The calendar has as many pages left as there are hairs on Filemon’s head. The big question is: how and where to celebrate New Year’s Eve? Here we propose four destinations. There may not enough time now to make it for New Year’s Eve, but they have assured us that they will still be there throughout 2010, waiting to be discovered.

Lights, camera…..New York!

The Big Apple invites us to welcome in 2010 with magic. It’s cold, but in Times Square the friendly atmosphere will soon warm you up. Thousands of people congregate there every year to watch the giant dazzling ball descend as the countdown begins. This moment features musical performances, confetti, fireworks and above all, lots of hugs and kisses.

Be the first at Byron Bay

What is special about Byron Bay, apart from being a beachside paradise? It will be the first place in the world to welcome in 2010, as it is located at the easternmost point of Australia. Anyone travelling to Byron Bay will find loads of events and parties to attend, along its 30 km. of beaches and throughout the city. It is also an ideal spot to enjoy scuba diving, surfing and whale and dolphin watching.

Music in Vienna

In Vienna, a classical music concert takes place every to not only welcome in the New Year, but to bid farewell to the year that has ended. This concert has been held since 1939 and it is one of the most famous musical events in the world. The New Year Concert takes place on the morning of January 1 in the “Großer Saal” (Large Hall) of the Musikverein. Georges Prêtre was the conductor this year of the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic. Te concert includes waltzes and polkas and the last festive piece always involves the audience participating in a lively clap-along.

The first ski jumps of the year in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Every year a traditional ski jumping contest is held at the German ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year’s Day. Skiers jump up to 100 metres in length and reach speeds of up to 100km/h. It’s a very original way of starting off the New Year, don’t you think?

Bank holidays + Days owed to me at work + Long weekend + holiday time left over = time for a getaway!
Where to go? This is a question that pops up in many homes just before the Christmas season. Years ago, the only people who travelled at this time of the year were those coming home for Christmas. Nowadays though, many people take advantage of the holiday season to discover new places. Buying a plane ticket on Christmas Day, for example, is often much cheaper than buying it a few days before or after. Of course you have to be willing to give up Christmas dinner though. Are you? Are you going to take a trip over Christmas this year?

… Bon Voyage!

Jon Rawlinson is a filmmaker who specialises in documentaries. His career has taken him all over the world to capture his adventures on video in countless different destinations such as Tahiti, Bora Bora and Jordan. The videos on his blog are spectacular to watch and they also serve as a source of inspiration for planning a future trip. Instead of dealing with all the stress involved with the festivities going on at this time of year, why not sit back and relax with the images that Jon filmed at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Its main tank features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel and it holds whale sharks and manta rays.

A few months ago, a Dutch court ruled that a 13-year old girl was too young to attempt sailing around the globe by herself and it also took partial custody away from her father. The girl disappeared this week, leaving a letter behind for her father. Did she run away to brave the seas by herself? Alone. Apart from breaking the world record by becoming the youngest person to attempt such a feat, would she really enjoy travelling by herself? It is obvious that our experiences on a trip are very different, depending on whether we go alone or in the company of others. We take in the experiences, the emotions and the sensations in a different way. These days, more and more people are deciding to travel by themselves. For now, travelling alone is still proportionately more expensive however. You can get an idea of this by comparing the price of an individual room to a double room in most hotels. Having said that, little by little, more options and offers are appearing that target this type of traveller. In fact, many agencies organise trips especially for single people. In this case, normally these are people who start off by themselves, but end up travelling in the company of others. Others decide to travel alone to discover a new experience. And others simply like to travel by themselves; they prefer to. One of our Hotelopia users told us that she went by herself the first time she went to New York. On the first day, without even realising it, she found herself in the middle of Times Square, surrounded by its millions of sensory stimulations flashing down from gigantic screens, and its spectaculars, or animated digital advertisements. At that moment, she peered around, looking for someone to share that shocking sensation with. That was it really dawned on her that she was travelling by herself. She took a deep breath and started walking. It felt good.
Do you prefer to travel alone or with others? Why?