By FOMO Girl
New Year’s Eve is the time to bid farewell to all the concerns and problems of the past year and prepare for a new start. Celebrating New Year’s Eve is one of the most exciting and oldest customs. From uninhabited laughter, fireworks and shouts of joy with everyone trying to make as much noise as possible!  New Year’s Eve always has plenty of toasts for luck, good health, prosperity and love.

In New York on New Year’s Eve it is quite common for families or a bunch of friends to gather for house parties, to ring in the New Year in their own style. Everyone parties all night and then around midnight they count down the last few seconds together.  I have a few buddies that live in New York and they have had some massive New Year’s Eve house parties that I have been to.

Spending New Year’s Eve in New York City is one of the most fascinating experiences any person can ever have. On New Year’s Eve the city becomes the world’s capital of diverse entertainment, adventure and endless fun. Every year, Times Square hosts a spectacular event that is attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors and locals. This is one of the largest New Year’s Eve street parties throughout the world, where a “ball” drops from a flagpole at the stroke of midnight.

This is not an ordinary ball, it actually measures 6 feet and the surface is covered with over 2500 Waterford Crystal triangles and weighs almost 12000 pounds. If you are in New York during this time of the year then you should not miss the golden opportunity to experience this unique event.

Most people love partying during New Year’s Eve and there is plenty of celebrating.  Drinking, music and dancing take place at the pubs and nightclubs all over New York City on New Year’s Eve. This is the perfect time to party, celebrate and get drunk with your relatives, close friends and families.  Several people will sit back and enjoy a jug of cold beer while watching the New Year’s Eve countdown.  I love going to a bar called the Highland Park, which is a stylish yet casual bar, located on East 34 Street.  The bar is surrounded by several iconic landmarks like Grand Central Station and the Empire State Building. If you are looking for another popular spot then you might consider the hot and happening Santos Party House. This place has received awards for the best DJ, best nightclub and best dance floor in New York City.  These are ideal places to spend time with friends and enjoy something out of the ordinary on New Year’s Eve.   

One thing you should consider whilst in New York City for New Year’s Eve is the stunning view from the top of the Empire State Building. The view up there is amazing and as its winter there is no need to worry because one of the viewing decks is enclosed in glass.

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By Abby Cassinia
Everyone loves to start a new year in style, some opt to travel to places they have never been, and others stay with their families. To kick-start the new year, I recommend going to Edinburgh for the Hogmanay, which is just completely amazing.  The people, the food and the party itself left me with a very memorable experience.   Hogmanay (last day of the year in Scottish) in Edinburgh is recognized as one of the best places to welcome your new year.  I think it is not only the best in the UK but also across the world.  

Many theories have been brought forward to explain the origin of the word “Hogmanay”. The most notable theories explain that the word has Flemish, Scandinavian, or Anglo-Saxon origins. Nevertheless, what is the origin of Hogmanay celebrations? Historians believe that the Hogmanay celebrations are deep-rooted from the Vikings who treated the eve of the New Year with special interest.

Having personally experienced the New Year's Eve celebration of Hogmanay in Scotland, I can confidently say it is a breath-taking event. The fireworks, the astounding skies, the dances and the music among others give one everything you are looking for. For a moment it felt like I was in a different planet and just wanted the party to continue. I was particularly surprised with the large number of people who attended.  I’m thinking there were over 250,000 partygoers from all around the world. I was there with an American friend, Mike, and you could see the smile and happiness in his face at how awesome the night was.

Edinburgh does not only offer the beauty of welcoming a new year but also has some astonishing hotels.   If you are travelling to Hogmanay there are plenty of accommodation options, but it is probably your best bet to book early.  Having booked our hotel early and staying for four days, Mike and I got a great deal at the 5 Star Sheraton Grand Hotel located near to the Edinburgh Centre and the famous Edinburgh Castle.  The accommodation at the Sheraton Grand Hotel was fantastic. The services were good and the staff were really friendly. This made us felt like we were at home.

We tried plenty of traditional Scottish foods whilst we were at Hogmanay. I actually had some of the best shortbread I have ever had.  The cold night means that the food should be served hot though and we tried the Haggis and, well, we’re not real sure.  You will just have to try it for yourself!   There was plenty of different drinks on offer at Hogmanay, but of course Scotch whisky is a drink you will never miss out on in Scotland.   Scotch is not only enjoyed in Scotland but across the world.  We did a bit of a tour around Scotland after Hogmanay and visited a few distilleries.  I think Scotch is my new favourite liquor!  The taste of great Scotch is indescribable.
We noticed plenty of tours groups at Hogmanay, so if you’re looking at travelling with a whole group of people then you should check out some of these companies that organise Hogmanay tours.  Travelling as a group can be the best experience ever if that is you’re thing, but Mike and I decided we would just book everything ourselves and go it alone.   

There was plenty of things happening at Hogmanay, but there is nothing like singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight in the country where the song originated.  It really was a wickedly incredible experience.  

Hogmanay offers a magic way for you to kick in the New Year in style. You definitely will not regret it.

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By FOMO Girl
As the Christmas lights start to fade and the holiday season comes to an end, there's still the age-old question of where to celebrate one of the most epic nights out of the year, New Year's Eve.  With the New Year just around the corner, now's the time to make your New Year's resolutions, drink away the last year's regrets and celebrate starting all over again next year.

Ever wondered what it would be like to do a New Year's Eve trip somewhere other than singing 'Auld Lang Syne' with a bunch of strangers in your local pub or bar?  There are some really exciting must-do New Year's Eve events across the globe in nearly every continent.

A recent survey conducted by a social network across 17 countries and four continents showed Brazilians were considered the top nationality that the rest of the world would most like to party with on New Year's Eve.  As New Year's Eve falls in the middle of Brazil's summer, the climate is perfect for large outdoor parties to welcome the New Year.  The festivities are held in cities across the country and for those near the beach on New Year's Eve, the tradition in Brazil is to jump seven waves at midnight while throwing flowers in the sea and making a wish, apparently it is one wish for each wave.  However, none of the Brazilian cities can match the scale of the NYE party on Rio De Janeiro Copacabana Beach.  With 2.5 million partygoers in attendance it is considered the biggest New Year's Eve party in the world and Copacabana Beach has giant stages set up along the oceanfront with music, Carnival-style costumes, traditional dance performances and fairground attractions keeping people entertained throughout the night. 

Few places rival the atmosphere of New Year's Eve in New York City, home to one of the night's most memorable New Year's Eve events, the Times Square Ball Drop. Since 1907, the iconic ball, a 12-foot glittering sphere weighing 11,875 pounds, is dropped each year on the stroke of midnight from a flagpole on top of One Times Square.  Cramming into the New York City Times Square to watch the ball drop with fellow tourists from all over the world is something everyone should do once. They say that you haven't really celebrated until you've frozen your extremities and lost your voice screaming while that ball drops above you.

One of the world's first major cities to celebrate NYE, Sydney's New Year's Eve firework show is renowned around the globe.  The fireworks exploding above Sydney Harbour is probably the World's most famous New Year's Eve celebration aside from the New York City Times Square Ball Drop.  What makes Sydney better to be at than New York City though, is that 31 December is summertime in Australia and you can pretty much expect a warm night out.

Other worldwide destinations that have great New Year's Eve experiences include Edinburgh, Las Vegas, London, Miami, Amsterdam and Paris.

So make sure you get your New Year's Eve travel plans sorted out, because the only question is, where will you be when the clock strikes midnight on 31 December this year?  You know you don't want to miss it...