Melancholic: Robinson Syndrome
If being cut off from harsh reality, and from most of the blessings of civilization, has a soothing effect on you, then it's time to seize the New Year occasion and flee to the end of the world, temporarily escaping the constant need to communicate, see, hear, and be irritated. Imagine: just you and the universe. And for those tired of slush and cold, it is desirable that the universe be embodied by a warm sea and, if possible, cloudless weather, along with a deserted sandy beach and a lonely hut under a palm tree serving as a hotel.
You can lose yourself in distant tropical countries, whose resorts are designed for citizens worn out by the blessings of civilization – especially since they are located so far away that they will in no way remind you of the mundane and familiar. And the exuberance of nature and sun will not allow you to fall into melancholy from solitude – rather, on the contrary, it will pull you out of it. And who said you have to go alone: New Year is a sociable holiday.
If in your serene imagination the ideal version of seclusion inevitably looks like a private island-hotel somewhere in the Maldives or on a rice terrace in the Philippines, prepare $2-3 thousand. For those who don't care about prestige and pomp, there is another alternative to the winter homeland: Vietnam. In this country with a low cost of living, prices for tourist services have even outpaced Thai ones on the way down: a 12-day escape under the shade of Vietnamese palms in a bungalow with direct access to the South China Sea will cost $1,090. Moreover, this price includes everything – right down to freshly caught seafood that will be served to your table.
Intellectual: Culture Shock
Undoubtedly, every year hundreds of bus, rail, and air tours are offered to all the capitals of the Old World. Upon arrival, accommodation is guaranteed in a hotel for every taste and budget, along with a mandatory New Year's dinner. Such trips are a good tradition and, although they do not involve amazing discoveries, they clearly meet the task: to celebrate New Year's Eve well and with national flavor. The main thing again is to choose a point on the map according to your own tastes and preferences. Prague almost automatically means beer at the Old Town Square, Paris means a crazy fireworks display on the Champs-Élysées, and so on. How about turning your back on mindless entertainment and engaging in spiritual life? If you are not a hardened young romantic soul, then most likely this travel option will interest you. For example, in Paris, at the Museum of Fairground Arts, a New Year's ball in the style of the Sun King Louis XIV's era will be held on New Year's Eve. Unique Hollywood costumes from famous historical films will be brought to the museum – guests can be a duke or duchess, a nobleman, a king's favorite, an envoy from distant lands. Unique dishes based on recipes from the era are also promised – charade dishes, palindrome dishes.
Of course, winter is not the best time to wander around cities, museums, and cathedrals, but if you approach the choice of a "cultural" trip wisely, you can ensure maximum comfort of existence in conditions of care not for the body but for the soul. Spain or Italy is an excellent choice. In Italy, any of the "museum" cities will do – except perhaps Venice, where it is quite humid in winter. The best Spanish hit – Barcelona – draws to Spain in winter. In Catalonia, winter is moderately warm – up to 17 degrees Celsius, and importantly, there are quite few tourists, so more time to explore museums and architectural wonders. The cost of a trip to Europe is from $400 per week. Of course, the lowest budget tours are bus tours. But if you want to save even more – do not buy the so-called "New Year's tour", which is always sold with a markup of 25–30% from the regular one. Better to buy a standard sightseeing package with departure a few days earlier or later than December 31. True, this advice is only suitable for those who can arrange a holiday for themselves in a foreign country. Agree, that too is a character trait.
Merrymaker: Making It Hot for the Devils
Southern exoticism is good not only in itself but also for the variety of tourist programs built on its basis. Sandy beaches, shady groves, and hot days can be equally easily adapted for a quiet secluded vacation or for a total festive binge. If Vietnam seems boring in a Soviet way, you can go for the same money to China, namely to Hainan Island, which has long been known to world tourists thanks to its large-scale riotous beach parties. The average tour cost is $1,000 per week.
For those who find a journey of thousands of kilometers for nightclubs and beach circle dances not too rational, we advise choosing a closer island – in Malta, the club season lasts all year for a pittance – from €450 per week. But if you want real exoticism – go to Sri Lanka. Despite the sacred Buddhist awe and the abundance of cave idols that accompany tourists everywhere in this country, Ceylonese nightlife is striking in its scope and, by the way, the availability of alcohol and tobacco doping. The exoticism of local discos also lies in the fact that they mainly attract the golden youth from all over the world. The cost of a tour is from $1,000 per person for a week's stay.
