With New Years Eve right around the corner, East Coasters have tons of great options of where to go to ring in 2015 with friends and loved ones. Whether you’re wanting to get out of town for a road trip someplace nearby or hop on a flight for a complete change of scenery, celebrating New Years is made simple in these 5 destinations.

Rooftop Parties in New York City

Times Square is truly the one place to be if you want to feel like you’re at the center of the universe on New Years Eve, but a great alternative to being packed shoulder to shoulder in the freezing cold is to splurge a bit and do New Years in class at the Monarch Rooftop Terrace, where you can enjoy a 6 hour open bar, a heated and comfortable setting as well as the million dollar views of the ball dropping at midnight.

Live Music in Austin, Texas

I’m a big fan of doing something new and unique to celebrate my New Years, and Austin is the capital of unique and quirky.  Bursting with new music artists, you’ll find tons of affordable concerts at intimate venues where you can toast to 2015.  One of my top picks is the Talking Heads concert at The Parish, and keep with the uniqueness of Austin by staying at the nearby Hotel Ella or The Driskill, both walkable to The Parish.

Yorktown Countdown Outside of Charleston, South Carolina

Groups of friends can party away their last minutes of 2014 aboard the historical USS Yorktown outside of Charleston.  This evening on the water is ideal if your traveling in packs as the party is spread out over 3 decks, encompassing live music, DJs and open air spaces.  What’s best, your whole group can even stay together at Restoration on King’s apartment style suites, perfect for any early evening aperitifs before the spectacular celebration.

Family Skiing at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Outdoorsy and active families can have a great New Years Eve bonding experience with late night skiing and tubing on Montage Mountain, then returning to their home base at The Courtyard by Marriott for a cozy countdown with hot cocoa, pizza, s’mores and beers for Mom and Dad.

A Feast of the Senses at Potomac Point Winery in Virginia Wine Country

Foodies can break out the disco gear and be prepared to tantalize their taste buds with cocktails, a gourmet New Years Eve dinner and award winning wines at Potomac Point Winery’s Studio 54 themed party.  This final feast of 2014 will set the precedent for a year ahead full of great food, drink and friends.

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Yes, it’s that time of year again when we all begin purchasing for others instead of ourselves…but, what do our love ones really want and need? If they have the wanderlust like myself, you may want to take a few notes here.

SKITS Geek Case

Large enough to contain my travel tech needs for a weekend getaway up to a few months long journey, yet it zips down compact to leave plenty of extra space in my carry on. I love the glamorous color options of the gold and silver metallic as well. So Jetsetter Gypsy chic!

X-mini WE

I thought that my X-mini capsule speaker was my favorite travel tech gadget and then my friends at X-mini went and created the WE, a thumbnail size capsule speaker propelling the same level of sound and the WE is even wireless, connecting your music device via bluetooth, making it even that much simpler to pack.

Victorinox Spectra 2.0 Luggage

This white hot luggage will surely stick out on the baggage claim belt and it’s ultra lite and durable casing will protect your belongings without breaking your back. What really has me craving the Victorinox Spectra 2.0 is the front zippered quick access door on their carry-on sized models, allowing an easy in easy out when removing laptops and other items for airport sensors. Looking chic and expediting the airport security process at once, that’s a win-win situation.

DHC Mini Skincare Essentials

Your beauty routine has just been downsized, literally to your carry on bag! DHC Skincare has launched mini versions of their Deep Cleansing Oil makeup remover, ultra-hydrating facial Olive Virgin Oil and their CoQ10 Cream and Lotion, providing you with the same super-antioxidant coenzyme wrinkle fighting and moisturizing combatants for your life on the go.

Bandelettes

We’re not all genetically gifted or Photoshop creative to have the infamous thigh gap that is appearing in so many celeb Instagram bikini pictures these days. The great thing is we ladies no longer have to worry about any inner thigh chafing when we’re walking all over town sight seeing, as Bandelettes thigh bands are a comfortable and sexy solution.

Samsung NX Mini Camera w/ 9-27 mm lens & flash

You will never find this fashionista walking around with a black, cross body camera case, so in an effort to keep things minimal in my handbag while traveling, yet not sacrifice amazing photo quality, the Samsung NX Mini is the best of both worlds.

Chloe Dalston Convertible Shoulder Bag

Beige is the new black when it comes to versatile travel accessories, whether pairing it with winter whites for a chic city getaway or bright tropical colors when escaping the cold, you can’t go wrong with this Chloe Dalston Convertible Shoulder Bag. It’s polished enough for an evening at the theater and sporty enough for an afternoon of boating.

