An introvert’s travel guide for New Year’s Eve

Remote islands, treehouses in the jungle and Swiss mountain towns; there are plenty of places where you can escape the pressure of the New Year’s Eve countdown, provided it’s safe to travel there.

Lord Howe Island, Australia

A crescent-shaped volcanic island with slow internet access, no cars, no TVs and a limit of 400 people allowed to visit at any one time, Lord Howe Island provides plenty of respite from the pressure of New Year’s Eve. And it’s only a 2-hour flight from Sydney. Hike up the island’s tallest peak, Mount Gower, for 360-degree views of giant Banyan trees and Kentia palms lining curved, glowing-white sandy beaches. Visitors can snorkel here in the world’s most southerly coral reef, which contains an array of species so diverse it’s been compared to the Galapagos. The stargazing on the island is phenomenal, too, and it’s one of the first places in the world to see the sun on New Year’s Day; a poignant sunrise-watching opportunity. Stay at Beachcomber Lodge, just eight minutes’ walk from the beach.

Shetland Islands, UK

Shetland Islanders are refreshingly oblivious to the anticlimax of New Year’s Eve because they have another – arguably better – celebration called Up Helly Aa. At the end of January, this remote archipelago off the coast of Scotland hosts a fire festival to mark the end of Yuletide, culminating with a crowd dressed in Norse costume setting fire to a replica Viking longship with flaming torches. And the remoteness of the Shetland Islands provides a real sense of escapism, too – note that you’ll have to bring or hire a car to get around. Forget about the dreaded countdown by hiking the Shetland landscape of glacial rock formations, sea stacks, storm beaches and Britain’s second-highest sea cliff. Pack a picnic for hiking days out while staying at Fort Charlotte Self Catering, the most highly rated accommodation on the islands.

Ginigathena, Sri Lanka

Celebrating New Year’s Eve isn’t a local tradition in Sri Lanka and while there are sometimes beach parties and fireworks for tourists along the coast, if you head inland you’ll be leaving all that behind. Staying in Tree Houses by Jungle River in Ginigathena, you’ll wake up to views of nothing but misty rainforest, mountains and waterfalls, yet still have the luxury of crisp, white linen. If you feel like marking the occasion just a little, have a New Year’s Eve dinner on the balcony of your hut suspended in the treetops. Or just ignore the countdown in favour of an early night and tropical Sri Lankan breakfast spread on New Year’s Day.

Rivalta Trebbia, Italy

Rowdy revellers will be a distant memory for those spending New Year’s Eve in the Italian village of Rivalta Trebbia. The main draw is the quiet; no cars are allowed in the historic, cobbled alleyways around the 11th-century Rivalta Castle. The village sits astride the River Trebbia, a jade-green river that winds through the valley of the same name, creating canyons between the pine- and chestnut-covered mountains. On the banks of the river and facing the castle, with its weathered watchtower reflecting on the surface of the water, the Residenza Torre di San Martino is a very special place to welcome the new year.

Bern, Switzerland

The capital of Switzerland is surprisingly peaceful on New Year’s Eve. There are still things to do but it’s not your conventional capital, meaning it feels more like a provincial town with its cobbled streets, red tiled roofs, sandstone arcades and other medieval architectural features. Which may be why it doesn’t attract hedonistic visitors keen to see out the previous year with a bang. Speaking of bangs, there are fireworks set off from a nearby mountain called the Gurten and watching them over the snow in the distance as the clock strikes 12 feels pretty special. Stay at Hotel Alpenblick, located in a quiet but central neighbourhood.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Vietnam has its own New Year – Tết – which is celebrated around the end of January. So if you’re looking to escape revelry at the start of the month, you’ve come to the right place. This well-preserved, ancient town is set at the mouth of a river and a few minutes’ cycle from the beach, with yellow-painted pagodas, canals and paper lanterns hanging from the eaves of every building. Stay in your own beachside hut at Red Flower Cottages Homestay, and spend New Year’s Eve sipping mint and pineapple cocktails on your private patio.