Super Useful Travel Links – Halloween Edition

Can you believe October is here and already halfway over? Well, it is. If you don’t have plans for Halloween, you might want to get on that, unless your plan is to sit on the porch and hand out candies to wee ghosts and goblins. There are plenty of cool things to do over the season that can make your Halloween a little more shivery, not the least of which I showcased in my New England post. So, this week I’ve decided to give you some fun seasonal posts from around the world.

This photo of Hermitage Castle is courtesy of TripAdvisor

If you’re headed to the UK and looking for something spoooooky to do, you could hit up the London/ Dungeon or the Tower Bridge Experience or you can just go somewhere that is actually freaky and visit one of the seven most haunted landmarks in the UK, including Hermitage Castle in Scotland. Budget Travel made this list, so if you don’t actually see or feel a ghost (as I didn’t when I was at the Tower of London and Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels or the Queen Mary), don’t blame me. If you want a second chance, here is there list of the world’s most haunted theaters.

This photo of Eastern State Penitentiary is courtesy of TripAdvisor

If getting the you-know-what scared out of you is your ultimate goal, the possibly you want to go somewhere that will actually do that for you. I am such a fan of Halloween, but haunted houses or any place that has people in masks creeping up behind me are off my list. I know they’re just normal people, but I have irrational fears and I’m willing to admit it. Many people don’t have such fears, and for you Travel Channel has compiled a list of America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions.

This photo of Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle) is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Everyone lists Salem on their must-list for Halloween vacation destinations. Wait. Do they? Well, they should. In addition to that given – because witches! Hello! – HomeAway wants you to visit these other 9 amazing places, which they coincidentally rent vacation homes in. From the Paris Catacombs (which I’m visiting this year!) to Vlad the Impaler’s castle, there are some really interesting destinations on this list whether you visit for Halloween or not.

This photo of The Original Ghost Walk of York is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Did you know that York is the “ultimate ghost town”? Yeah, me either, but according to the Guardian, it is. Stay in haunted hotels, take a ghost walk, maybe spot a specter in a basement. To hear them tell it, you can barely walk without tripping over a ghost. 500 of them have been reported, which begs the questions, who exactly do you report a ghost to? and how many sighted ghosts haven’t been reported?

This photo of Postojna Caves is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Europe apparently has the monopoly on monsters. They’re everywhere! Okay, maybe the stories just originated there. The Brothers Grimm did hail from Germany and were masters at scaring little kids into being good lest they be eaten by a witch or some other nasty thing that hides in the woods waiting for unruly children to skip by. Lonely Planet shows you where to find those elusive creatures like the dragon and elf by doing some monster-hunting in Europe.

This photo of Narrow Gauge Railroad Inn is courtesy of TripAdvisor

There might be some nifty Halloween events near you that are free or cheap, but if you don’t know of any or are traveling the U.S. this month, check out these free festivities rounded up by National Geographic. If you’ve got a bit of money to spend, prweb gives you 8 ideas for budget-friendly trips revolving around the holiday.

Stay here

Stay in a haunted home! Airbnb has a bunch of listings for places that feature ghosts and creepy digs. Rent a room in one and see if your paranormal senses tingle when you stay the night. If you're even brave enough to turn off the lights!

photo credit

And now for some truly scary links!

You know I make mistakes when I travel. I call them live and learn moments and then tell you all about them so you don’t do it, too, but there seem to be mistakes people make over and over and maybe don’t even know it’s wrong. I try not to do this, but sometimes you think “it’ll be fiiiine.” And really, it never turns out fine. CNN brings you 20 of the biggest travel mistakes and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

Could you imagine going to the beach and finding no sand? Well, in Florida, that’s what’s happening. Um…sort of. The abnormal weather in our country and the normal turns of the tide are naturally eroding the beaches of Florida, but at a seemingly more rapid pace than typical and beaches are getting smaller and smaller. In fact, resorts are so freaked out by the loss of sand that they are literally trucking it in from other places. So, when you look at rates for these places in the future and they seem astronomical, it could be because you’re paying for foreign sand! Crazy, right?

