Unlocking Wellness: A Holistic Approach To Mind, Body, And Spirit In The New Year

Looking for some family-friendly fun for New Years? Then step into a world where New Year's celebrations are not just an occasion but a spectacular adventure for the whole family. From the dazzling fireworks and 3D LEGO magic at LEGOLAND California, to the enchanting vintage circus-themed party hosted by JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa, these properties offer festivities filled with unforgettable moments for kids of all ages.

As we welcome in the new year, it’s the perfect time to set ambitious professional resolutions and chart a course for success. One transformative way to kickstart your year is by attending Skift Megatrends, our most popular event that forecasts the themes shaping the travel industry in the year ahead. Taking place both in New York City and online on January 9th, as well as in London on January 11th, this event promises (and continues) to be a game-changer for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the curve.

Where do you find spectacular and life-changing destinations that are without the hordes that have become commonplace in so many destinations worldwide, particularly in Europe? Last week in Forbes, I asked some travel experts about where people are going. This week, I asked the same gurus about their choices for where to go next. I was looking for off-the-radar destinations they love, places to go before they get discovered.

Every New Year’s Eve, New York City’s Times Square gets a lot of attention with its famous ball drop. However, there are other destinations across the United States with events bringing in the new year in a memorable fashion. They go beyond using the traditional-looking ball by instead lowering objects reflecting their heritage or location. Here are 10 locations with unique versions of New Year’s Eve ball drops.

Ras Al Khaimah is set to make history once again by attempting to break two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ with its spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display featuring novel choreography and groundbreaking techniques that have never been attempted before. The awe-inspiring showcase spanning eight minutes of pure enchantment will unfold along 4.5KM of shoreline stretching from Al Marjan Island to Al Hamra Village, providing a stunning backdrop to the celebrations.

New Orleans is the most expensive destination in the world for hotel stays over this year’s New Year’s Eve period, a new survey has revealed. he survey by TravelMag.com compared accommodation rates across 60 major global cities. For each destination, the price for the most affordable available double room for a 3-night stay from December 30 to January 2 was recorded. Only hotels with a central location and rated three stars or more were considered.

While the annual Times Square ball drop draws hordes of tourists each year, locals will be the first to tell you that the event can be a little overwhelming. Massive queues, frigid temperatures and a lack of easily-accessible bathrooms are just a few factors that could take the night from magical to maddening—but fortunately, visitors are able immerse themselves in the splendor of Manhattan on New Year’s Eve without having to stand shivering in a crowd all night with a stay at one of the neighborhood’s most charming hotels.

The arrival of a new calendar year is as good a reason as any to look back on our past journeys and determine some new travel resolutions for the year ahead. Whenever the holidays roll around, we here at Condé Nast Traveler like to take stock of what we can fine-tune or do better for the next time we hit the road—or sky or seas—whether it's about airport strategies or how we engage with the people and neighborhoods we find at our next destination. What worked well and what should we keep doing? What do we want to change and improve? So we asked each other to fill in the blanks: In 2014, I resolve to…

I’ll be ringing in the New Year in France this year… but I’m likely to be asleep well before midnight.

With the new year just around the corner, these new hotels should be on the travel radar. For some, bucket list travel may be the best holiday present of all. Others enjoy the anticipation of planning the trip together, especially if you can redeem hard-earned loyalty points to make the trip more affordable. A handful will be lucky enough to win a free vacation trip, but for everyone else, these are some of the newest hotels worth exploring in 2024.

Do you already have 2024 New Year’s Eve plans? What if you could celebrate the ball dropping twice in one day? The Napa Valley Wine Train is partnering with the legendary Grgich Hills winery for “Midnight In Paris: A Legacy NYE Celebration” to commemorate not only the new year but also to honor Winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich who recently passed away at the age of 100.

On New Year’s Eve, 1 million people will gather in New York City’s Times Square to watch an 11,875-pound geodesic hunk of Waterford Crystal be slowly lowered onto the top of One Times Square. Iconic? Yes. Worth experiencing in person? Not necessarily.