Travel Tips for Great Fall Trips

Fall is here! Now's the best time to travel to a lot of places, because airfare and hotel deals are less expensive than other times of the year. We tend to do a lot of things in the fall, including going on our big yearly vacation. It saves us money this way and the kids are all in school, so there are smaller crowds and fewer lines everywhere we go. 

Want to make the most out of your fall? Then here are some fun ways to celebrate the season and Halloween. We did some of these things on our recent trip to France.

Head to New England

There are few places where you can go that are truly scary, but the New England area has a ton of history that includes witches, horror writers, massacres and more. This post gives you all the awesome things to do there. Rent a car, stay for a few weeks and drive to all kinds of awesome stuff.

Hit up New Orleans

New Orleans is quite exciting and not just during Mardi Gras. There are plenty of things to do in the fall, especially considering the spooky vibe of the city including the history of voodoo and vampire legends. here are some fun things to check out. For haunted experiences, you may want to visit these 5 places:

• The Omni Royal Hotel - Once the building for the city’s slave market and the site of great brutality, the hotel is now a grand place to stay and home to many spirits. 
• The Bourbon Orleans - This former orphanage run by nuns still has kids running along its corridors. Guests have reported hearing children’s voices, seeing nuns in the hallways and feeling electrical charges near the stairwells.
• Brennan’s New Orleans - A staple of the city since 1946, Brennan’s is not only a highly rated fine dining establishment, but it also has its own ghosts. In the Red Room, a man living in the building hanged himself after murdering his family. 
• The Pharmacy Museum - Set on the site of the very first apothecary shop, the Pharmacy Museum holds a wide variety of cures and artifacts from old medical practices and voodoo rituals, including ghastly instruments used in the past for dentistry, many by the former owner, a dentist known to conduct grisly experiments on patients.
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 - Nearly everyone has heard of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and you can visit her tomb in New Orleans’ most haunted cemetery. Hundreds of thousands are buried in this one square block, with the tombs being reused over and over. 

Pumpkin harvest

I don't really get excited by pumpkin carving. That might be a little weird for someone who loves Halloween as much as I do. I just don't find it fun and I don't make pies, but often the harvest festivals are full of pumpkin-picking and other activities like hayrides, squash-tossing, farm animals and more. 

If you find a corn maze, it's not unusual for there to be pumpkin harvest festivities going on nearby. Kids love to run and pick out the pumpkin they will use for their jack-o-lantern at home and also enjoy running and around and climbing on things. We have farms that feature hay bale pyramids and tours on a farm train. Usually these days out are fairly affordable and you can even sign up to receive coupons when the celebration starts.

Corn maze

I look forward to the corn mazes all year long. It's so fun to go out and spend an afternoon on local farms and get lost in a maze of maize! We pack up the car with a change of clothes and the dog and hope there's no mud where we will have to use those extra clothes and shoes and towels, but if we do, we're prepared. The mazes test our ability to read a map or our trivia knowledge. While other families split up and race each other through the maze, we view it as a fun family outing and the three of us go together. Sometimes we just let the dog go and pick our course and sometimes we use whatever clues they give us at the beginning. After we emerge from the corn, we make a trip to the gift shop, grab something warm to eat and drink and then head home. There are always great photo ops.

Farmers' market

This is similar to you-pick farms, except you can just go with your list and have fun finding them at the different stalls. Another plus to the markets is that you are getting affordable local foods and you can usually pick up lunch from any number of food merchants there, too. Our market up the street is a great place to get everything from crepes to tamales. When you're traveling, it's a perfect way to stock your fridge with healthy options for snacks and side dishes.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Jul 4, 2017 at 4:36pm PDT

Fruit picking

I love fresh fruits and vegetables. I also love to visit local farms. I'm always amazed by what people can grow. I have my own garden, but it's not big and awesome, so I like to get ideas on how to make it better. Many of these farms let you go pick your own fresh produce. You pay by the pound and often they have a store where they sell jams, sauces, and other things they make on-site. These make great gifts and souvenirs as well.

Wine and beer festivals

Right after the grape and wheat harvests come the festivals! Food, wine, beer, you name it. Fall has tons of wine and beer celebrations everywhere they serve such things. Find new favorites when you can sample all the local (and some not-so-local) varietals and brews. Most of these fests require you to buy a glass for your samples, so you already have a built-in souvenir, too!

