25 (triend and Tested) ways to bring in the new year

2 Boracay Island, Hawaii’s Asian cousin off the Philippines, has 11 km of white sand for serious beach bums. A few years ago, television anchor Mini Mathur and hubby Kabir had themselves a Titanic experience with a midnight dive to a shipwreck on December 31. To make it a great holiday story, stay at the Nigi Nigi Nu Noos resort. boracaysand.com

3 On the noisiest night of the year, Mumbai-based hairstylist Sapna won’t be able to say a word. She’s heading to Igatpuri for a week-long vipassana course. ‘‘We won’t be allowed to talk, so I can’t even wish anyone,’’ she laughs. Time to get in touch with your inner self. vri.dhamma.org

5 A white Christmas and ski holiday need not amount to a Euro nightmare. Model-actor Sushama Reddy says you can do it in your own backyard at Auli, Himachal Pradesh. ‘‘But make sure there’s enough white cover before heading off,’’ she cautions. indiaoutdoors.com

6 At the stroke of midnight, hold your breath. A pin drop might scare away the wildlife. On a night trail at the Jungle Retreat, in the foothills of the Nilgiris, you might just spot a tiger out on a starlit roam. Every year designer Niharika Khan and her actor husband Ayub make a fresh start tracking paw prints and listening for sambar while curled on a canter. Book now; the 12 rooms sell out like hot cakes. jungleretreat.com

7 Be in two places at once. In the perimeter town of Phuentsholing on the Indo-Bhutan border, the countries are separated by the dateline and a half-hour time difference. According to student Sejal Jain, 24, the border fence is a mere sewage drain that’s easy to hop across, allowing you to sing Auld Lang Syne twice. explorersindia.com

8 Getting sloshed isn’t the only way to fly on New Year’s Eve. Bangalore-based outfit Xtreme Zone is planning a bungee jumping workshop in Goa. CEO Praveen Krishnaiah promises to leave you screaming for more. Get a bird’s eye view of the most happening parties. xtremezoneindia.com

9 Rub shoulders with the rich and famous in Phuket at the luxurious Amanpuri resort overlooking the Andaman Sea. On her New Year vacation in one of the 30 private villas, designer Malini Ramani even had her luggage unpacked for her. ‘‘Designer Kenzo has a bungalow there, and a few years ago I attended his wild jungle party,’’ she says. If you’re lucky, this year you could get invited too. amanresorts.com

10 A quiet monastery, hot momos with piping thukpa. At McLeodganj in Himachal Pradesh, the lamas bring in the New Year with an all-night prayer meet. Sit in on the chanting and chase that with a Tibetan feast like 25-year-old Mumbai architect Meera Khan did. himachaltourism.nic.in

11 What’s an alternative way to celebrate New Year’s Eve? Gay Bombay parties organised by the community in Mumbai. To throw off the moral police, tickets are usually sold at the venue, a group secret till the last minute. Keep your eyes and ears open. The bashes take place in all major cities.

12 Your cellphones won’t work, and it’ll be freezing. But if you’re looking for a winter adventure, Lake Tekapo, a turquoise pool of melted glacial water in New Zealand, hits the spot. Actor Tusshar Kapoor shot Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai here and brought in a very quiet New Year surrounded by the rhythmic din of crickets. ‘‘But Kareena was so upset she refused to come out of her room,’’ he laughs. laketekapountouched.co.nz

13 No parties or blaring loudspeakers. All you get in Alberg, Denmark, are formal dinners and midnight fireworks displays on white terraces. ‘‘It’s for people looking for quiet charm in a village atmosphere,’’ says actor Suchitra Pillai who spent the last New Year snowed in with her in-laws. visitdenmark.com

14 All you really need for a great getaway is a tent, a campfire and some marshmallows. Every year, Amar Deb of Channel [V] heads to Sindhudurg or Harihareshwar in the interiors of Maharashtra to celebrate the 31st with a picnic by the beach. ‘‘The great thing is there are no designated camping sites, so you can pitch anywhere,’’ he says. We recommend some sea surf in your morning shower. maharashtratourism.gov.in

