Fireworks and champagne might be common worldwide, but have our Globe Aware volunteers heard of these other New Year’s traditions?

14 Different New Year’s Traditions Around the World

By Chris Ciolli, Jessie Beck
December 15, 2023
AFAR

Although much of the world festively rings in the new year each December 31, we don’t all celebrate the same way. In the United States, we all know the traditions: the ball drop at Times Square, sharing a kiss with a loved one at the stroke of midnight, and countless amounts of fireworks. But elsewhere around the globe, traditions can include everything from giving your house a thorough cleaning to cracking open a fresh pomegranate.

From Spain to Japan, read on to learn about 14 different New Year’s Eve celebrations around the globe.

How fun! Astrologically, 2024 promises to be a stimulating year for travel, and for any of our Globe Aware volunteers who are Leos or Scorpios, we’re looking at you especially!

Where You Should Travel in 2024, According to Your Sign

Our go-to astrologer, Steph Koyfman, on which destination will speak to you most in the year ahead.

BY STEPH KOYFMAN
December 19, 2023
Conde Naste Traveler

After the year of revenge travel (and flight costs rising with a similar vengeance), tourism might be settling into relative homeostasis in 2024. Then again, everything has changed, including the terrain of where you’ll want to go next, and maybe even the order of your bucket list.

Cuba’s “off-limits” feel has long made it a perpetually popular destination for intrepid travelers. Globe Aware offers one-week volunteer vacations that allow our volunteers to explore and enjoy Cuba without the stress of planning once they land.

I Travel to Cuba All The Time — For U.S. Travelers, It’s Much Easier Than You Think

December 14, 2023
By Associated Press
By Carley Rojas Avila

The desire to travel to Cuba is a classic case of wanting what you think you can’t have. Cuba’s “off-limits” feel has long made it a perpetually popular destination for intrepid travelers.

Cuba has been named TripAdvisor’s number-one trending destination worldwide and is one of the top 10 most desirable tropical destinations for American travelers.

As an American citizen married to a Cuban, I’ve traveled to Cuba numerous times and know that travel to Cuba is far from off-limits. In fact, it’s easier to travel from the United States to Cuba than it has been in decades. U.S. travelers don’t even need family on the island or rigid group travel plans to do it. Your long-awaited vacation to Cuba might be closer than you think.

These 25 places offer ample opportunities for conscientious, sustainable exploration—exactly what Globe Aware travelers who care are seeking right now. We even have three available programs in the locations mentioned on the list!

Where to Go in 2024

The 25 most exciting places around the world to visit next

From a British city reimagining its industrial past and a laid-back Kenyan island free of cars to the best place in North America to see the total solar eclipse, our 25 picks for where to go next year have several traits in common: Each is an awe-inspiring, joy-inducing destination where human connection and creativity define the travel experience. These 25 places (listed in no particular order) offer ample opportunities for conscientious, sustainable exploration—exactly what AFAR’s travelers who care are seeking right now. Cheers to a year of getting out there.

Globe Aware volunteers are well aware that traveling during the holiday season is chaotic! But going in prepared can make your journey as smooth and stress-free as possible. Take a deep breath in and read on for a few holiday travel tips for the busiest time of year.

11 Family Travel Tips Every Parent Should Know

Advice from globe-trotting editors, flight attendants, and industry experts who have seen and survived it all.

Oh, to have a time machine so we could tell our past selves about the challenges—and triumphs!—that came on the road as traveling parents. We would warn against bringing giant suitcases and Play-Doh on the plane; remember how many new friends were made in playgrounds around the world; and recall that there are worse things in life than a crying baby. Thankfully, we’ve learned from our mistakes and come here with family travel tips, tricks, and a whole lot of encouragement for those heading out on the road with younger travelers. This list is never going to be complete or exhaustive—every kid is different. For families traveling with children with disabilities, it’s also encouraging to see the advancements being made to make travel more accessible—and hopefully, ultimately, a bit easier and more fun for everyone.

Not many Globe Aware volunteers may know it, but this program location has made a name for itself as a popular place for filming kitschy Christmas classics. Find out where!

PICTURE THIS The fairytale European destination where Netflix loves to film Christmas movies

The country has featured in several Netflix Christmas films already

By Ryan Gray
Nov 5, 2023
The Sun

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner, which means it’s almost time to curl up in front of the TV and watch cheesy festive films.

If you’re planning on doing that this winter, there’s a good chance you’ll end up seeing lots of scenes shot in a surprising European destination.

Do our Globe Aware volunteers enjoy any of these Christmas traditions from around the world? If not, what traditions does your family celebrate during the holidays?

25 Christmas Traditions Around the World That Will Surprise and Delight You

Brooms, books, and even roller skates are all part of some beloved holiday customs.

BY MICAELA BAHN
Sep 11, 2023
The Pioneer Woman

Every family has their own special Christmas traditions that they carry out year after year: the game of Pictionary that always follows opening gift or the delicious punch your mom makes for holiday parties. In the case of the Drummond family, they always wear matching Christmas pajamas and savor dishes that Ree is famous for (like cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy). And then there are those larger, cultural traditions that each country celebrates as well. For some, it might be going to Christmas Eve Mass, singing Christmas carols, or hanging up twinkling lights on your house.

With 2024 just around the corner, Globe Aware volunteers have probably noticed that travel publications are releasing list after list on where to travel next year. But what about the world’s most exciting places to visit in 2024? Find out what they are!

These are the most exciting destinations for 2024, according to National Geographic

From places with prehistoric stories to hot spring havens, this list is sure to provide you with some fresh ideas

By Liv Kelly
November 1, 2023
TimeOut

With 2024 just around the corner, travel publications are releasing list after list on where to travel next year. We’ve covered the most budget-friendly, most underrated and top trending destinations – but what about the world’s most exciting places to visit in 2024?

Long overlooked, Filipino food is finally recognized for its diversity and ingenuity. Here are some essential Filipino foods you must try at least once on your Globe Aware volunteer vacation in the Philippines!

BY ANDREW COLETTI AND CRAWFORD SMITH
OCT. 17, 2023
TastingTable

The first food in the Philippines was shaped by the environment. Early human inhabitants of these mountainous islands had a diet rich in tropical produce and seafood, adopting rice as a staple once it was introduced around 3400 B.C.E. Subsequent centuries of interaction with foreign cultures, including long periods of colonization by Spain and the U.S., introduced new dishes and ingredients. Further innovations were born out of scarcity and hardship, as resourceful chefs found ways to make use of limited resources. These many factors have created a modern cuisine like no other in the world: One in which unlikely flavor combinations and diverse international influences come together in delicious harmony.