I'll take television, joining the one billion viewers expected to be zapping in and out. An accommodating, kitschy venue for big spenders is Las Vegas. This regenerative theme of sloughing off the old dominates other theme parks such as Vienna, where people traditionally throw out something old. You need to stay indoors to avoid being hit on the head by discarded objects. Anyway, the legendary year-end treats like the Volksoper's performance of ''Die Fledermaus'' on New Year's Eve or for the Philharmonic's concert the next morning are sold out.
Top hotels announce no vacancies.
Major but the dream could become a nightmare. The Pope will gavel in the millennium at St. Peter's with a silver hammer - competing with the jackhammers at work as the Italian capital frantically completes construction projects to handle Christianity's great jubilee. With the city's preparations liable to run late, people without perfect preparations of their own might consider visiting Rome at a later date during the Vatican's millennium celebrations, which will run for 361 days starting on Christmas Eve. Futuristic, so better in 2001. Some of them, along with many of the destinations cited in this article, are described in ''The Millennium,'' by Nick Hanna, a book published by Rough Guides.