Ray-Ban Wayfarer Folding Classic

This now trendy classic has just gotten a bit more travel worthy with the unique folding joint at the bridge of the nose, occupying even less space in your handbag or carry on.

North Face Women’s Stella Grace Jacket

There’s nothing worse than getting caught in the rain when you’re on the go. The North Face Stella Grace jacket keeps you dry and chic while on business or leisure travel. The internal pockets are great as well for storage without adding bulk.

Silk Neck Pillow Cover

The stress of life on the go puts enough wrinkles on my face as is, so I need to take advantage of any wrinkle fighting help I can get during my sleeping hours, even if they’re when I’m sleeping on a plane flight. My long term relationship with my silk bed pillow cover has now spawned a mini version for my travel neck pillow.

NETGEAR N300 Trek Travel Router & Range Extender

It’s frustrating when your plan to work poolside during your vacation falls through due to the hotel lobby’s Wifi not reaching far enough. With NETGEAR’s N300, you no longer have to worry. Set it in a secure midway point between the lobby and the pool and viola…you have a connection!

Wineskin

For all of you wine enthusiast travelers, you can easily take home a few bottles of the good juice without working about leaks and breakages by simply securing each bottle in a Wineskin protective cover.

Rubbs Bracelets

My travel accessory of the year these rubber statement piece bracelets are the perfect travel companion for spicing up an outfit with a splash of color and they’re both waterproof and airport sensor proof, so you really don’t need to remove them during your entire trip.

Orly Bonder

I’m a huge advocate of keeping my nails painted while traveling. It’s an instant accessory to any look, hides the dirt and grime and keeps the nails from breaking while being on the go. To extend the lifecycle of that nail color, keeping it lasting through your whole trip, apply Orly’s Bonder rubberized base coat, which literally grips the polish onto the nail, adding a good 3-4 days of wear.

Herbacin Lavender Hand Crème

Long plane flights are extremely dehydrating, so it’s necessary to keep my hands and neck coated with Herbacin hand crème and their Lavender version has a great scent that also aids in relaxation and sleep for the overnight flights.

Vionic Gold Sydney Driving Loafers

Comfortable enough to walk for miles sight seeing without foot pain and chic enough to make a fashion statement anywhere I go, plus they’re easy on easy off for the airport sensors.

Eva NYC Travel Sized Straightening Iron

Hair dryers aren’t always convenient for travel no matter how small they are, due to electrical frequencies, but if you’re wanting to look polished, the Eva NYC travel sized version of their straightening iron cleans up all the loose ends that your hotel hair dryer may have left.

Turkish Hamam Bath Towels

I love these flat and super absorbent “hamam style” Turkish bath towels as they take up a third of the space that a normal towel would take in your luggage and their fun fringe and stripe pattern makes them an easy substitute for a beach wrap.

Dermstore Lip Quench

My go to for rehydrating lips on plane flights and in the dry air of hotel rooms. The soothing lip balm is great for chapped lips of winter time and Lip Quench’s light irridenscent sheen is an understated compliment to any makeup look.

RejuvaHealth Compression Socks

The key to keeping your leg and circulation healthy during long periods of travel and also avoiding unsightly “cankles”. RejuvaHealth compression socks and stockings now come in more fashionable patterns as well, like this rose print, lace or even argyle.

Solumbra by Sunprecautions Outback Straw Hat

If the beach or great outdoors are your style of travel, this Solumbra by Sunprecautions Outback Straw Hat is a must pack with it’s SPF 100 protection level and it’s laid back fashionable look.

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Who needs Black Friday or the day After Christmas Sales when the reality is that you spend half of your day waiting in long lines to pay a slightly reduced version of the retail (overpriced) tag. For many years, I’ve been creating an art form out of finding designer brands and luxury goods for a fraction of their retail price and now, I’m sharing a little of that well honed technique with you. Since we often hope to look like a million bucks, yet we only have a fraction of that in our bank accounts, here are a few of my stops around the world that help me stay on my feet while competing in the balancing act of fashion.

1. Century 21 in New York City – Take it from me, a girl who’s office was next door to this place for 6 years, Century 21 has great fashion bargains. Yes, you must be patient, elbowing your way past the droves of tourists and local fashionistas who frequent this huge Lower Manhattan discount department store, but the rewards in the treasures that you’ll find and the money you’ll save are well worth it, plus, who doesn’t love a little hunt?  Just a little reminder, don’t forget to visit their shoe section, which is actually in a separate store of it’s own, just next door.

