* THE COST OF BRITRAIL, Eurail, Euro and National rail passes will increase Jan. 1. Save yourself from paying the inflated rate by buying the passes, which are valid for six months from the date they're issued, before the end of the year. According to Forsyth Travel Library, which distributes the Thomas Cook European Timetable - an English language schedule of British and European rail systems, the cost of the nine-day, four-country EuroPass will increase $52, from $432 to $484; the cost of the Eurail Flexipass, good for 10 days of travel in two months in 17 countries, will be $616, up from $560. France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and the Scandinavian countries will increase their rail pass prices an average of 10 percent. Britrail passes will go up about 4 percent. On the other hand, the prices of German, Austrian and Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) passes will not increase. New next year will be a rail pass for Norway and several Eastern European countries, and Switzerland and France will introduce discount passes for couples traveling together.
To request Forsyth's "Summary of 1996 European Rail Pass Price Changes," send a self-addressed, business-size envelope with 32 cents postage to "Rail Pass Summary," Forsyth Travel Library, Inc., P.O. Box 2975, Shawness Mission, KN 66201.
* HONG KONG TOURIST INFORMATION available on the World Wide Web. The Hong Kong Tourism Association's "Wonder Net" is a comprehensive travel guide. Its address is http://www.hkta.org and you can access it with any web browser. The site includes maps of the region, neighborhood, shopping areas, major attractions and listings for hotels, restaurants and local sightseeing tours. "Wonder Net" also lets you specify your length of stay, the month you'll be there and your special interests. It then provides you with a list of suggested tours and activities that fit your specifications.
* VISA OFFERS CARDHOLDERS value-added travel promotions that are available to them if they pay with their Visa card. Among the offers:
- Santa Barbara: Value-added hotel discounts and room upgrades and two-for-one admission to some attractions. Ends Dec. 31, 1995. For a list of participating locations call 1-800-676-1266.
- Barbados: Value-added coupons including an American Airlines coupon good for a $100 discount per round-trip adult excursion to the island. Ends Sept. 30, 1996. Call 1-800-820-1881.
- Italy: Discounts on transportation, services and accommodations. Runs through March 1, 1996. Call 1-800-651-1131.
- Value-added offers at some of the National Trust's Historic Hotels of America in the Mississippi Delta, Vermont, New Hampshire, Oregon and northern California. The National Trust offers free booklets with driving itineraries and value-added promotions at the hotels. For a copy of the driving itinerary, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size (#10) envelope to Historic Hotels of America, 1785 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Attn: Visa. Specify which tour you would like.
* AMERICA'S BEST PLACES TO RETIRE. Vacation Publications rates 66 retirement towns in the latest edition of "America's Best Places to Retire." The book is available for $14.95 plus $2.25 shipping and handling from Vacation Publications, 1502 Augusta Dr., Suite 415, Houston, TX 77057. Allow six weeks for delivery. The book lists vital information about each town including climate, cost of living, home prices, taxes, crime rates and health care. Retirees who live there tell what they like and don't like about the place.
Towns in the southeast dominate the list, but it also includes a few picks from the Southwest. St. George is the only Utah city on the list.
Its 66 picks, in alphabetical order:
Asheville, NC
Ashland, OR
Athens, GA
Bend, OR
Boise, ID
Branson, MO
Brevard, NC
Camden, ME
Chapel Hill, NC
Charlottesville, VA
Crystal River, FL
DeLand, FL
Door County, WI
Eagle River, WI
Edenton, NC
Eufaula, AL
Eugene, OR
Fairhope, AL
Fayetteville, AR
Fort Collins, CO
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Gainesville, GA
Golden Isles, GA
Grants Pass, OR
Greenville, NC
Hendersonville, NC
Hilton Head, SC
Hot Springs, AR
Inverness, FL
Kerrville, TX
Key West, FL
Lake Conroe, TX
Lancaster, PA
Las Cruces, NM
Las Vegas, NV
Marble Falls, TX
Mount Dora, FL
Myrtle Beach, SC
North Fort Myers, FL
Ocala, FL
Ocean County, NJ
Ormond Beach, FL
Oxford, MS
Palm Desert, CA
Paris, TN
Pensacola, FL
Petoskey, MI
Pinehurst, NC
Port Charlotte, FL
Port Townsend, WA
Prescott, AZ
Rockport, TX
St. Augustine, FL
St. George, UT
San Juan Islands, WA
Santa Fe, NM
Sarasota, FL
Scottsdale, AZ
Siesta Key, FL
Tucson, AZ
Vero Beach, FL
Whidbey Island, WA
Wimberley, TX
Winter Haven, FL
Winter Park, FL
* LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES increases the number of smokefree flights. The airline's nonsmoking flights will include all within-Germany flights and many flights within Europe. The smoking ban on flights in Germany began this month. By April, the smoking ban will include flights within Europe that are 90 minutes or less in duration.