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  • About / ContactAsWeTravel.com is a budget travel site for young travelers who are about to leave and explore the world for their first RTW trip (round the world). [box type=”tick”]We share simple travel tips, backpacking advice, clutter-free country travel guides , and amazing travel photos from all over the world.[/box] Everything we do is aimed to inspire, provoke and motivate others to simply GET OUT THERE and enjoy everything the world has to offer via. traveling… Nathan & Sofia started their first travel site in 2008, as a personal blog for their first RTW trip, where they spent 8 months with only US 6,000 each (for all food, flights, accommodation etc.) – exploring Oceania, South-East Asia & Europe. After going through 3 name changes – from nathansofia.com (8months), nathansofiatravel.com (3months) finally to aswetravel.com (since February 2010) it has now transformed into an online travel resource for anyone who wants to find out simple real-world tips & advice about budget travel and backpacking around the world. [box type=”note”]NEW! – We just released an e-book called The Pre-Travel Guide – it’s designed as a step-by-step guide to help you improve every part of your RTW preparation – from planning, saving, where to go, health, 1st month…

3 Best Places To Celebrate New Year’s Eve

Spending New Year’s Eve in a new city is always a bit exciting, as they celebrate in such different ways around the world – some more beautiful and romantic, others more crazy and even dangerous.

Some people don’t like New Year’s Eve because of all the expectations that the night usually doesn’t live up to.

The best way to avoid being let down by your expectations is to simply go somewhere you know will be truly awesome. There are fun places to celebrate New Year’s Eve if you do a bit of research in advance.

Here are 3 great places to celebrate the New Year…

Thailand – Watch Your Problems “Float Away” In The Sky

Thailand - Watch Your Problems "Float Away" In The Sky
Thailand – Watch Your Problems “Float Away” In The Sky

While the ”real” new year in Thailand is Songkran, celebrated in April, the calendar new year is also celebrated around the country, and whether you’re on the islands down south, Bangkok or in one of the cities up north, New Year is a great time to celebrate in Thailand.

Last year we celebrated in Chiang Mai, where they have a wonderful market where you can sample traditional Thai foods and snacks, but the most memorable events of the evening is when people light flying lanterns which rise to the sky and mix with thousands of other lanterns, like stars.

It is considered good luck to release a lantern, and they are symbolic of your problems and worries floating away – can there be a better way to end the old year than to release all your problems and worries, and starting a new year with good luck?

Edinburgh – One Of The World’s Biggest New Year Celebrations

3 Best Places To Celebrate New Year's Eve
3 Best Places To Celebrate New Year’s Eve

In Edinburgh one night of celebrating the new year is not enough – there, they celebrate for four days with a festival called Hogmany.

The festival kicks off with the Torchlight procession on December 30th, where thousands of torch carriers create a river of fire in the street, leading to Calton Hill.

If you want to celebrate New Year in Edinburgh you can still buy tickets for the festival, and could stay at one of the many great hotels such as the Jurys Inn Edinburgh.

The festival is full of fun events and shows, with a street party, concerts and live bands, the whole city comes alive and celebrate the New Year with a bang.

Edinburgh hotels are known to be booked up long in advance for their many festivals, but it’s always worth a try.

Samoa – Celebrating A New Year The Way It Has Never Been Done Before

Samoa – Celebrating A New Year The Way It Has Never Been Done Before
Samoa – Celebrating A New Year The Way It Has Never Been Done Before

One of Samoa’s main draws has been the ability to stand on Cape Mulinu’u, the western-most point of Earth, and with the dateline barely 20 miles away, gazing into tomorrow.

Now, all of that is about to change – Samoa has decided to change their time zone, and no longer be one of the last countries to celebrate the New Year – but one of the first.

So if you want to be one of the first to experience such a strange once-in-a-life-time events, head to Samoa and see the New Year at a completely different time.

Those visiting Samoa during the end of this year, will ”lose” a couple of days, going to bed on the 29th , and waking up on the morning of 31st of December, just one day away from the New Year of 2012.

While it’s too late now to book a trip to Samoa over the New Year, every new year after this will be very different.

Since American Samoa will stay on the California side of the dateline, you will be able to celebrate the same day twice without leaving the Samoan chain – this means that you can celebrate New Year’s eve on the same date on two different days, by taking an hour’s flight across the islands!

Where are you going to be spending New Years eve this year?

(photo credit: 1 – 2 – 3)

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Comments

  1. Rusko EBV says

    December 28, 2011 at 10:44 am

    Oh! I have been wanting to go to Edinburgh for New Years.  I was there in Spring, and everyone told me about how cool the fireworks were from Princes Street Gardens.