15 If you prefer a fireplace to packing snowballs, try spending the New Year weekend at Wildflower Hall resort, Shimla. Take a dip in their heated indoor pool while snowflakes flirt with the skylight. Mumbai socialite Queenie Dhody vouches for the therapeutic effects of this experience. oberoihotels.com

16 Somewhere on the Everest trekking route lies the skull of a purported yeti. If that doesn’t excite you, maybe the breathtaking view of the Himalayas will draw you there. Surabhi’s Siddharth Kak recommends an invigorating trek served chilled. Warning: No showers along the way. ‘‘But you can pay someone to pour hot water on you through a funnel while you bathe,’’ he says. Yak rides up the hill are available. excursionsindia.com

17 Take a long drive this December 31, all the way down the Amalfi coastline in Italy. The only way to do justice to this celebrated Mediterranean stretch is to zip down the coast road, opened in the mid-18th century by the Bourbon King Ferdinand II’s carriages. VJ Gaurav Kapoor says the roadway passes white villages, churches with majolica cupolas, sudden rocky protrusions and terraced lemon groves. Plenty of bed-and-breakfasts along the way. amalficoastweb.com

18 If the gentle rocking of the boat doesn’t get you swaying, try picking up belly-dancing tips from the experts on the decks of the Lady Diana or Moon Goddess. Celebrate the New Year Egyptian style aboard a Nile cruise ship like Star TV executive Shailja Kejriwal did a few years ago. Hit the souks at every dock and if you’re lucky, you’ll even see an open mummy that’s displayed once every 12 years. nubiannilecruises.com

19 Celebrate the New Year before anyone else in the world. Kiribati, in the Christmas Islands, is the first place in the world to hit midnight. Weekly flights from Hawaii bring visitors seeking an exotic adventure amidst miles of golden sand, iridescent lagoons and coconut palms. Tourist Chittaranjan Guha, 54, says Kiribati is also the planet’s largest coral atoll. Incidentally, the last place in the world to bring in the New Year is Samoa, also on the Pacific Ocean. pacificislandtravel.com

20 Join the Coney Island Polar Bears in New York for their 103rd traditional New Year’s morning swim at 1 am in the middle of the freezing winter. Twenty-four-year-old chartered accountant Madhur Das, who took the plunge last year, says over 6,000 onlookers crowded the beach to watch 700 swimmers brave the frigid Atlantic. polarbearclub.org

21 For a holiday experience that is straight out of the 18th century, head to Richard Holkar’s Ahilya Fort in Maheshwar. Every last 31st, an eclectic mix of international designers, actors and dignitaries lie low in the 250-year-old family home. Don’t be deterred by the occasional power cuts. Your host will recreate the ambience of candlelit dinner with a trail of sparkling diyas. ahilyafort.com

22 How about some upholstery shopping on 31st? Konya in Turkey derives its fame from the nearby shrine of the Sufi poet Rumi. But director Muzaffar Ali suggests shopping for Turkish carpets at the local market and feasting on centuries-old dishes like prizolla (lamb), sucuk (spicy sausage) and 40 different preparations of eggplant. There’s a popular saying in Turkey: ‘Go for the history, stay for the food’. helloturkey.net

23 East of Bali, the island of Lombok is home to some of the most beautiful and affordable resorts in Asia. Aside from some R&R, gourmet chef Karen Anand suggests a pony ride into the market from the beachy Oberoi Lombok, topped off with a spot of pearl fishing. balitourismauthority.net

24 Sometimes sticking to the formula works—supper on the beach, flutes of bubbly and live music. At the Ritz Carlton, Dubai, Yohan Poonawalla, director of the Poonawalla group of industries, and wife Michelle lazed by the shore and danced barefoot as the clock struck midnight. The icing on the cake: A fireworks display over the ocean. ritzcarlton.com

25 No parties to attend this 31st? Gatecrash, says adman Prasoon Joshi. In his 20s, Joshi stormed into many high profile bashes at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel with a friend, in search of free booze. ‘‘Walk in and pretend you belong,’’ he laughs. Just don’t land up at a soirée for the Japanese community. That’s how he got caught.