Celebrate New Year's abroad - 10 memorable New Year's on trips

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | We've celebrated New Year's on beaches in Asia, in nightclubs in Kiev, in a wine cellar in Budapest and at the homes of people we've never met before. Sometimes it's been a fancy dinner and champagne – other times falafel and Coca-Cola. Here are ten New Year's abroad that we remember a little extra.

Celebrating New Year abroad

Of course, we have celebrated most New Year's Eves at home in Sweden, with friends or family. But over the years, there have also been a lot of trips over Christmas and New Year's - and thus a lot of New Year's celebrations abroad. And what a mix it has been!

We've booked New Year's Eve dinners well in advance and ended up at celebrations we barely planned at all. We've had multi-course dinners with wine for each course and simple fast food. We've celebrated with our kids, with friends, with people we've just met, and just the two of us.

It has taught us one thing: a memorable New Year's Eve doesn't have to be the most lavish or the best planned. Often it's the place, the people, and the unexpected that you remember long after. Here are ten New Year's Eves abroad - in chronological order.

1. New Year in Wellington, New Zealand – where the motorhome adventure began

Year: 2006/2007

Our trip around New Zealand together with Peter's sons Robin and Billie was a real "once in a lifetime" trip. We traveled around in a camper van, experienced magnificent nature and managed everything from kayaking to whale watching.

It was also the first time we had traveled in a camper van. We didn't really know at the time how important it would be for our continued travels – after the trip we eventually bought our own!

When it was time for New Year's Eve, we found ourselves in the capital, Wellington. We had dinner at a small and cozy restaurant and then continued out into the streets, where it was full of people and a festive atmosphere.

A fairly simple New Year's celebration, really, but in the middle of a journey that would impact our lives more than we could have imagined.

2. New Year in Mombasa, Kenya – a celebration we will never forget

Year: 2007/2008

The following New Year we found ourselves in Kenya – and the circumstances were considerably more dramatic. We had travelled to the country at the same time as elections were being held, and after the elections serious unrest broke out. The situation meant that we stayed at the Le Petit Paris guesthouse in Mombasa, where we stayed with, among others, a Dutch couple and a couple from Italy and New Zealand.

We celebrated New Year's Eve together at the guesthouse. The French owner cooked a fantastic dinner and during the evening we went around the team and told them what we wanted to do in life.

”If I survive…”, we began. It may sound macabre today, but it says a lot about the atmosphere and uncertainty we experienced at that time. It was a strange but at the same time warm evening together with people we had not known just a few days earlier. Definitely a New Year we will never forget.

3. New Year in Kyiv, Ukraine – first time

Year: 2009/2010

Kiev would eventually become a city we returned to several times. The first time we celebrated New Year's here was in 2009/2010, when just Peter and I traveled together.

This was, of course, a completely different time in Ukraine. Our memories from the trips to Kiev is from many years before Russia's full-scale invasion and reflects the city and our experiences at that time.

New Year's Eve in Kiev was festive, intense and very different from back home. We celebrated at a nightclub, among other things, in a city where we were fascinated by both the people and the extravagant entertainment venues.

We obviously liked Kiev in the winter, because just two years later we were back to celebrate New Year again.

4. New Year's Eve in Budapest, Hungary – the dinner that never ended

Year: 2010/2011

New Year's Eve in Budapest was one of those evenings when we didn't really have control over what happened – but everything turned out well anyway. Back home in Sweden, we had already called the Nador Botterem wine cellar and booked a table for New Year's. We thought so.

When we got there, we began to suspect that the person we had spoken to on the phone might not have understood much of what we had said. But we were shown to a table and soon a glass of wine arrived.

Nice, we thought. Then came a starter. And a new wine. And another starter. After three wines and three starters, it felt a bit late to ask what was really going on.

The evening continued with what we remember as nearly ten different dishes with accompanying wines and live music. It was a much larger New Year's dinner than we had expected – but not so expensive that we had to stand up and do the dishes afterwards. A very successful misunderstanding!

5. New Year in Kyiv again – now with Robin and Alexandra

Year: 2011/2012

Two years after our first New Year in Kiev, it was time again. This time we had Peter's son Robin and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Alexandra with us. We started the evening at Independence Square, where a large outdoor concert had attracted lots of Kievans. The square was full of people and there was a wonderfully cheerful atmosphere.

We then continued to the Arena City entertainment complex, where we had booked a table for the entire evening. Large platters of cold cuts, cheeses and fruit were brought in, and the booking included champagne and other drinks.

Then it was just partying. We were able to move between different parts of the entertainment complex while our table was held for us, and the evening continued with music and dancing. At six in the morning we finally gave up and took a taxi back to the hotel. The party in Kiev continued without us.

6. New Year in Langkawi, Malaysia – long tables and lanterns

Year: 2012/2013

The following year it was a completely different kind of New Year: sand between your toes and warm evening air on your Langkawi in Malaysia. We celebrated at Oasis by the beach, where a buffet was served at long tables. The big surprise was the company.

