A 'Stalwart Smoker' Tries iQos

A few years ago a friend of mine who travels incredibly regularly for business wrote some guest blogs here. You can see them on the Bear Tripper tag. 

Having recently tried an iQos for the first time after not having heard of it until earlier this month, Bear sent some interesting initial thoughts as a blog article. 

Note: I am not Dick Puddlecote.

I am a stalwart smoker of cigarettes.

Years ago I tried e-cigs when they were new on the market, in fact I was the one who first introduced DP to one in 2009. As someone who travels on an extremely regular basis, I found that the e-cig was helpful in many ways, most notably for use in some no smoking hotel rooms where the policies on smoking are particularly draconian, however I still wanted a proper cigarette. I found e-cigs dried my mouth.

Just a supporting note on that, there are still many smoking hotel rooms, no matter what people say, and it's quite rare on my travels that I don't find them. If you're a regular traveller - especially on business expenses - you are a good customer and I treat those hotels well for their understanding approach to people like me.

Enter the IQOS which I have only just heard about (which says something about the lack of marketing, why are smokers like me prevented from hearing about it? I can only guess that it is because anti-smokers are blocking marketing). It is described as the healthier way to smoke. I had to try this, obviously. My first thought was ‘what a great idea’.  However, after pondering, I kept asking myself the same question. Why?

This is a ‘healthier’ way to smoke but wherever I've tried to use it I am still faced with going outside. If you use an e-cig, nobody knows you ‘smoked’ in a room. With IQOS, you can’t do that. A colleague told me that using IQOS meant he didn’t smell of smoke anymore, but not convinced the hotels or bars would see it that way, regardless of whether or not it had no harm to others.

I was an early adopter of e-cigs, as mentioned earlier, and I remember asking about using it in a couple of bars and was told, at the time that I couldn't. Their understanding of the smoking ban was so poor that they were worried it would be seen as smoking. In truth, they didn't know what e-cigs were and the fines for allowing smoking are so draconian that they didn't want to take the risk. I now see anti-smoking organisations including e-cigs in their campaigns but find it quite hypocritical because uptake would be much better if they had spoken up in the early days so that bars weren't afraid of allowing them. It's probably too late now. As Dick often says, it's not about health is it?

Some bars have now accepted and encouraged vaping, but very few in this country. I have found that the attitude in mainland Europe is far better than in the UK despite this country being praised for being welcoming towards vaping. Maybe that tells us something about the attitudes of Brits and our reluctance to turning a blind eye to silly laws.

Will IQOS be the same? Will we be allowed to smoke a ‘safe’ cigarette? Given that it is like the invasion of the bodysnatchers these days where people point and roar if you smoke, drink, eat chocolate, drink fizzy drinks etc, I am not sure we will have that option. Since trying the product I have looked up articles about it and found nothing but health organisations trying to demonise it before it gets started.

As to IQOS itself. I like the idea. I did find it dry and did not like the ‘taste’ but that was the same with e-cigs in the beginning. It can only be improved. New flavours could prove popular.

We then get to cost and availability. Heets are not that cheap. Will this cost reduce and will they be more available as they grow more popular?

I would like to keep trying IQOS, and will do until the Heets I currently have run out (or beyond if I enjoy it and can easily find more), but I am not seeing the advantage yet. The smoking ban was clearly not about health or else we would be seeing far more vaping allowed in public places. but with IQOS the outlook seems to me to be even worse. So why are we trying to make smoking healthier when we are still banned and thrown outdoors.

If someone in the anti-smoking movement can explain that to me, I'd think harder about whether to carry on trying something safer, but all the while I am thrown out into the cold I'll carry on with the fags, thanks. 

A Smoker's Guide To New York

Note: I am not Dick Puddlecote.

Hi all. It has been around 18 months since my last contribution on Dick's blog so a reintroduction is in order. I am a business travelling bear who writes occasional posts drawing on my experiences to offer useful travelling information for smokers. You can read my other posts under the Bear Tripper tag.

I've just returned from a trip with a colleague to New York and thought you'd like to hear how even with Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking regime smokers are catered for quite adequately.

