Editor’s Letter: New Year Travel in India, December 2021

December is the month when even people who never plan anything start to plan. Where will you be on the 31st? Who will you be with? Will there be a party, a long dinner, a road trip, or simply an early night and a clean start? This issue of Travel Viewpoint is about New Year, and about the many different ways Indians mark the turning of the calendar, from packed beach parties in Goa to quiet fires in mountain homestays.

I should say at once that this has been an uncertain December. Just as travel seemed to be returning, news of a new coronavirus variant has made the end of 2021 feel unsettled again. Several states have been reviewing rules on gatherings, venue capacities and night-time movement, and those rules may change quickly over the holidays. Please check the current guidelines for wherever you plan to be, keep your bookings flexible where you can, and be kind to hosts and venues who are trying to celebrate safely while the ground keeps shifting under them.

Why the 31st matters so much

The first of January is not the only new year in India. Many of us celebrate others: Ugadi and Gudi Padwa in spring, Baisakhi and Vishu in April, Navroz, Diwali for many trading communities, the Islamic new year of Muharram, and more. Our opening article explains why the world settled on the first of January in the first place, and how the Gregorian calendar came to dominate. Even so, the night of 31 December has become one of the great shared moments of the Indian year, when cities stay up late, roads fill with cars and phones buzz with messages at midnight.

What I find interesting is how differently people use it. For some, the 31st is the biggest party of the year. For others it is a family night, a temple visit, or a long drive to see the first sunrise. And for a growing number of travellers it is a reason to get away from the crowds altogether.

What is in this issue

We begin with the parties, because that is what most people imagine. Our guide to the top destinations for a New Year party in India covers the places that draw the biggest crowds, and our piece on Goa explains why the state is still the first name on many lists. For a wider view, we look at nine New Year traditions from cultures around the world, from grapes at midnight to first-footing, because it is good to be reminded that everyone is trying to bring luck into the year in their own way.

Then the issue turns. We look at where people actually spend 31 December, which is not always where Instagram suggests. We look at the practical side of travelling in northern India at the end of December, when winter fog can delay flights and trains for hours, and how to plan around it. We suggest taking an overnight train down the Konkan coast instead of fighting for a party ticket, and spending New Year in a quiet city where the evening feels like a long, easy walk. We describe a night by the fire in a mountain homestay, and a hill town that stays open in winter, warm and lively even when the tourist rush has passed.

How to plan a New Year trip

A few lessons from many Decembers. Book early: the last week of the year is one of the busiest of the travel calendar, and prices for rooms, flights and even taxis climb steeply. Read the cancellation rules carefully, especially this year. Expect delays, particularly if you are flying into or out of the north in the early morning, and leave a buffer day before anything you cannot miss.

If you are heading to a party destination, think about the morning after as much as the night itself: how you will get back to your room, and how crowded the roads will be. If you are heading somewhere quiet, check whether restaurants and shops will be open on the 1st, since many family-run places close for the day. And wherever you go, be respectful of local residents. The places we love most at New Year are also somebody’s home.

Other ways to begin a year

It is worth remembering, too, that the first of January is not the only fresh start. Many of our readers will celebrate another new year in a few months, at Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Baisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu or Bohag Bihu, and some will already have marked one at Diwali or Navroz. Travelling for those festivals is a different experience altogether: fewer fireworks and countdowns, more temples, harvests, new clothes and family meals. We will return to them in future issues. For now, think of 31 December as one shared night among many, a night when it is easy to say hello to strangers and wish them well, wherever you happen to be. If you are on the road this year, look for the small, local ways in which the people around you welcome the year, and join in if you are invited.

A small resolution

I have one resolution for the year ahead, and it is a travel one. I want to spend more time in fewer places. The past two years have taught many of us that travel is not something to be taken for granted, and that the best trips are often the slowest ones. If this issue does anything, I hope it gives you permission to celebrate in whatever way suits you, whether that is dancing until dawn on a beach or watching the last sunset of the year from a quiet hill, a cup of tea in your hands.

Thank you

Thank you for reading Travel Viewpoint through another unusual year. Your letters, comments and travel stories have kept this magazine going, and we look forward to many more journeys with you in 2022. Wherever you are on the 31st, stay safe, stay warm, and travel well.

Happy New Year.

Khushi Anand, Editor