  2. aterEgo says

    December 28, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    I would go to Thailand if I had a chance =)

  3. The Traveling Fool says

    December 28, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    I always thought Hong Kong would be great on new Years. I don’t know why it just seems like they would have a great time.

  4. Tamilnadu tourism says

    December 29, 2011 at 10:53 am

    Goa in India is also a good destination to celebrate new year

  5. Kieu Nguyen says

    December 30, 2011 at 11:34 am

    We’re hoping to make Edinburgh happen NYE 2013. We celebrated NYE this year in Rio on Copacabana beach and it was awesome. I’d be equally excited and confused to ring in the new year twice in Samoa. Lol. Still the thought sounds cool. We’re in New Zealand this year. Where are you guys ringing in the NY?

  6. Work in Australia says

    December 30, 2011 at 8:00 am

    I watch the fireworks in Sydney on TV every year for New Years celebrations. It’s a wonderful spectacle with lots of vantage points for locals around the waterfront. There is also many family friendly alcohol free parks so it is safe for everyone to have a great time.

  7. Flipnomad says

    December 30, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    will be celebrating here in Siem Reap 🙂 first sunrise at Angkor Wat 🙂

  8. Jeremy says

    December 30, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    Glad to see Thailand was included on there. We were in Phuket last year!  Got to release lanterns and watch some wild fireworks display at the same time!

  9. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:37 pm

    Wonderful! The lantern tradition seems to be spreading slowly across the world, it’s such a nice idea that I can see why people would like to bring the tradition home with them.

  10. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    That’s a romantic way to celebrate, and it makes for a prefect photo opportunity as well 😉

  11. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Edinburgh has so many things going on throughout the year, they love their festivals over there and I’ve heard that this is one of the best 🙂

  12. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:43 pm

    I love this, such different locations every time – there is nothing better than diversity! Would love to celebrate on Copacabana beach some time.
    We celebrated New Year’s Eve in Queenstown a couple of years back – it was a rainy mess, but they had a really nice live concert.

    This year we’ll celebrate in Germany, they’ve already started firing off fireworks here..!

  13. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    Sydney is famous for their fireworks on the bridge, would be really cool to see it in real life some time.

  14. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Hong Kong sounds like a fun place to celebrate, probably some amazing firework-shows.

  15. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    Edinburgh is such a fun place, next time we visit we’ll make sure we go during one of these festivals as well!

  16. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 30, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    That sounds awesome, hope you have a great time!

  17. Anonymous says

    December 30, 2011 at 11:31 pm

    Hi this article is really good. I really want to do the Samo thing but it’s gonna be impossible.

    This year I will be doing the same thing that you are talking about for Thailande. I will be doing it in Tokyo at ZOjoji temple… We will fly 3000 balloon at the same time

  18. The World of Deej says

    December 30, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    I had no idea about the celebrations in Edinburgh…guess I’ll have to add it to my list…

  19. Colombia traveler says

    December 30, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    I’m celebrating this New Year in Cartagena, Colombia. It will be an amazing huge party where everyone in the city will be able to go to the beach get some great Colombian alcohol, partying and enjoy.

  20. Sofia - As We Travel says

    December 31, 2011 at 8:51 am

    That sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate the New Year, 3000 balloons in the air at the same time would make for an amazing photo!

  21. jason_corfu_villa says

    January 2, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Personally I had a quiet one at home but next year we are planning Sydney! Was quite surprised that that wasn’t on your list – but then Samoa looks stunning!

  22. Hotels Wala says

    January 6, 2012 at 5:26 am

    The three places are awesome.I can suggest India which is a place with wide diversity,heritage and some
    wonderful places.

  23. Sofia - As We Travel says

    January 6, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Sydney seems like a fun place to celebrate the new year, especially with the beautiful firework show on the bridges!

  24. Sofia - As We Travel says

    January 6, 2012 at 9:39 am

    Thanks for your suggestion, where in India would you recommend celebrating New Year?

  25. Kieu - GQ trippin says

    January 7, 2012 at 5:00 am

    Funny, we celebrated in Auckland and it too was a rainy mess. Lol. Germany sounds awesome! 

  26. Anonymous says

    January 17, 2012 at 11:22 am

    these three places r my favourite places , i can  travel here yearly …

  27. cheap flights to Delhi says

    February 5, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    These place are very nice for celebrate new year.

  28. River Rafting says

    February 13, 2012 at 10:09 am

    My suggestion would be Kolkata or Delhi.But if you want to celebrate in pure western way then Goa is the ideal place.

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