This photo of SoloEast Travel Chernobyl Day Trip is courtesy of TripAdvisor

And two fun ones to leave you with

These places that have been abandoned may just be eerie to look at. They probably aren’t haunted, but you could make up stories to go with your photos if you ever visit them. I can’t be the only one who loves to see these kinds of places and hopes to travel there someday, can I?

photo credit

Do you love travel so much you want to do it forever? Well, that’s just what this man is doing and he’s dead! I adore this story and wish I lived near a body of water his ashes could possibly wash ashore from. Wouldn’t you love to “meet” Gordon Scott Smith and call his lovely wife to tell him where he’s traveling now? This just might be a clause to write into your will.

Okay, that’s it for this week. I hope you found something fun here and, as always, if you found a fun travel link (Halloweenish or not) that you’d like to share, we’d love to see it. Just post it in the comments. Carpe Noctem, everyone!

Are You a Fierce Traveler?

I'm by no means a perfect traveler, but that doesn't mean I don't keep trying. I figure if I declare myself perfect, that means I have no room to grow and that would be boring. I often do things that make me wonder what I was thinking, but sometimes I do things that make me proudly say "That. Just. Happened." Some would call it being fierce. I hope you have some of those moments too. Today I have teamed with Fierce Fund to bring you one of my favorite fierce moments from my travels.

Here I am, blue-wigged, for the Fierce Fund

It's not always easy to communicate with others with there's a language barrier. You aren't going to be expected to speak every language fluently, nor do others expect it when you travel in their country. The point is that you try and learn from your experiences. My goal was to brush up on my Spanish before traveling to Ecuador. I did this by buying a game for my Nintendo DS called My Spanish Coach. In fact, we bought two copies, so Eric and I could practice at the same time. Not only was this a fun way to learn, but it helped me put together sentences, which has always been a problem for me. I highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. You can also get it for French, Japanese and Chinese (plus SAT, ESL and vocabulary). 

I learned as much as I could in the months leading up to our trip, which I knew would only get me so far if everyone only spoke Spanish. I was still ready to test myself out. Eric didn't grow up in Arizona, taking Spanish classes, so I knew more than he did when we arrived and did most of the communicating. This brought me to my fierce moment of the trip. While wandering around Quito, we noticed that practically every third store front was a jewelry shop. This was our second year of being married and we never had traditional, matching wedding rings. 

After browsing in several of these adorable shops, we picked a pair of rings we both really liked and I went inside and spoke to the sales woman. She only spoke Spanish, so with my language skills, I was able to convey to her what we were looking for and the rings we were interested in. She let us try them on and they fit perfectly. Fate! I was able to ask her how much they were and also learned a new word (par = pair). The pair were a bargain at regular price. We would have spent at least three times as much at home for the same thing. 

That's my wedding ring!

While I may have failed miserably at taking directions to our mountain lodge - which I feel was not totally my fault, as the only real directions I had were to turn onto a road that had no sign and turn right at a school - I had no problems taking direction to the nearest ATM from the shop worker. Most stores there don't take credit cards, even if what you're buying is hundreds of dollars. So, I went off to the ATM, got cash and came back to make our purchase. We headed home from Ecuador with a new set of matching wedding bands and feeling super proud of myself. Go me!

Every woman has a story of strength and should be rewarded for being awesome. The Fierce Fund celebrates and encourages you to be fierce. I think the blue really works on me, no? This was just one of my stories. Do you have one you want to share? Comment below! And if you want to help Clever Girls Collective support women and girls to be Fierce, and lfind out more about the traveling blue wig, visit http://www.clevergirlscollective.com/fiercefund to learn more about this girl-power project and vote for a great organization to win a $20,000 grant!

Disclosure: I was sent this wig as a participant in the Traveling Blue Wig Project, but this story is 100% mine! Want to rock this awesome Peggy Sue blue? Get one here.

Infographic: Busting the Biggest Travel Myths

Anytime you go anywhere you hear myths about traveling and about your destination, but how many myths do you actually believe are truths? Train travel is rarely cheaper than plane travel, I've never seen Bigfoot and my plane has never fallen out of the sky because I forgot to turn off my cell phone. So, what myths do you believe are true that aren't? Below are 10 of the biggest. 

Possibly, it depends on the cruise ship you are on, but many cruises don't include soda in their "inclusive" prices and charge you for each one you order or will sell you a card for the soda plan. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than paying each time you want a soda during the day. Other than that, I wish I found money in the Bible, or anywhere, in my hotel room and that announcing being on your honeymoon got you anything, but a higher bill. Have you heard of another travel myth we can confirm or debunk?