9. La Roca Village, Chic Outlet Shopping – Barcelona, Spain – As a part time resident of Barcelona for many years now, one of the first things I did to establish myself as a local was to know the shopping scene. Via Catalan friends, I came across La Roca, which hosts numerous designer brand outlets, Sita Murt, Burberry, Hoss Intropia, Sandro, Hugo Boss and Maje, in a lovely outdoor setting in the countryside. In the summer, it’s great to make a day out of La Roca, as they heavily incentivize the purchases by offering village wide discount cards, food and drink specials and even a sunset happy hour with complimentary drink coupons. Now, that’s my way to end a day of great shopping!

8. Dubai Shopping Festival – Although Dubai is already one of the major shopping destinations of the world, and certainly the Shopaholic hub for the Middle East, they raise the bar incentivizing the spend during the month of January with their month long shopping festival. Most retailers offer discounts from 25-75% as well as gifts with purchase, while the restaurants, malls and the destination as a whole come together to offer greater big ticket prizing like Holiday giveaways, scratch and win coupons and major cash jackpots for those who purchase.

7. London’s East End Vintage Boutiques – “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” rings loud and true in the hearts of all shoppers in London’s East End neighborhood. The East End is a haven for vintage lovers and fashionistas looking to find that one of a kind piece to add to their wardrobe. The immaculately curated vintage department store Blitz should be your first stop, then pop into Rokit and Frockney Rebel Vintage.

6. Fashion Outlets of Chicago – No, Shopaholics, you don’t have to travel to NY or Paris to get your fix.  Only 20 minutes from downtown Chicago, in the suburb of Rosemont are the Fashion Outlets of Chicago.  Here you can find the discount department stores Barneys New York Warehouse, Nieman Marcus Last Call and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, along with a ton of other designer outlets, All Saints, Burberry, DVF, Georgio Armani, Gucci, Prada and Theory to name a few.  You may even need to pass by the Samsonite outlet once you’re complete to purchase some additional luggage to carry home your goods.

5. Takeya – Tokyo – Although I’ve been to Tokyo for only 48 hours, 8 of them were spent in Takeya. Between it’s 7 buildings and 42 floors of merchandise, plus taking breaks for both lunch and dinner, I was able to find that true one stop shop for every type of bargain under the sun. Most of my time was spent in the women’s fashion building, exploring Japanese and major international designer bargains, similar to the selection at Century 21, but I highly enjoyed the supermarket as well, where for less than a dollar each, I could try many rare snacks and food items that I had never found in other parts of the world.

4. International Gem & Jewelry Shows – If I learned my negotiating skills at the open air markets in Cancun, Mexico as a child, I honed those skills negotiating jewelry purchases for myself, my mother and any friends whom we brought along over the years to the International Gem & Jewelry Shows. These events are the arenas for buying wholesale jewelry at for a fraction of the price you find elsewhere…even online, but the bargains are only as good as your negotiating skills, so wear your game face shopaholics!

3. Designer Stocks in Paris – Yes, they may be spread out from one another, but consider your day exploring the French version of outlets a treasure hunt through Paris. Start out at Sandro, Zadig & Voltaire and Azzedine Alaia in the 4^th, afterwards, head to Maje in the 6^th, Chloe in the 11^th and Sonia Rykiel in the 14^th. Wrap up your adventure at the haven for designer shoes and handbags, Via Venise in the 16^th and allow yourself to fully indulge in retail therapy.

2. Designer Sample Sales in NYC – There once was a glorious website called Daily Candy that started on the premise of offering amazing daily specials so sweet that you couldn’t live without them, specifically the details on the whereabouts of the latest designer sample sales in NYC.   These days, NY.Racked.com keeps you in the loop of where to head if you’re seeking some fashion steals the next time you’re in New York. December is the big month for Sample Sales, which run typically from the 1^st – 21^st, and you can find a huge array of designers at different levels, sportswear brands J.Crew and Madewell, ready to wear designers from Tory Burch and Alice & Olivia for the ladies and John Varvatos for the gents, then later in the month bridezillas fight for a steal at Vera Wang and Reem Acra. If you’re planning to check out the sample sales, word to the wise, make sure to wear underwear that isn’t publicly embarrassing, as the fitting rooms are often just one sectioned off group space.