Hotels: Avoid the non-smoking hotels. Marriott banned it a few years ago for example. Do a little research when choosing your hotel and make sure you request a smoking room in the additional requests box, or if asked about room type when booking. Above all, ask when checking in. Nobody asks as they don't expect to find smoking rooms. This worked at the Crowne Plaza in Times Square. Not only did they have a smoking room, but it was available immediately (before usual check in time). Hotel Pennsylvania (opposite Penn Station) has them too. It is a basic hotel, but well situated and has the bonus of a number of smoking rooms.

Parks: Smoking is not allowed within parks but the signs are so very small you could miss them. The other issue is that there are no clear boundaries as to what is classed as the park area which is confusing in both Central Park and Battery Park. Liberty Island doesn't appear to have specific smoking areas but Ellis Island has a smokers post to left of main museum entrance which we took to mean you could smoke.

Streets: Open season for smokers. There are smokers posts here and there. There was some talk of smoking being banned at Times Square but there are smokers posts outside hotels in that area and I spotted a police car parked up in main area with driver's hand sticking out smoking a cigarette! The streets are littered with butts which looks terrible. There are smokers posts and bins which can be used. We used portable ashtrays and emptied them in bins. No point helping the anti-smoking agenda by littering!

Venues: The world famous Studio 54 were OK with you leaving to have a smoke outside at the interval. They just asked that you kept your ticket with you for re-admittance. Madison Square Garden does not allow this. You are in for the whole show. However, it was amusing that a couple sat near us flouted the ban and smoked at their seats. Nobody said anything and the people behind them asked them to blow the smoke in their direction. Still, it could have gone horribly wrong so just check the venue website for interval pass outs or commit for the evening. Contrary to popular belief, us smokers can go without a cig for a few hours.....proven by the fact you have spent 8 hours on a plane to get there in the first place!

Bars: The grandfathering law is quite unusual, but marvellous. There are bars where you can smoke. In addition, you will find outdoor areas which allow smoking. Just ask first! Downtown is more relaxed and that is where we found the smoking bars. Karma on W 4th street (Avenue 1) was a bit 'spit and sawdust' but boasted happy hour each day from 1pm till 9pm and the staff were friendly. Also, sitting at the bar meant fun conversation with smoking locals. Circa Tabac on Watts Street (end of Broome Street) was an absolute find. It was a little more expensive but a lovely place. If staying uptown, it was also handy for Spring Street subway and was a lot more comfortable during the week. The Friday night was a lot busier, but some may enjoy that more. Both bars had good music, but not loud enough to stifle conversation, so ideal.

I am off to Seoul next week for a long trip so will have some more insights to share on my return. I will try not to be a stranger here again.

In the meantime, if you have any good (or bad) experiences of New York - or any other travel information for anywhere on smoking or e-cig vaping for that matter - please share as I'd be very interested to read them.

Carry On Cruising?

Note: I am not Dick Puddlecote.

For my previous posts about smoking policies while travelling abroad, check out the Bear Tripper tag. So far, I've focussed on air travel and hotels, so this is a slight departure which I hope some might find useful.

Being out of the country for much of the year on business, it is always nice to be able to holiday travel in a more leisurely manner. For me, this means cruising and I usually book trips and take my Mother along with me for company as well as a treat which she enjoys very much.

I used to love to go on cruises, it was such a marvellous way to travel, but have found it to be a trial these days for the smoker. Or a bit of a 'carry on' you could say.

You usually need to keep up to date with the cruise line websites as their policies change quite quickly. I had a great time on the Holland America Line on a cruise to Hawaii. There were a couple of bars where you could smoke. There were a few of us who always went to one of the bars for happy hour and pre-dinner drinks. The bar staff got to know us all very well and got to know what we were drinking. One of the American chaps was actually a stunt double for a very well known character on a show in the 1970s. He was AA so the bar staff had a stash of non-alcoholic beer for him. He smoked like a chimney, was a great guy and had some fun stories to tell. His seat was the one at the bar near the window - nobody else would sit there when we came to realise that was his perch. He told us that he had found out that the bar was to go non-smoking after our cruise. I wonder how that affected profits at that particular bar. People used to come in there and complain to each other loudly about the smoking. However, there were other bars where smoking was not allowed. It really started me thinking how intolerant anti smokers are. Why didn't they go elsewhere? It was probably because I usually sat in smoking bars on the ships with other like minded folks that I hadn't really considered this. It took me back to a cruise about 15 years ago around the Caribbean. One chap was complaining that there were not enough chocolate chips in the choc chip cookies…..I put that down to some folks just wanting to complain.