Adventure Seeker: Challenging Circumstances
When the aggression hormone testosterone is raging in your blood (which is typical for most capital residents) and you don't have a target for that hand, it's better to seek an outlet elsewhere – and the farther, the better. Somewhere with high speeds, risk, movement. And an adrenaline rush. All of the above, combined with New Year, is exclusively associated with skiing. Even for those who have never seen a ski track, snowy mountains will help at least to clear their minds thoroughly.
An original option is to do it in Chile or Peru. Despite the warm climate, snow in the mountains of these countries is guaranteed in winter. As are meadows that astonish even the most discerning imagination. And besides, where else can you ski in the morning and swim in the ocean after lunch? To meet midnight on January 1 in a God-forsaken mountain village that nevertheless unexpectedly has all the pleasant little comforts of life, from running water to a television. It costs from $500 per week without airfare. You can save on airfare by clever flight combinations: for example, flying charter to Cuba, then a local flight, which could cost about $1,400.
At the same time, as an option, good old Europe is always at hand, which will greet us with open arms, small cozy hotels, nourishing food, and of course, mountain slopes. It turns out that even alpine resorts considered expensive sometimes offer special deals that allow you to relax, say, for 500 per week, including travel and accommodation. The main thing is to keep an eye on the market.
Romantic: Visiting a Fairy Tale
Many tours to Helsinki and ski resorts, as well as directly to Rovaniemi, include a visit to Santa Claus, a tour of the recently opened luxurious Santa Park, city excursions, and entertainment in the bosom of Finnish nature – with sledding with dog or reindeer teams, for example. The price range is from €400 to €1,200 per week. True, it is no longer easy to surprise a seasoned tourist with a visit to the residence of the Western Santa Claus – the program does not change from year to year.
The earlier you start organizing your New Year holidays in Rovaniemi, the better: in this direction, this principle plays a key role, since places are limited both in inexpensive hotels near the residence and on the train, which departs only twice – on the eve of Western Christmas and on January 3.
Phlegmatic: Northern Coasts
If desired, you can manage your funds even more economically by refusing far abroad in favor of nearby destinations. The wonderful, museum-packed Vilnius and Riga with their magnificent cathedrals are very close and promise a real New Year's fairy tale for those who appreciate refinement.
Jurmala and Palanga – the largest resorts in the Baltics – are rarely associated with New Year's holidays, and completely in vain: in winter, hotels empty out and accordingly become cheaper. And as for the celebration, the host side has finally gotten its act together: during the day they organize swimming... no, not in the Baltic Sea, of course, but in the water park, and in the evening a banquet. In between, you can plan visits to churches, castles, powder towers, caves – in short, fully immerse yourself in the era of the Middle Ages. For those whose healthy physical interests prevail over historical ones, Jurmala offers a ride on the famous bobsleigh track. The Lithuanian option is skating and skiing on the Curonian Spit.
It is worth taking care of the trip to the Baltics in advance due to the peculiarities of the work of the consulates of these countries. Also think about how to travel – by bus is about twice as cheap as train, but the journey is harder and longer. The cost of the tour is from $130 for three days.
Celebrating New Year on a cruise is a fairly traditional activity, but even here there are routes that amaze the imagination of even the most avid cruiser. For example, with the final destination in Nordkapp – the northernmost point of Europe. There the champagne will be uncorked, followed by dancing to the orchestra and fireworks. The main thing is that a wonderful document is issued – the Nordkapp Certificate. No one knows exactly what it is for, but it's nice! Of course, the cruise is not entirely focused on reaching Nordkapp, but consists of en-route entertainment: the ship calls at northern ports where you can see ice sculpture parks, walrus pools, the Northern Lights, Saami settlements... The price of a week-long cruise is from €1,400 with airfare.
Sybarite: Eastern Abundance
Celebrating New Year in the Eastern style, in Kazan – this, you will agree, is an unconventional solution. The organizers of the corresponding tours, which appeared on the tourism market not long ago, strive to prove this with all their might. The program offered is rich, as befits the celebration of a real khan, if not a bey: a lot of food and drink, unrestrained entertainment as much as possible. For example, you will have a meal in the cold – a picnic in a nature reserve with traditional drinks and snacks. This part of the program is not conceived by chance – against the backdrop of such culinary extremism, a dinner with national Tatar cuisine and an entertainment program with Eastern beauties will seem like a dive into gourmet paradise. And the most resilient will then have another dip – in the waters of the local water park.
Around New Year in Tatarstan there really is plenty to do, and some of the offered entertainments are practically unavailable in our capital and its surroundings – for example, camel rides or rides on Tatar short-legged horses. The cost is from $120 for three days.