Dubai
It’s the time of year when the brochures pile up on the coffee table and we all start to think about where we want to go for our annual summer holiday. Everyone wants something different from their chosen destination; some people want a throbbing club scene whilst others prefer somewhere remote and tranquil. However a quarter of the population might actually have one requirement in common.
Since the implementation of the smoking ban last July, it is not uncommon to see people huddled on the streets trying to get a quick nicotine rush before heading back to whatever they were doing. So if you want a holiday that gives you the freedom to smoke where and when you want this summer, FemaleFirst is here to help!
First thought for smoker-friendly holidays is of course, Cuba, the Caribbean’s most vibrant country and is renowned for salsa, cigars and rum. Aside from its fat cigars that smokers can top up on, it’s worth visiting just to see its beautiful colonial towns.
Although Cuba introduced a smoking ban in public places in February 2005, some restaurants still have designated smoking areas and it is without a doubt, a smokers paradise as Cuban cigars are well known as the best money can buy.
Captivating Cuba offers tours to cigar factories where you can see the cigars being hand-rolled, and watch as the manager reads the workers the news from the latest newspapers - an age old cigar factory tradition.
Other than the cigars, Cuba has many more luxurious goods to offer the paying traveller; Arabica coffee is rich and sought after, and the rum is legendary. Just remember not to bring too much luggage in your suitcase as its vital you have enough room to bring back a selection of these fine things!
If you are one of the growing number of ecologically and socially conscious holidaymakers then you can explore on a whole host of conservation-conscious tours in unspoiled landscapes can be booked from a number of hotels. At La Moka in Pinar Del a tree grows up through the lobby and its branches disappear through holes in the roof. Part of the hotel's electricity comes from solar panels and some of the food served is grown in hydroponic, organic gardens. La Moka is a starting point for numerous nature trails and a wonderful location for those interested in conservation and wildlife.
Dubai is another destination where smoking really can be sociable. The Middle East is home to the shisha pipes and cafes, restaurants and hotels throughout Dubai provide the elaborate fruit tobacco pipes for groups of friend to relax and chat around.
Although Dubai is one of the first Arab states to bring in smoking restrictions it is unlikely that any truly inhibiting restrictions will be implemented before the end of 2009.
So for those who want to escape Britain and the smoking ban this summer then what better way than to enjoy sharing a shisha pipe on the beach whilst watching the sun set?
The Japanese view smoking as a hobby rather than an addiction
No matter how much our government keeps battling to drive out the white stick, Japan remains pretty much a smokers' paradise with cheap cigarettes available 24/7 in most convenience stores. Packets of cigarettes can also be purchased from bars, tobacconists, street vending machines that turn themselves off from 11pm-5pm and even some pharmacies.
Cigarettes cost around £1.40 for 20 and have only just started to rise slightly in price. Cigarettes have only risen by 23 pence per pack over the last 20 years. Health warnings are massively understated compared with the west. People can smoke and drink in Japan from age 20.
The vast majority of restaurants and bars permit smoking. Some restaurants have no-smoking areas and there are a few totally no smoking restaurants but they are in the minority.
From 20 years ago when smoking was permitted just about everywhere including university lecture theaters, certain prohibitions have started to creep in; it is illegal to walk and smoke in some busy areas of Tokyo due to the risk of burns to passersby.
Though the average percentage of smokers in the population is falling it is much higher in Japan than the UK. JapanVisitor lists smoking as a major pastime of many office workers.
If you want to see Japan whilst you’re over there, it has one of the world's most highly developed transportation systems; the rail service alone covers almost all possible destinations so you have no excuse not to go and visit one of Japans thirteen World Heritage Sites.
Which include the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Shrines and Temples of Nikko and the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
Ok, so smoking isn’t really healthy, but if you do want to light up whilst you burn off some calories on the slopes then head to St Johann in Austria where you can smoke practically anywhere even the ski instructors are puffing away in a packed Gondola.
Elsewhere, the Croatian Government plans to ban smoking in all public closed places (therefore including restaurants and bars) by early 2009 as does Hungary so if you’re a smoker and you’ve always wanted to visit, now really is the time unless you fancy spending half your holiday stood on a street corner trying to get your fix.
Despite the fact that Peru has a law stating that it is illegal to smoke in any indoor public place the ban is normally not enforced so if you have a holiday there not only can you smoke, but you can break the law and get away with it (in theory).
Finally, Russia's no smoking bill must go through two more readings in the Duma before the wheels actually start turning on the ban, so holidaymakers have a good few more years of smoking before the governement finally stamps it out.
So, if you really do want the freedom of being able to smoke when and where you want then unfortunatley there are some places you really must avoid like the plage or definatly visit if you want to kick the habit and go seriously cold turkey.
