From beach raves to pine forest getaways, the new-age Indian traveller isn’t just picking places, they are picking moods.
You can tell a lot about someone
by where they decide to spend New Year’s Eve. A few years ago, it was all about “where the best party’s at.” Now? It’s more like “what energy do I want to begin my year with?” Strange as it sounds, this vibe-based travel psychology has become almost mainstream among young Indians.
Think of the Goa’s Beaches
People - mostly in their twenties and thirties - spill out of shacks in sequined chaos, counting down under firework-lit skies. There’s no shortage of noise, no shortage of life.
The Hills of Kasauli
A beautiful New Year retreat on the Hills of Kasauli
But parallel to the beaches of Goa, hundreds of kilometres away, the hills of Kasauli hum a different tune. In cafés strung with fairy lights, small groups of friends sip mulled wine, watch mist float over deodar trees, and quietly say goodbye to the year gone by.
The Great “Vibe Split”
What’s happening is fascinating: New Year travel has turned into a mirror for personal temperament. Post-pandemic India, I think, is tired, but also restless. Some crave the cathartic uproar of coastal chaos, while others are simply over it. Goa represents release; Kasauli, restoration.
As one Mumbai-based designer told me, “This year, I don’t want to scream ‘Happy New Year’ in a crowd of strangers. I want to hear the wind.” You could call it an aesthetic choice or maybe emotional self-preservation. Either way, tourism boards have noticed.
Kasauli Hills Resort (@karansingh_kd/Instagram)
Boutique stays in Himachal are selling “noise detox” packages, while Goa’s party venues are doubling down on “vibe-specific” itineraries that pitch curated madness - think sunrise beach yoga followed by sunset techno.
The Social Media Mirror
Instagram, unsurprisingly, plays its part. The same 30-second reel that glorifies a Goan rave also glamorizes the solitude of a mountain cabin. It’s less about destination now, more about moodboard - ‘coastal chaos’ or ‘mountain minimalism.’ If that sounds performative, well, perhaps it is. But who’s complaining when the aesthetics align so neatly with one’s mental bandwidth?
Goa’s coastal bliss (@arkcomforts/Instagram)
Still, not everyone is documenting the shift. In conversations online, some travellers now speak of “unposting” - a quiet rebellion against performative travel. “I didn’t even open my camera once,” a Delhi writer said after a spontaneous Kasauli escape, laughing. “It felt like proof wasn’t required.”
Where the Year Turns
There’s something poetic about how both places - one roaring, one whispering.- carry the same intention: renewal. Goa’s chaos burns away the old. Kasauli’s calm lets you breathe into the new. Perhaps that’s what mornings on January 1st now symbolize for this generation - not resolutions, just recalibrations.
And if you ask me, there’s no right pick. Sometimes you need noise to feel alive. Sometimes you need silence to remember who you are. Wishing you all a Very Happy and Peaceful Year ahead!