I was on a trip from New York to Southampton on the QM2 and there were still smoking areas on the ship. In addition you could smoke in the cabins and on the balconies. I was holidaying with my Mother (and, as she didn't smoke, I just went out to the balcony. She was OK with sitting in the smoking areas in the bars. On one occasion a chap came into the bar and complained that there was nowhere to sit. He was pretty loud about it too. The staff offered him a seat and he proclaimed that it was in the smoking area and that he was not going to sit there and demanded a seat in non-smoking. The staff were excellent, moved some seats and sorted it out. Mum said to me that if she ever got that intolerant about anything and made such a fuss then I had full permission to chuck her overboard! We went back on the QM2 more recently for a three week trip and things had changed. For me, no more lounging on the comfy seats in the Commodore bar reading a good book with a cocktail or wine and a cig. It was all non-smoking. However, you could smoke in the Churchill Cigar Lounge which is located in the Commodore bar area. Pre dinner, I would go there and get a drink and chat with fellow passengers. Again it was a close little 'family' and the staff got to know us all. When Mum came to the bar, the staff would come in and tell me that she was there and at which table she was sat. I would then sit with her and go for a cig before we left for dinner.

The other thing that we discovered was that the disco area had a smoking area. That wasn't on the website….but I was pleased to find it was there. The only other smoking areas on the ship were a couple of huddled areas at the back on two of the decks. Still, the QM2 was better than a lot of other ships.

Another thing to be aware of if you cruise transatlantic is that you cannot buy duty free on board to smoke during the trip. If you buy duty free (tobacco or alcohol) it is delivered to your cabin the day before you disembark. On other cruises in other destinations you could buy them and smoke them while aboard.

I also started looking at one of the cruise websites which highlighted smoking friendly ships. I would like to do another cruise but the idea of having to try to find some little area where smoking was allowed was not appealing. The site was an eye opener. I found that some cruise lines had banned smoking in the cabins. Come on folks, can't you hear the 'kerching'? This, of course, meant that the smokers would be 'forced' into paying for balcony cabins. However, those with balconies complained that folks were smoking around them and it ruined their holiday. Even asking them to stop didn't work. Surprised? If someone paid for a balcony so they can smoke, they are going to smoke there. Some apparently complained to the staff and asked them to stop folks smoking. They didn't as they couldn't. Anyway, if you are in the middle of, for example, the Atlantic, and you are moving at a fair rate - how does the cig smoke then gather and go into the room of the next person from your balcony?

The outcome was predictable - cruise lines are now stopping smoking even on balconies so all that's provided is a miserable little area on deck where you can smoke. In bad weather, if there is a 'lockdown' you won't even be able to go use that! Even at that, these cruisers are not happy. They want it banned completely. I wonder if they have considered the 'chimneys' on the ships which push out all sorts of smoke. No? Of course not. It is easier to pick on the smoker.

Apparently Spanish cruise ships are the most tolerant and I also heard that RCI Serenade of the Seas had a lot of complaints (http://tinyurl.com/p68n83v) about the amount of places where smoking is allowed - that sounds like the cruise ship to go on!

Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas

So, my advice on any cruise you may want to take is to really investigate the smoking policy on board along with asking the line if there is going to be any change to policy. Things could change between booking and actually going on the cruise. Also look at the cruise websites and forums. These people can be vicious. It has quite put me off giving any of my money to these cruise lines as I don't want to be standing in a legitimate smoking area and have people whining at me ... and paying a fortune to do so. I am happy to do a long haul flight without smoking - but certainly not a 2 week holiday surrounded by intolerants.

I will keep an eye open for any other complaints about the amount of smoking areas on ships and plan accordingly or perhaps I will just have to go with the memories of my cruises when smoking was allowed in a couple of bars and a few more places on deck. I am never short of places to go on holiday - other destinations which don't huddle you in a windy corner outside will probably be very happy to benefit from my cash.

