I thought it was an Asian superstition that however you spend your New Years Eve, that is how the rest of your year will be. So every year I make sure the house is clean, everything is organized and I spend NYE doing what I want to be doing all year.

Last year I brought in 2009 in Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo, which was calm and mellow and allowed me to travel. My year, if fact, was pretty calm and mellow, and I racked up 150,000 miles traveling to places all over the United States (San Fran, NYC 5 times, Birmingham, Oklahoma City to name a few) and 9 separate international trips.

This year I did a very last minute trip to another unexplored island, Jamaica. Not only did I keep up the calm/mellow and travel ritual, I added in a component of good friends and super casual island lifestyle. We spent the days lounging at the beach, sipping fresh coconuts, sampling bites of jerk chicken,  and watching reggae shows at night. To ring in 2010, we opened a bottle of bubbly on the rooftop patio watching the fireworks at a local club. Divine!

Here are some more of the highlights:

The beaches are perfect. White, soft sand and smooth waves.

Rick’s Cafe is a whole scene. The stage has the backdrop of the ocean spanning for miles, and you can spend your time sipping libations, noshing on fresh seafood, swimming in the pool or jumping from the cliffs. (No, really!)

Island food is so fresh and yummy! I love the jerk chicken, coconut chicken, grilled shrimp, lobster, patties, rum raisin ice cream, grape nut ice cream and Jamaican rum cake!

Everywhere you go, their is live music and a show. Watch true Jamaican culture while curling your toes in the sand and sipping on Appleton Rum.