Happy New Year around the world

January 1. Happy New Year and may 2025 bring travel experiences and excitements, intrigues and insights, revelations and relaxation.

+ I’m recently back from South America, and in Latin American countries, walking around the block with an empty suitcase on New Year’s Eve is a tradition that is believed to bring more travel and good luck in the year ahead. That is still very much a live tradition in Colombia, but in other Central and Latin American countries, some people just put their suitcases in the middle of a room, and invite other people to walk around them. (I have to say that Casey, my faithful suitcase, would love the attention.)

+ While our most common New Year’s Eve tradition is probably that midnight kiss, there’s a Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes — “las doce uvas de la suerte”, the 12 grapes of luck. There’s a trick to it. The people involved in this last night were supposed to eat a grape in sync with each of chime of the clock at midnight. Each grape represents a month of the forthcoming year, so eating all 12 is said to welcome luck and prosperity.

+ Sydney lit up last night with more fireworks than ever used before on New Year’s Eve. There were innovative firsts and more firing locations. For the first time, and never used before in Australia, four aerial pyrotechnic platforms featured in both the Calling Country and midnight displays. Above the water between the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, about 600 pyrotechnic effects were launched from the platforms. The number of firing positions across the Harbour Bridge was increased to 264 from 184 last year.

+ We will be with you every week with eTravel on Wednesdays, Saturday Travel and Sunday Travel, The Pod Well Travelled podcast and all our content on thewest.com.au/travel