Thanksgiving is still a week away, and we are another month from Christmas, so it’s a little odd I’m already thinking about the New Year. My sister and I decided a few years ago that each New Year’s Eve we want to do something different; whether a new location or event, it’s our self-made tradition to have a new New Year experience each year.

It began in 2015 when we went to Dublin, Ireland, and London, England; the following year with the Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day in Philadelphia — although I live there, I had never been before — and this year we are planning a trip to Utah.

Utah has been on my bucket list for a while and, after showing some pictures, I easily convinced my sister to add it to hers. With the time of year, we decided to stay south and avoid any chance of snow and driving in unpredictable weather. Luckily for us, Zion, Escalante and Bryce Canyon are all located an hour or two from each other and an easy distance for us to hit all three over our five-day trip. It may be a month away, but the planning has already catapulted my mind over Thanksgiving and on to the New Year.

— Angelique Platas, associate editor