Aah New Years! The end of another year, 365 successful days around the sun, another excuse to celebrate, you made it through another crappy year, you broke at least 5 of your New Year resolutions, etc etc. You know the drift. The New Year is genuinely one of the best times of the year for most people. And don’t let the title of this article fool you. It is one of the best times of the year for me too. I’m definitely not a New Year hater, quite the opposite actually. There’s that chill in the air (or at least the 25 degrees that Mumbaikars call a chill), there’s pretty lights up on the streets, all the Christmas decorations are still around, people are almost always smiling and festive – what’s not to love? Everything and everyone is all fine and dandy – except one thing! Those people who need to travel over the New Year. Guys, get over it. Stop with all the social media pressure. You do not need to travel every New Years to prove how wild and free you are and you definitely don’t need to pay all that extra money. Here are 6 reasons why I hate travelling over the New Years!
1. Surge Pricing For Travel
There are two dreaded words that the world hates – surge pricing! It’s what horror stories are made of. The last few days are literally the epitome of surge pricing and no, it doesn’t matter if you book 3 days in advance or 3 weeks or even 3 months in advance. If you’re traveling by flight, chances are you’re going to be spending way more than you’ve budgeted. If you’re travelling by train, you know that it’s already going to be waitlisted and if you’re travelling by bus, you’re still going to be paying more than on a regular day. My point is that why spend so much on the journey instead of the destination? Travel at any other time of the year and you can actually splurge that money on a better resort or on a great meal or just one more sight.
2. Everything Is Expensive
Literally everything! The food, the sights, your hotel and even getting to the hotel. Prepare to shell out twice or even thrice the amount for that New Year getaway. I mean why would you want to get out on the New Year when you can literally go just 3 days later and save yourself a whole lot of money? And it’s definitely not the experience. Because we guarantee you, you’ll get a better experience 3 days later at half the cost.
Also read: Cheapest Places To Travel To In India Every Month Of The Year
3. It’s Overcrowded AF
We belong to the second most populated country in the world. God knows no one has to teach us what it is like to survive throngs of crowds. But on New Years too? That too after paying all that extra money? NO FRIGGIN WAY! If I wanted to battle all the crazy crowd and be stuck to loads of sweaty people on New Years, then I would just travel by a Virar train during peak hours na? Of course, that’s assuming that you’re going to a party place like Goa or Bali. If you’re heading to the mountains for some peace and quiet and to get away from all the city noise and hype – well, I’m totally with you!
4. There’s Way Too Much Pressure To Have A Good Time
We live in a social media world and is it even a holiday if you haven’t put it up on the Gram? (Just last weekend I went to Goa for a holiday and almost everyone said they didn’t believe me because I hadn’t Instagrammed it). If you’re heading out of the city for the New Year, you really really need to up your social media game because god forbid you have a good time and don’t show it to the world.
But if you let go of the social media pressure, there’s always an unwritten law that you need to have the most amazing time at New Years especially if you’ve paid tonnes of money and traveled out of your city for it. I personally refuse to succumb to such rubbish and prefer spending New Year just the way I like it! Besides, did you know that These Guys Can Fake A Vacation For Your Instagram
5. You Can Actually Enjoy The First Day Of The New Year
Do you know what happens when you party too hard on the 31st? You’re friggin hungover AF all through the first day of the year. Even worse, if you’re traveling back on the New Year. Most people get the 1st of Jan off but have to resume their work on the 2nd. WORST DECISION EVER! It’s horrible to resume work on a holiday but it’s even worse when you have to travel from wherever you are on the 1st day of the year. If you don’t leave your city, you don’t ever have to worry about all of this!
6. Your Family Just Doesn’t Like It
If you’re an Indian and you’re reading this, you are going to totally relate to this! As Karan Johar said, it’s all about Lovin’ your parents, especially during birthdays, Diwali, Christmas, weekends, after 10pm and definitely New Years. You know that going out with bae or your friends on the New Year is pretty much equal to ridicule and emotional blackmail – at least for the first half of the new year. What’s the point of battling all that, when you can actually go for a peaceful, parent-approved getaway just a week later? You actually get to be an adarsh balak and you’ll probably get permission for the next weekend getaway for that exact reason!
Plus if you’re the kind who has to lie to your parents for a weekend getaway, you know they’re never going to believe any lie on the New Years. The risk of getting caught is too high and personally, it’s just not worth it! Check out Rohan Das’ 6-Day Family Trip To Bali