Phew! What a hectic few weeks it’s been – filled with Christmas parties, family reunions, celebrations with friends and LOTS of navigating and travelling across the UK!
To finish off the festive season 2012 with a bang we’re looking toward New Year’s Eve and the prospect of a little more reveling! It’s the perfect chance to bid farewell to this most fabulous holiday and welcome in 2013 spectacularly with friends and family.
New Year’s Eve means many things to many people and the options – staying in, heading out, going on holiday – are endless. Here’s our advice as we prepare for what can be, the biggest night of the year!
Make the most of M8, your local mate in the UK!
We couldn’t fail to suggest using M8 on New Year’s Eve! It’s the perfect companion for you within your iPhone, Android smartphone or BlackBerry Touch device. It’ll help you with all of the essentials needed for a stress free New Year’s Eve – making sure you beat the traffic with up to date traffic news, bag the perfect parking space, find a handy cash machine, check who’s nearby on social networks, and keep any drivers out there on the road with petrol station location notifications. Perfect!
Stay connected
Rather than trying to connect with people using your mobile via FaceTime or Skype in the middle of a noisy crowd this evening, arrange to talk to friends who are far away on New Year’s Day to welcome in the New Year. You could even arrange a bit of a reunion on Google+ hangout complete with everyone’s favourite drinks and music to keep the party atmosphere running well into 2013!
We’re lucky that the UK has fantastic wifi so use it on New Year’s Eve to post photos and keep up to date with everything that’s going on. With many forms of public transport now offering wifi connections, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch and share the good times!
Plan your travel
Most of the UK’s public transport operate a revised service this evening and tomorrow, so make sure you plan your travel out to the party AND your journey home – no one wants to be stuck at a bus stop with no service running and faced with either an eye-watering taxi bill or a long walk home. Those of you partying in the Big Smoke are lucky enough to have free travel provided by the sponsors Diageo – woohoo!
Kissy kissy
It’s exciting to think that every single one of us is expected to get a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve (even Colin from IT support!) So as not to disappoint that lucky special person, make sure your lips are suitably kissable. Cold weather plays havoc with your lips so get your lips ready by giving them a little TLC. Exfoliate, regularly apply lip balm – not too shiny, folks – and pucker up! Huffington Post has given some fantastic tips for achieving a perfect midnight smooch that will kickstart your 2013!
Driving
The first and most important rule should you decide to travel by car on new Year’s Eve is to agree on a designated driver. We all know that when the bubbles flow it’s easy to get over excited and forget that you’d offered to be the chauffeur for friends and family, but it’s really not worth it. Make the decision fairly and ensure that the designated driver is catered for with a range of non alcoholic drinks that are a little more festive than a boring glass of tap water. Those smart ladies at netmums have come up with some fabulous ‘mocktails’ – give them a go!
Be aware of traffic restrictions in place in towns and cities across the UK this evening and tomorrow to make way for street parties or fabulous public fireworks displays. Plan your route using accurate sat nav or maps, and think about where you’re going to be able to park – M8 is certainly a handy mobile app to have with you!
And finally….
Oh, and finally….Christmas jumpers were a big hit this year and we think New Year’s Eve is another perfect chance to have fun with novelty outfits and props. Dig out comedy glasses, party hats, glitter balls, tiaras, confetti and such like this evening to keep that festive feeling going until tomorrow! Remember to send us your photos on Twitter at @localm8 or on Facebook!
So, in addition to handing out our top tips, and advocating the usual advice of staying safe and among friends, partying peacefully and drinking responsibly, here at M8 HQ, we hope that you have a stress free New Year’s Eve filled with lots of fun and laughter!
Just in case you need a quick reminder, you can download M8, your local mate in the UK from Google Play, iTunes and from BlackBerry Appworld.
Have a great night, and here’s to a fantastic 2013 for all!