If you have any good (or bad) holiday experiences yourselves - not necessarily restricted to cruising - please share as I'd be very interested to read them.

Happy travels!

Long Haul Layovers - Newark And Singapore

Note: I am not Dick Puddlecote.

Thank you to everyone who welcomed me to Dick's blog last month with your comments, if you missed it you can read how I introduced myself here.

We are now at that time of year when many people will be booking holidays, here are some tips for two regular airports for long haul layovers for those of us who enjoy a smoke.

If you travel to the west coast of America, it is possible you may stop at Newark airport along the way.

Newark airport. Ok, you cannot smoke anywhere in the airport. However, if you have a layover there and flying to Europe, the chances are that you will be going from terminal C. There are a couple of things to think about here. The first is duty free. If you are on a layover and get into terminal C, go buy the duty free before you do anything else. The beauty of this airport is that you buy the duty free and get a receipt. You will only get your goods at the gate when boarding so no need to worry about carrying it around with you. If you fly into terminal A, you can get a bus which will take you to terminal C, which again means you can take care of duty free before anything else.

OK, so you have duty free and you have a few hours to spare. You go out of departures to have a cigarette, cigar or whatever else takes your fancy. The first thing that will hit you is that there is nothing outside departures at Terminal C to entertain you. So, have your smoke then jump on the free airtrain (or walk, there are decent walkways and will help stretch the legs) and go to terminals A or B. my preference is Tony Romas at terminal A. You can have a drink, some food, then go have a cigarette after. In fact, on a four hour layover, I spoke to the staff and was able to pop out for a smoke between drinks!

It is also worth mentioning that although it may be publicised that you can only smoke outside Newark at one of the designated smoking areas, this is incorrect. Walk out the door and light up, everyone else does. There are also ashtrays everywhere outside.

On your return to terminal C, go upstairs, out of the doors and walk left. When you get to the end of the terminal, you will see steps on your left. This takes you to an outdoor smoking area with seats. It is also next to security and I usually find that one the quieter of the 3 security gates in that terminal. Note that the later it gets the quieter it is, but beware that they might also close some gates so make sure to ask if this might be the case to give yourself plenty of time to get to your flight.

If you are thinking of travelling to Australia, it is possible that you may have a stopover in Singapore.

The most important thing to remember about Singapore airport is that you are not allowed any ingoing duty free allowance on tobacco (you're also not allowed to bring chewing gum in either, it is banned!). They don't mess about either, please note that there is a large fine and prison sentence if you are caught smuggling tobacco in. This is not just with duty free, but even with those bought tax paid before you leave!

I had read you could buy duty free and pay the tax, however this is not the case. I tried to buy cigarettes once in Dubai and was refused as I was off to Singapore, even though I said I intended to declare them. Cigarettes in Singapore are S$12 per pack. However, on your way home you can get your duty free at around £15 for 200....go figure!

Note also that you can only take 50 cigarettes into Australia which is a new regulation. I have not seen it in other airports yet, but in Singapore you can buy 50 cigarettes (2x25 packs) especially for the purpose.

However, despite the country being one of the most vociferous against smoking, there are still various smoking rooms around the airport. Singapore has designated areas outside, usually one or the other end of this huge airport. People generally will not smoke out of these areas. Just get through to departures and you will find much nicer areas to smoke. Note too that dropping litter is a serious offence in Singapore. Do not take any chances.

In terminal 1 there is the Cactus Garden which is advertised as a beer garden and smoking area. This particular smoking area has been a source of amusement for me the past few years. There is a great bar and even outdoor air conditioning. However, you can no longer smoke at the bar or at the tables. There are other seats where you can freely take your drink and smoke, though. This results in quite an amusing scenario. Last time I was there, a lot of folks were taking advantage of what I call the 'cheap seats' where smoking is welcome, but only three people sat at the bar and none in the table area. Note that this is outdoors and there is only 3 yards at most separating the smoking and non smoking areas. It still makes me laugh. I remember when smoking was allowed at the bar and it was like a holiday resort - everyone sat at the bar chatting to strangers, having drinks, cigarettes and a good laugh. This is still the same experience, just moved a few yards away.

