Helicabs

The helicopter is fast usurping the city taxi (just ask Donald Trump). In traffic-choked São Paulo, Hotel Emiliano and Fasano Hotel are among those already equipped with rooftop helipads for quick trips to the airport.

Better than boutique?

* London’s easyHotel and Yotel offer a new take on the Japanese capsule hotel . Luckily, the tiny rooms look less like their Asian cousins and more like futuristic space pods.

* Thanks to art hotels, where you stay can be an artistic statement. Madrid’s Puerta América is the work of 19 architectural firms and design studios; 21 artists created the decor for the Fox in Copenhagen; another 40 did the Hotel + Künstlerheim Luise in Berlin; and a team of 20 overhauled Vancouver’s Dominion.

* Why settle for a vacation at the beach when you can just buy your own private island? Some 100 islands around the globe are looking for takers.

* Eschewing the anonymity of the big hotels, micro-hotels limit the number of suites to three. At the Miauw Suites in Antwerp and Amsterdam, the 3Rooms in Milan and Paris and the Residenza Napoleone III in Rome, quality trumps quantity.

The return of the aviator watch

If you’re looking for a fashion statement, how ’bout “I have a house in Rome and a pied-à-terre in Montreal”? The aviator watch is back, thanks to its nested clock that can cover off a second time zone at a glance.

Beyond planes, trains and automobiles

* The Bombardier Invitation Sail Boat sets sail only in 2025, but its design is leagues ahead. Think Segway for sailors: The boat’s direction is controlled by intuitive body movements, meaning no more pesky boom ducking and rope pulling.

* The trioBike , God’s gift to eco-parents, converts from simple bike to kid carrier bike to stroller.

* The Intelligent Energy ENV (that’s Emissions Neutral Vehicle) is a sleek-looking motorcycle that runs thanks to the Core, a detachable fuel cell. Apart from the zero emissions, it’s virtually noise-free, changing the unmistakable sound of bikers everywhere.

Made-to-measure tourism

Forget buying off the rack (rate). Bespoke agency Artisans of Leisure will have you sipping tea in a Japanese bamboo forest, while V.O Italia zips you around Rome on a Vespa. Or hole up in a remote Berber retreat à la Trufflepig Travel. The more adventurous can sign up with Bluefish Concierge to see the Titanic from a submarine.

The re-renewable energy

You’ve been hiking for two hours when the batteries in your GPS receiver suddenly conk out. Too bad you’ll still have to wait a few years for the hydrogen battery so powerful that it recharges itself, endlessly extending the life of your cell or laptop – and perhapseven saving your own. In the meantime, just throw on the Suspended-load Backpack, a prototype that produces electricity with every step you take.