We had previously followed The family behind the sailboat Mary af Rövarhamn and knew that Linda, Ludvig and their children were in Langkawi at the same time as us. Now we had the opportunity to celebrate New Year with them and another Swedish family.

We ate and talked while Linda and Ludvig told us about their sailing adventures around the world. At midnight, lanterns were lit and sent up into the night sky.

When the families with children eventually went home, Peter and I continued to a place called Sugar. The staff was very nice and insisted on offering us drinks. It was getting late that night too.

7. New Year in Sabang, Philippines – whole grilled pig after the stomach flu

Year: 2013/2014

The next New Year we were in Sabang on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. We had spent both Christmas and the holidays here – and I (Helena) had also managed to get a really sick stomach. Perfect recharge for a New Year's buffet!

At Toko's restaurant, a whole grilled pig was served, among other things. I may not have been in the right shape to do it justice, but it was a New Year's celebration nonetheless.

Sabang is a lively little town with plenty of restaurants and bars, and on New Year's Eve there were a lot of people on the move. At midnight, fireworks were celebrated over the sea.

Today we have collected our memories from the entire stay in our report about Sabang and Puerto Galera on Mindoro.

8. New Year's Eve outside Lisbon, Portugal – invited to the homes of people we've never met

Year: 2014/2015

In December 2014, we had just set off on our year-long motorhome trip through Europe. We had frozen our way through parts of northern Spain, partly due to problems with the LPG, and as New Year approached we found ourselves in Portugal. We had no specific plans for New Year's Eve.

Then we received an email from Åsa, who ran the blog Bortugal with her family. She wondered if we wanted to come to their house outside Lisbon and celebrate New Year's. We had never met. What an invitation!

There was a home-cooked dinner, conversation and laughter at the home of Åsa, Sverker and their daughters. Even though we had never met before, it soon felt like we had known each other for a long time. We remember that New Year's above all for the people - and as an example of all the unexpected encounters that traveling has offered us over the years.

9. New Year in Eilat, Israel – falafel and Coca-Cola

Year: 2017/2018

New Year's Eve dinner is supposed to be champagne, lobster, beef fillet and a beautifully set table, right? Well. When we traveled in Israel, we thought it was expensive to eat at a restaurant, and we would rather spend the money on other things during the trip. When New Year's Eve came, we found ourselves in Eilat and our festive meal was therefore much simpler than usual. Falafel and Coca-Cola.

Then we went out into the streets, among the people. And you know what? It was a great way to celebrate New Year's Eve that way too. Maybe the contrast is why we still remember that simple New Year's Eve dinner.

10. New Year on the beach in Weligama, Sri Lanka

Year: 2018/2019

Our last New Year's Eve abroad was in Sri Lanka, where we traveled with our friends Lennart and Beata. Before New Year's Eve, we went to Weligama on the south coast and managed to get rooms in bungalows near the beach. In the evening we opted out of a significantly more expensive New Year's event at a neighboring hotel and instead sat down at a table right on the sand at our own hotel.

Peter and I each chose a fresh fish that was grilled and served with fried potatoes and salad. We ordered white wine and sat in the warm evening air with the sea right next to us. The shrimp cocktail that we had ordered for starters did indeed appear after the main course. But what did it do?

Small bonfires were lit along the beach and at midnight the sky was filled with fireworks. The nearby hotel W15 had a DJ and after midnight we continued the celebration there on the beach. A warm, relaxed and very memorable way to start a new year.

Which New Year has been the best?

It's actually almost impossible to answer. We remember New Year's in Kenya for completely different reasons than the beach celebration in Sri Lanka. Portugal was above all about an unexpected meeting with people.

Budapest was a fantastic evening thanks to a dinner we barely realized we had ordered. And New Zealand is associated with a trip that had a great impact on how we would travel for many years to come.

Then, of course, we have celebrated many wonderful New Year's Eves back home in Sweden too – with family and friends, at a restaurant, in the Stockholm archipelago or just at home. Maybe that's exactly what the New Year is all about. It doesn't have to be in any particular way. Sometimes it's champagne and a multi-course dinner. Sometimes it's falafel and Coca-Cola.

Tips for celebrating New Year abroad

After all these New Year's Eves on the road, we've at least gathered some experience. In popular destinations, hotels and restaurants can get fully booked around New Year's, so if you have your sights set on a specific accommodation or celebration, it might be wise to book in advance.

Also, expect prices to be higher than usual. Hotels and restaurants sometimes offer special New Year's packages and gala dinners, and they don't have to be cheap. At the same time, you don't have to choose them. A simpler celebration can be just as memorable.

It's a good idea to find out how New Year's is celebrated in your area. Traditions can vary greatly from country to country, and New Year's is celebrated according to different calendars and at different times of the year in many parts of the world. And perhaps most importantly: leave some room for the unexpected.

We could never have planned to be invited to the home of a family we had never met in Portugal. We didn't quite know what dinner we had ended up at in Budapest. And we could hardly have predicted that one of our most memorable New Year's Eves would be celebrated at a guesthouse in Kenya with people from several different countries.

These are the things that happen when you travel – and sometimes they are the things you remember best.