In terminal 2 there is Hari's Pub (don't confuse with Harry's bar, quite different). As you enter the bar, over to the right hand corner there is a small smoking room - yes, indoors! Order your drink at the bar and tell them you are going to the smoking room. Their waiter service will bring it for you and they will also come to you for further orders, you don't have to move a muscle. Simply pay at the bar on your way out. How very civilised.

As for hotel smoking rooms in Singapore or America. Yes, you can still get them - don't believe the hype! I manage to get quite a lot of smoking rooms. Check before booking the hotel and never assume, because of the country, that there is no chance of a smoking room. Places that would surprise you are the Waldorf and the Grand Hyatt in New York. Both have limited smoking rooms. Just don't book a Marriott in North America as they were the 'proud' pioneers of non smoking hotels. You can get smoking rooms with them in other parts of the world though.

I hope some of you might find this information useful, you can find my articles tagged as Bear Tripper on the right hand side. If you have any tips of your own, please add them to the comments. I will try to reply to as many as possible.

Happy travels!

Every Journey Begins With A Single Step

Note: I am not Dick Puddlecote.

Thank you to Dick for inviting me to comment at his blog, I hope to bring you some useful travelling information for smokers drawing on my experiences as a business travelling bear.

To introduce myself, I am a Project Manager for an international business concern and spend more than 50% of my time travelling to clients around the world. I enjoy red wine, tobacco and am an Arsenal fan for my sins, but don't let that put you off.

I have some notes on smoking policies at airports and other venues in places including Singapore, Dubai, Australia and America amongst others, and have many stories to tell as well as expecting many more in the future. I have only just started to collate notes on what I have seen before after talking via email to Dick, but I shall be making sure to share whatever observations I gather on my travels more in the future.

For a taster, why don't I begin with my home airport of Birmingham because every journey begins with a single step, as they say.

Birmingham airport, unbeknown to a lot of occasional travellers, now boasts a smoking balcony which is unusual in Britain but not in the rest of the world. This, for the observant, is advertised on boards outside the airport so keep your eyes peeled on the way in. What they don't tell you is that shortly after opening this facility, they decided to put an entry code on the door.

The balcony is located through a door on the right hand side when entering the Meriden bar. You can get the code at the bar. However, you appear to have to be a customer to get the code which can be expensive and best avoided if on a budget. It seems to change every couple of months and was 1121 a couple of weeks ago. I will update when I can. Note that if you stand by the door, the constant traffic will ensure you get out there without the code because, contrary to what you are told by newspapers and others, people like to smoke and footfall is very busy. Smokers are also very approachable too, so people who have been out there or returned will only be too happy to share the code even if it is a quiet day.

To stay close to home for now, here are a couple of brief tips about travelling to airports in Germany, particularly Munich.

Unlike other German airports, Munich airport does not sell EU paid cigarettes. Also, if you look at the official website, it tells you that Bavaria is most strict on the smoking ban and you cannot smoke in the airport anywhere. This is completely untrue. In common with other German airports, some areas have Camel smoking cabins. There are also some smoking rooms with decent seating and as comfortable surroundings as we can hope for these days. Frankfurt and Dusseldorf airports have just as agreeable places to smoke indoors.

I hope that this will have been informative as a cut out and keep starting point, I have a couple more posts in the pipeline but would welcome any comments questions or hints about destinations you could share with me. My articles will be tagged under Bear Tripper for your future reference.

Happy travels!

Introducing Bear Tripper

Unlike your mostly landlocked transport industry host, there are others who work in areas whereby they travel overseas a helluva lot. Some of them are smokers, so I'm sure many who visit here will be very glad to read contributions from my first invited guest blogger, Bear Tripper.

After some talk via e-mail, I'm pleased that BT will be writing occasional pieces here to inform you as to the state of smoking facilities at international airports and lounges that they encounter, along with tips on policies in hotels and other local establishments around the world.

BT is a prolific business traveller with knowledge of tobacco allowances and restrictions at entry and exit points of many far-flung destinations, along with other observations, so I hope you will give a warm welcome.

The first of BT's articles will appear here soon. Comments and queries are, as always, very welcome and will be answered by BT personally where possible.