Head Underground

Lots of weird stuff happens underground. Here are three I greatly enjoy:

• The Shanghai Tunnels under Portland. They were featured on Travel Channel’s 10 Most Haunted. Though it came in at number 10, it was the only Portland site to make the list, so by simple reasoning, it must make it Portland’s most haunted site. I was disappointed that I didn’t experience so much as a cold breeze, nor did I catch anything on my camera, unless you count dust particles catching the light of my flash and presenting themselves as “glowing orbs”, but maybe you'll be luckier (if you think it's lucky to see/feel a ghost) than I. 
• The Dungeons are on my list of kitchy and kinda scary (if you're afraid of the dark and mirror mazes where you might be followed) and must-do attractions. The site offers best price guarantee and you can get discounted deals if you purchase a combination ticket with Madame Tussaud's and/or the London Eye. If you plan to visit off-peak hours, you can save up to 50%! You must purchase your tickets online though. Each dungeon (located in London, Edinburgh, Blackpool, York, Alton Towers, Warwick Castle, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, and Shanghai) walks you through the "streets" of history and winds you through creepy stories and rides that take you from one area of the dungeon to another.
• Paris Catacombs. There are miles of underground tunnels underneath Paris full of human bones that were put there when the cemeteries became overcrowded. Even now they are still crowded, but with tourists. Get there right at opening and beat the crowds. Lines can stretch up to 2 hours long and with prices at only 13-15 euros per person, it's one of the cheaper things you can do in France. And if you're looking for something interesting, but not scary (unless possibly seeing a rat or a bug scares you), the Paris Sewer Museum is a cool underground self-guided tour that's only 9 euros, and I promise there are no skeletons.

Go to a theme park

Most theme parks have a Halloween celebration of some sort. Here are the top ones, including how to save on admission if there's a way to:

• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Many park days at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland in Sept-Nov are cut short for this party that requires a special ticket to get in. From 7pm to midnight, many of the park guests come dressed in costume to enjoy 5 hours of trick-or-treating, dancing, nighttime thrill rides (only specific rides will be open during that time, not the whole park), Hall-o-wishes fireworks display, an all-villain musical show in front of the castle, villain meet and greets, amazing park decorations and, best of all, a special parade opened with the Headless Horseman on horseback. It’s all totally Disney and so out of their normal festivities that it’s worth putting off your vacation until that time of year.
• Knott's presents Knott's Scary Farm. Save significantly on your tickets by buying them online instead of at the gate.
• Universal puts on Halloween Horror Nights. While ticket prices don't waver, you're sure to get your money's worth while riding select rides and being scared out of your wits with roaming creeps, themed haunted houses and scare zones. It's like being in your very own horror movie. 
• Busch Gardens in Tampa offers up Howl-o-Scream. Much like Universal, they have scare zones, haunted houses and themed entertainment. You can't get cheaper tickets for this event either, but it'll scare your pants off, which you maybe can't put a price on.
• Legoland has spooky fun for the little ones with Brick-or-Treat. It includes trick or treating and the opportunity to dress-up and enjoy the park after it closes for the regular day. Tickets are separate from the main park admission, but totally fun!

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate fall? If you missed my trip to Halloweentown, go check that out now. 

Paris's Père Lachaise Cemetery

It's no secret that I adore a good cemetery and if there's one at my destination, I'm going to go out of my way to check it out. It's been 16 years since we've visited Paris for our honeymoon (as part of a larger London trip) and strolled through Père Lachaise Cemetery. It's the largest cemetery in Paris and is the final resting place of famous people like Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison.

The cemetery is so large that you can get a map, as it also has streets with names to find your way around. Many of the tombs are large family tombs that are ornate and have their own space for familial visitors to pay their respects. Many have stained glass and other embellishments that make them unique and beautiful. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle)

Oddly, every day of vacation was sunny and warm, except for the morning we visited the cemetery, where it was overcast and rainy. Perfect tomb-viewing weather in my opinion. 

Père Lachaise opened in 1804, as a solution to all the Paris cemeteries being full. Unfortunately, it was situated too far from the city and also wasn't blessed by the church, so many people refused burial there. To combat this problem, two prominent French poets' remains were moved to Père Lachaise. This proved to do the trick and it became more and more popular to bury your loved ones there. In fact, it has been expanded 5 times since it first opened.