Since the ban, smoking is now becoming a very taboo activity and there are few places where smoking is socially acceptable Bhutan became the first nation in the world to make the selling of tobacco prodcuts illegal and New Zealand, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, has been quick to jump on the bandwaggon and has called for the removal of tobacco from sale by 2017.
However if you do give up this year and put all the money you save into your piggy bank, travelsupermarket.com have worked out that you could afford a holiday after just one month, and you won’t have to worry about whether or not you can smoke.
If, instead of buying a pack of 20 fags every day (priced at around £4.90 each) you put the money in a box under your bed, after one month you will have saved £147, enough for a night in a luxury hotel in Mayfair, in three months you will have £411, enough for a weekend break in New York in a three star hotel. If you can keep up the savings for 6 months however, you could spend two weeks relaxing on a beach in the Dominican Republic before heading back to your four star hotel. Finally, if you really manage to ditch the fags for a whole year, then reward yourself with a two week stay in a five star hotel in the Maldives now isn’t that an incentive to beat your niccotine addiction
Even though it can be annoying that we have to go outside and freeze our fingers and toes off, all for a quick fag but the government’s rationale is actually there for everyone elses protection against the harmful effects of second hand smoke.
In all fairness, just because we want to smoke, we shouldn’t force the harmful toxins on others, and in addition, since the ban there has been a great increase in cleanliness in places where food or pharmaceuticals are produced, potentially reduced energy use via decreased ventilation needs and reduced quantities of litterwhich all benefit the environment, so before you start huffing and puffing over a new law, think how much good we’re doing by taking the smoke outside.
FemaleFirst – Ruth Harrison
It’s the time of year when the brochures pile up on the coffee table and we all start to think about where we want to go for our annual summer holiday. Everyone wants something different from their chosen destination; some people want a throbbing club scene whilst others prefer somewhere remote and tranquil. However a quarter of the population might actually have one requirement in common.
Since the implementation of the smoking ban last July, it is not uncommon to see people huddled on the streets trying to get a quick nicotine rush before heading back to whatever they were doing. So if you want a holiday that gives you the freedom to smoke where and when you want this summer, FemaleFirst is here to help!
First thought for smoker-friendly holidays is of course, Cuba, the Caribbean’s most vibrant country and is renowned for salsa, cigars and rum. Aside from its fat cigars that smokers can top up on, it’s worth visiting just to see its beautiful colonial towns.
Although Cuba introduced a smoking ban in public places in February 2005, some restaurants still have designated smoking areas and it is without a doubt, a smokers paradise as Cuban cigars are well known as the best money can buy.
Captivating Cuba offers tours to cigar factories where you can see the cigars being hand-rolled, and watch as the manager reads the workers the news from the latest newspapers - an age old cigar factory tradition.
Other than the cigars, Cuba has many more luxurious goods to offer the paying traveller; Arabica coffee is rich and sought after, and the rum is legendary. Just remember not to bring too much luggage in your suitcase as its vital you have enough room to bring back a selection of these fine things!
If you are one of the growing number of ecologically and socially conscious holidaymakers then you can explore on a whole host of conservation-conscious tours in unspoiled landscapes can be booked from a number of hotels. At La Moka in Pinar Del a tree grows up through the lobby and its branches disappear through holes in the roof. Part of the hotel's electricity comes from solar panels and some of the food served is grown in hydroponic, organic gardens. La Moka is a starting point for numerous nature trails and a wonderful location for those interested in conservation and wildlife.
Dubai is another destination where smoking really can be sociable. The Middle East is home to the shisha pipes and cafes, restaurants and hotels throughout Dubai provide the elaborate fruit tobacco pipes for groups of friend to relax and chat around.
Although Dubai is one of the first Arab states to bring in smoking restrictions it is unlikely that any truly inhibiting restrictions will be implemented before the end of 2009.
So for those who want to escape Britain and the smoking ban this summer then what better way than to enjoy sharing a shisha pipe on the beach whilst watching the sun set?
No matter how much our government keeps battling to drive out the white stick, Japan remains pretty much a smokers' paradise with cheap cigarettes available 24/7 in most convenience stores. Packets of cigarettes can also be purchased from bars, tobacconists, street vending machines that turn themselves off from 11pm-5pm and even some pharmacies.
Cigarettes cost around £1.40 for 20 and have only just started to rise slightly in price. Cigarettes have only risen by 23 pence per pack over the last 20 years. Health warnings are massively understated compared with the west. People can smoke and drink in Japan from age 20.
The vast majority of restaurants and bars permit smoking. Some restaurants have no-smoking areas and there are a few totally no smoking restaurants but they are in the minority.
From 20 years ago when smoking was permitted just about everywhere including university lecture theaters, certain prohibitions have started to creep in; it is illegal to walk and smoke in some busy areas of Tokyo due to the risk of burns to passersby.