1. REBAJAS Countrywide Throughout Spain – Mid Jan – mid Feb & July – Viva Las Rebajas! “Long Live The Sales!” These are the jingles that are repeated throughout Spain whether entering through the doors of retailers and department stores or on the radio in the taxis. Annoying at times, yes, but these sales are so great that you’ll find yourself singing Viva Las Rebajas when you’ve returned home with a suitcase full of new clothing at a rate that is lower than any sales I’ve yet to experience elsewhere in the world. The great thing about Rebajas is that there’s something for everyone? Those on student or backpacker budgets can get a few new duds for next to nothing at H&M or Zara, the average spender can stock up on Massimo Dutti, El Ganso or Bimba y Lola (some of my favorite mid range Spanish brands) and those looking to splurge on something special without truly breaking the bank should visit Etxart & Panno, La Perla or Pedro de Hierro….elite, yes, but affordable during rebajas.

With the holidays here, travel is top of mind for all of us, whether it’s a New Years vacation for the whole family or just visiting loved ones the next town over.   Your Travel Horoscope from KGlyphics can help guide you through the planes, trains and automobiles of the holiday season.

Aquarius January 20 – February 18

Aquarians may have to put on a face for travelling this month. Something about their destination may be conservative and Aquarians’ colorful personality may be out of place. Tradition, conservatism, and ordinary are the keywords for this destination. Maybe family is involved as well. Business could also be apart of your travel opportunities Aquarius!

Pisces February 19 – March 20

For December, there will be an air of romance with your travel Pisces. Maybe you’ll be traveling to somewhere romantic, that may be near water, or that has a romantic atmosphere. Illusions will play a great role in this, and may be a downer as well. Stick to your realism, and this trip will be well.

Aries March 21 – April 19

Do you have a deadline in December coming up Aries? This deadline may impact your travel for December, it may be near or during or after traveling and will cause you a lot of stress. Maybe it is stress for the holidays, or maybe stress related to work. Don’t forget that relaxing around this time of year is definitely OK! And don’t be afraid to say no.

Taurus April 20 -May 20

Taurus may be relaxing to somewhere nice! Maybe just relaxing at home, taking a cruise, or going somewhere warm. You may not think that this is the best time for you to travel Taurus, but your body will thank you later! Don’t hesitate to take up any unexpected travel opportunities as well.

Gemini May 21 – June 20

Seems like you already know where you’ll be going this month Gemini! Are you traveling to family for the holidays? Or maybe traveling to get a special gift for someone? Whatever you have planned for December will definitely be one of the best times of your life and will go exactly as planned! There will be no secretes or surprises, so be thankful.

Cancer June 21 – July 22

Strength
You’ll not want to travel this month, Cancer! You may have to on behalf of someone else. Hopefully for family festivities, and not for a funeral… but whatever travel may come to you you’ll begrudgingly go. It’s not that you don’t want to go; you’ll just be fighting off other responsibilities around this travel. Go! You’ll enjoy the relaxation and pause from the daily grind if you do go.

Leo July 23 – August 22

Something about your hobbies will cause you to travel somewhere Leo! Are you making something special for someone for the holidays? You’ll be spending a lot of time around close co-workers or perfecting a skill. You may even travel in a group with co-workers or friends, but somehow they’ll be related to your work or hobby.

Virgo August 23 – September 22

Expect delays, Virgo! You’ll definitely be traveling, perhaps by boat or cruise. But there will be delays with this travel and you’ll start to doubt the trip, well don’t! Embrace spontaneity when this happens and know that these delays happen for a reason. Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers if you are traveling alone, you may even grow your network if you do!

Libra September 23 – October 22

An opportunity out of no where will come to you in December for a chance to travel, Libra! Make sure you fit this opportunity because it could start a new phase in your life, a new beginning or will inspire you to move to the location you end up traveling to. Be open, optimistic and embrace the spontaneity!

Scorpio October 23 – November 21

There will be lots of opportunities to travel for you Scorpio! Do you have multiple family gatherings or maybe you’ll be seeing a lot of friends throughout December? This month will be good for you, just don’t let these opportunities cloud your vision of how you want your life to be. These travel opportunities are only temporary, so take them up when you can!

Sagittarius November 22 – December 21

Stop obsessing over every little thing Sagittarius! It won’t help being nit picky about details this holiday season. Especially when it comes to traveling. There will be delays, and maybe plans cancelled all together! If you spend effort in making sure everything will go right, and everything is planned out right, it won’t help at all.

Capricorn December 22 – January 19

You may have a greater chance of traveling alone this year, Capricorn. Either that, or you’ll be the one planning the trip. Try to have some fun with it instead of seeing it as an obligation. Travel planning can be fun, if you do it right and pour your heart and interests into it.