Student Flights has the perfect "bucket list" for your New Year's Eve celebrations. Sip a wee dram of Scotland's finest whisky, watch the ball drop in Times Square or enjoy one of the world's best fireworks displays in Sydney.
Hogmanay in Edinburgh: This is no ordinary festival - it is one extraordinary party.
Now entering its 18th year, Edinburgh's Hogmanay promises to welcome 2011 in style with a packed programme of events throughout the festival. Edinburgh is recognised globally as the Home of Hogmanay and last year the city welcomed 80 000 revellers to celebrate New Year at the Hogmanay Street Party.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay and its fireworks display is broadcast across the globe to an estimated 160 countries and a viewing audience of more than one billion, ensuring Edinburgh remains one of the world's premier New Year events.
New York, New York: The yearly countdown in Times Square is the most famous of New Year celebrations and should be experienced by everyone at least once in their life.
Bright lights, celebrity MCs, a ton of confetti and a crowd of over a million people contribute to this huge event, counting down the last minute of the year and watching the famous Waterford Crystal ball drop.
Sydney - Harbour of Lights: Sydney is said by many seasoned travellers to have the world's best New Year's celebration. The show is the largest, stretching 6km across the Sydney harbour and centring on its world-famous harbour bridge. The hundreds of cruise boats and private vessels covered in fairy lights add to the spectacle.
Sin City, Las Vegas style: Every night is a party in Las Vegas, but on New Year's Eve things are stepped up a notch. At 5pm traffic is barred from the main strip and the road is transformed into a street party with performers, celebrities and shows by top international acts.
Make sure you're outside at midnight for the fireworks display, which is best viewed in front of Caesars Palace's Forum Shops or on the observation deck of the Stratosphere.
Celebrate twice in Cape Town: The weather is perfect in Cape Town for a waterfront carnival over the New Year period, which is exactly what takes place for the 80 000 visitors who descend on the city each year.
There are numerous outdoor concerts with African music and dance in the V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre, all next to a range of upmarket restaurants trading into the early hours.
But the fun doesn't stop there - on January 2, South Africans celebrate Tweede Nuwejaar (or "second New Year") with a bright and loud parade through Cape Town city centre.
Rio Razzle: The New Year's celebrations in Rio, called the Reveillon, are said to be the largest in the world, with more than three million people flocking to Copacabana Beach each year.
Music is played throughout the day and around 7pm the live acts and DJs start up the sound systems on the official stages, which stretch over 4km and play samba, bolero, rock and old carnival songs until the moment the huge fireworks spectacle takes place.
With so many spectacular places and unusual ways to ring in the New Year, the keen traveller may need to plan the next few in advance - but get it right and the celebrations will be worth waiting a whole year for.
- For more information on New Year spots call Student Flights on 0860 400 737, SMS your name and "New Year" to 37997 or visit www.studentflights.co.za