Over the years, Paris grew larger until Père Lachaise was situated well within the city, along with the other 3 cemeteries (Montparnasse, Montmartre, and the smaller Passy, which came a bit later) that were opened around the same time for the same reason. Of course now it can be extremely difficult to get a space in Père Lachaise, though there are quite a few newer plots there at this time. It doesn't take away from the historical feel though. 

There are over 1,000,000 "residents" in the cemetery and that doesn't include all the people who were cremated and call the columbarium their home in death. You can visit the crematorium, though we didn't do it on this trip. We've probably spent a combined total of 5 hours at Père Lachaise and haven't even seen 10% of the graves there - at least not in depth. 

I feel like the dead should have their final resting places appreciated by more than just their family members and I tend to spend extra time really taking in the details. Many of their relatives who tend to the upkeep of their tombs and religiously bring flowers may have never met them either, but I have the opportunity of viewing it for the first time. 

Oscar Wilde's tombstone, which is unusual as he was

If you ever find yourself in Paris and can spare a few hours, I highly suggest a stroll around Père Lachaise. It's a wonderfully gothic, romantic (or creepy) way to spend your time, and if there are any ghosts lingering around, think of how happy you'll make them by stopping by their home in the afterlife and appreciating the architecture.

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time on our trip to also visit Montparnasse and Montmartre as planned, but hopefully will on a future visit. We were able to visit the tombs at the Panthéon and the plot of Edgar Allen Poe in Baltimore at the Westminster Burying Grounds in the Westminster churchyard. 

Do you enjoy visiting graveyards, crypts, catacombs, or cemeteries on your travels?

How to Prepare for Longer Travel Trips

There are many fantastic benefits to traveling. It's an excellent way to take your mind off everyday stresses, discover new things about the world and expand your horizons in general. However, an extended trip can be extremely taxing on your body, mind, and spirit if you don't plan accordingly. While there can be some challenging aspects of traveling -- like being away from home or adjusting to different cultures -- with the proper preparation beforehand, it can be a life-enriching experience rather than an exhausting one.

photo credit

Here are some tips that can help you prepare for long-term travel and make the most of your trip:

Research the area(s) you're visiting.

The more you know about a new place, the better you'll be able to navigate it. This includes researching the area, the culture, and the climate. Regarding the climate, you'll want to know the average temperatures. You'll also want to know what the weather patterns are like and whether there are any natural disasters in the area that you should be aware of. The culture of the area will also be essential to understand. You'll want to know about their customs and norms. This will help you avoid embarrassing faux pas and make for more enriching interactions with the area's people.

Ensure your physical and mental health is in tip-top shape

You're less likely to become exhausted during your trip when you're in good health. Make sure you visit a doctor for the appropriate vaccinations and that your vaccinations are valid for at least the time you travel. When you're at the doctor, ask for a physical check-up to determine if your vitals (such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels) need to be adjusted. You may consider conversing with a therapist online to keep costs low and allow easy access.

Learn some essential words in the native language of your destination(s)

You can find a free online language-learning program to help you master a few useful phrases. This doesn't have to take up much of your time, but it can make a big difference. It can be a great icebreaker and show you're interested in your surroundings.

Set aside emergency funds

While there's no telling what will happen on your trip, having a backup plan is always helpful. If you get sick on your trip, there may be no affordable way to get treatment from a doctor. If you get robbed, your belongings may be gone forever. You may have to pay for repairs out of pocket if you get into a car accident. It's never a bad idea to set aside an emergency fund just in case something goes wrong unexpectedly.

Take care of any loose ends in advance, such as putting your stuff in storage.

You must ensure your home is safe and secure for your trip to avoid burglaries while you are away. Arrange for your pets to be taken care of if you have any, and inform your bank and credit card company that you will be away so they know to expect transactions from your destinations too. Finding storage for your valuables using StorageArea can help you locate a suitable unit, as can installing home security systems.

Conclusion

Traveling is a fantastic way to get out of your comfort zone and experience new cultures. But it can be daunting to travel for extended periods because you have to pack everything up, deal with jet lag, and find a way to make ends meet when you're abroad. Preparing in advance can increase your chances of success and make the most out of your trip.