelers willing to search. Unless noted, the prices are for one-way tickets in second class. THE TRIP: ROME TO PARISNormal price: $220 Sale price: $45 Here's the Deal: Trenitalia's Smart Price ticket has a select few bargain fares on routes from Italy to nearby countries. A trip from Milan to Nice costs as little as $20. An overnight train from Rome to Paris, including a bed in a six-couchette compartment, starts at $45. Booking Details: Advance-purchase requirements vary from 7 to 14 days depending on route. Buy at trenitalia.com and collect your ticket at a booth at the point of departure. THE TRIP: MUNICH TO BERLINNormal price: $135 Sale price: $9 Here's the Deal: For $45, up to five people can split a single Schönes-Wochenende ("Happy Weekend") ticket and have unlimited rides anywhere in Germany on either a Saturday or Sunday. The offer, from Deutsche Bahn, isn't valid on the high-speed ICE, IC, and EC trains. Booking Details: Tickets are sold at counters and machines in German train stations, with no advance purchase required. To plan an itinerary, go to bahn.de. Using the drop-down menu, search Without ICE/IC/EC and click on Prefer Fast Connections. THE TRIP: FRANKFURT TO VIENNANormal price: $146 Sale price: $50 Here's the Deal: Deutsche Bahn's Europe-Special tickets are good for trips from Germany to neighboring countries, including the seven-hour ride from Frankfurt to Vienna, as well as for shorter journeys, like Munich to Bolzano, Italy, for $25 (normal price: $75). Booking Details: Purchase at least three days in advance, only at bahn.de. Click on Europe-Special and select a city pair and date. THE TRIP: LONDON TO DUBLINNormal price: $57 Sale price: $31 Here's the Deal: Virgin Trains' Rail and Sail package includes the train ride from London Euston station to Holyhead, a ferry to Dublin Ferry Port, and finally another train to central Dublin. The fare is available in either direction. While scenic, the journey takes nine hours. Booking Details: For the cheapest tickets, purchase at least 14 days before departure. Book at any Virgin ticket outlet or by calling 011-44/8457-222-333; print tickets at the Virgin FastTicket machine at London Euston. You can't buy tickets online, but more info is available at virgintrains.co.uk. THE TRIP: GENEVA TO VENICENormal price: $124 Sale price: $37 Here's the Deal: Every day, a new lineup of routes goes on sale for last-minute trips inside Switzerland (departing within three days), and between Switzerland and Austria, Germany, and Italy (departing within seven days). We found the Geneva-Venice price in February. Booking Details: At sbb.ch, after switching the home page to English, select Travel and then Click & Rail Europe. There, you'll have a choice of viewing current offers within Switzerland or between Swiss cities and ones in neighboring countries. THE TRIP: EDINBURGH TO LONDONNormal price: $133 Sale price: $37 Here's the Deal: With ScotRail's Bargain Berths promotion, you get a bed on an overnight train between London Euston and one of 42 Scottish towns and cities, at fares ranging from $37 to $96. Booking Details: Tickets are available up to three months in advance. Pending availability, you can buy them until noon on the departure date. Go to firstscotrail.co.uk and click on Sleeper Trains, then Bargain Berths. Search for a specific date, or throughout a period of up to three months. THE TRIP: PARIS TO BERNNormal price: $101 Sale price: $39 Here's the Deal: Piccolo prices on the TGV Lyria high-speed train line connecting Paris to the Swiss Alps start as low as $26 for shorter journeys on the line's branch connecting to Geneva. Fares on the Zurich branch can cost $39 to Bern and $45 to the end of the line. Booking Details: One-month advance purchase is required for trips on the Zurich leg; a two-month advance is necessary for excursions on the Geneva line. Go to voyages-sncf.com, enter your cities, and look for the fares labeled Piccolo. THE TRIP: BRUSSELS TO AMSTERDAM Normal price: $60 Sale price: $30 Here's the Deal: The latest discounted trips on the high-speed line between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne are listed every Tuesday via Thalys's Last Minute Offers. Fares are routinely sold at about half the standard price (meaning Paris-Brussels costs $50, not $100) for select departures in the week ahead. Booking Details: Visit thalys.com and click on Last Minute Offers for the latest discounted trips. Availability is very limited, so if you see a departure that works for you, snap it up. THE TRIP: VIENNA TO KRAKÓW Normal price: $62 Sale price: $38 Here's the Deal: Austria's SparSchiene tickets are available between Vienna and major cities in nearby countries including Italy, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland. There are discounts on standard seats, as well as for couchettes and private sleeper rooms--from $38, $50, and $76 respectively for trips to Kraków. Booking Details: Head to oebb.at and click on Discount Products, then SparSchiene. The actual booking engine is in German only, though you can talk with English-speaking agents at 011-43/5-1717. And plan well in advance: You must book a minimum of three months ahead of departure.

Guests driving hybrid cars park free at 60 Renaissance Hotels & Resorts properties across the U.S., as well as at all five Fairmont hotels in California. Kimpton Hotels gives discounts--often $20 off rooms, half-price parking, or both--at its properties in Boston, San Francisco, and other cities. Other guests will be green with envy. And hey, these offers are good for hybrid owners and renters alike. If you want to try one out on vacation, Enterprise rents Saturn and Ford hybrid SUVs at many U.S. locations, and EV Rental Cars offers several hybrid models in California and Phoenix.

I fly five to seven times a year and have never reached elite status with an airline. So I was intrigued after learning about American Airlines' 90-Day Challenge. In contrast to the normal requirement--that a passenger fly 25,000 miles within a year for Gold status or 50,000 miles for Platinum--the challenge is a fast track to elite status. But the carrier never promotes it. The only way to sign up is to call American's reward program (800/421-0600). You must call in advance of a flight; the airline won't give credit retroactively. When starting, you pick whether to go for Gold or Platinum status--5,000 or 10,000 points, respectively--within 90 days. The Platinum perks are better, beginning with double miles on flights, compared to Gold's 25 percent mileage bonus. Points are added using an odd system. American's cheapest flights usually generate half a point for every mile flown, while every mile in a first-class seat gives one-and-a-half points. Ask an airline agent how many points a flight will add to your account. With trips in the works from San Diego to both New York City and London, I went for Platinum. It was a little risky. There's no changing once you decide. If you pick Gold but earn enough points for Platinum, you're stuck with Gold. If you pick Platinum but only earn enough for Gold, you get no special status. My round trip to JFK was 4,892 miles, yielding 2,446 points because I bought a cheap ticket. The London trip was 11,898 miles round trip, and I thought I'd earn half that figure in points because it was another inexpensive fare. But I got lucky: While the leg to London earned half a point per mile, the return was in a fare category that paid off one-to-one. I was over the 10,000-point mark and officially a Platinum member. The first perk was earning double miles--on that return from London. With the bonus, I had 23,746 miles after two flights. Since I'll be getting double miles through year's end, it'll be a cinch to hit 25,000 miles (enough for a free flight). Some of the other perks I'm looking forward to include being among the first people on the free-upgrade list and having access to premium window and aisle seats that are off-limits to regular passengers.