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As the world bids farewell to the old year and welcomes the new with the chime of midnight on New Year's Eve, a global tapestry of hope, resolutions, and a collective fondness for age-old culinary traditions unfolds on New Year's Day. These are traditions that both me and Ian have grown up with and ones that continue to this day in the homes of my family members and ours.

Today, while most countries continue to honor New Year's Day on January 1st, each country's traditions couldn't be more different.

'Tis the season with the gift of holiday music.  As you enjoy the musical selections from around the world, please accept our gratitude for your support of World Footprints over the years. 

Looking for the best gifts for 2025? Our curated list features 25 Amazon gift ideas we’ve personally purchased and used—from travel essentials to everyday favorites that truly deliver.

Jekyll Island doesn’t top most lists of holiday destinations, but maybe it should. Every December, the former Gilded Age retreat along Georgia’s coast transforms into a Southern-style winter escape. Live oaks are strung with lights, historic cottages are wrapped in garlands, and the old clubhouse lawn holds a towering Christmas tree. On the surface, it’s festive and charming. But what sets Jekyll Island apart isn’t just the decorations—it’s the weight of history beneath the surface.

My new book, Destination Stewardship, is now available for presale! Get 25% off with code KOGANPAGE25 and enjoy free shipping in the UK and US. The book features insights from 30 global experts and includes a section for travelers on how to support stewardship wherever we roam.

Every inch of Australia is written in song. Songs track lines along the continent, with every jutting rock or bowing tree being represented by a line or a verse. The cadence, the rhythm, and the musical patterns that define the song are a mimicry of the feet of Australia’s ancestors, of the first feet to walk along the land. 

Welcome to South Africa, the country with too many names! The list is long, but some of the most notable options include the Republic of South Africa, my absolute favourite country, Mzansi, and the rainbow nation.

Six and a half million acres. That’s the size of Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most ancient and biodiverse places ever documented and the last place on Earth where Sumatran rhinos, tigers, elephants, orangutans, and sun bears roam freely together.

A new kind of volunteer tourism has entered the travel industry with an innovative approach; Volungearing, conceived by TribesForGOOD, taps an individual’s skills to pair him or her successfully in the social impact sector.

Many years have passed since the infamous war that divided Vietnam, but the scars are still evident: for the variety of food, busy cities, and rolling landscapes are a distinct contrast to dark times in Vietnam such as the Chu Chi tunnels or the War Remnant Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

Madagascar’s Nosy Be was recently identified as a hotspot for whale sharks, which could boost the island’s ecotourism to rival the likes of global whale shark hotspots in Tanzania and Mozambique. One woman – the lead author of the study that identified Nosy Be as a feeding hotspot-- has now introduced a code of conduct to protect the sharks, enhance tourists’ experience and ensure any income to the island generated as a result is sustainable.