Keeping in mind that many American individuals tend to travel to Europe every year, I would like to share a very interesting article that I found on the web and which you can read just below:
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Every year when I update my guidebook series, I find out what's new in Europe. Here's a review of what Americans can expect the next time they cross the Atlantic. Note that this is a continent-wide look at the latest in Europe. In upcoming columns, I'll cover what's new per major country.
In 2009, it's not the “old Europe” anymore as countries continue to open up their borders. Several Eastern European countries, including Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Baltic States, have recently done away with border controls for travel within Europe. This means you can now go from country to country without stopping to show your passport. Switzerland plans to join in as early as March.
Clean air has come to once-smoky Europe. Trains used to have both smoking and nonsmoking compartments, but now entirely smoke-free cars are standard in much of Europe. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on trains in Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden or Poland. Smoking areas (clearly marked) are still offered on some trains in Spain, Denmark, Finland and most of Eastern Europe."
