Your Next Halloween Vacation

A few years ago, I found out that Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Philly) had a Harry Potter Weekend in October and I planned an entire trip around this activity. I've had to change up my plans and the weekend has been changed to Witches and Wizards Weekend, due to Warner Bros cracking down on anything with the name Harry Potter in it and my own one-week limitation of a vacation. Either way, I still think all these activities sound awesome and can make a fantastic Halloween trip, or even just some fun stops as part of a different trip.

Salem, Massachusetts  

Where better to celebrate Halloween than witch-central? All October long you’ll find themed festivities and attractions including a carnival, haunted house, spooky tours and more. Every day of the month you’ll find something going on. This is my kind of town.  Where else can you hit the farmers’ market during the day and then see the Crucible at night and get your palm read and go to a witchcraft shop in between? There might be some places, but I doubt many. And there are even fewer places where you can visit the actual places where witch trials took place. This is definitely on my list of must-see places. 

• 4D Haunted Adventure at Salem Time Machine - It's a "haunted" attraction for the whole family. You get 3D glasses, walk around in a blacklight environment that takes you through a narrated Olde Salem. It sounds really dumb, but also really fun. If you want to be scared, do the 4D Haunted House instead, with live scare actors.
• Derby Stree Carnival
• Museum Place Mall - They show two 3D short films that tell you about Salem and the history of Halloween. There's also live music on the weekends.
• Salem Haunted Magic Show - 'Nuff said.
• Visit Lady Irene - A Greek psychic who reads coffee...? I dunno what that entails, but I want to see!
• Haunted Dinner Theater at the Hawthorne Hotel - The show changes every year, but it always sounds fun.
• More things to see and do can be found here.

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Laconia, New Hampshire

For 25 years, the pumpkin festival has been held in Keene, but it has now moved north to Laconia to eliminate the many drunken college students who congregated in the small town square. The community comes together to carve pumpkins to add to the pyramid for one of the nation's biggest collection of jack-o-lanterns. for one day, the town lights up with pumpkins, a beer garden, parade and other fun stuff, like magic, vendor booths and face painting.

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Boston

So, I would go to Boston for anything specifically Halloween-related, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything. We have family there to visit, plus seafood! Save money on sightseeing with the Boston CityPASS. Valid for 9 days from first use and covers the top Boston attractions for just $54 per person (adult). See the best of Boston with your pass and have plenty of time to do it in. There’s something for everyone and you save almost half off admission prices! Here are just a few I think would be fun.

• New England Aquarium        
• Museum of Science 
• Skywalk Observatory 
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 
• Harvard Museum of Natural History OR The Old State House

If you're looking for other things in Boston that are Halloween-themed, there are several corn mazes (haunted and traditional) around the area with pumpkin patches and haunted houses. Factory of Terror has a one of the best haunted attractions in the area. Boston College Club runs a wine tasting with craft beer, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and a charity silent auction. The Haunted Castle Bash has a cocktail reception, dancing and hors d'oeuvres. Find more ideas here.

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Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania

Because of the cease and desist from Warner Bros, the town has had to rethink how to run this festival and even the name has changed to Witches and Wizards Weekend (and was called Wands and Wizards Fest just a few weeks ago). It looks like it's going to be more about Halloween than Harry Potter, which is okay, but disappointing. There will still be a pub crawl and Quidditch tournament, so we will still go and report back.
 Watch this video:

Okay, so the pièce de résistance of this trip, and the reason I want to go is the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Weekend. For two days, the town turns into Hogsmeade and the college is turned into Hogwarts. Visitors are strongly encouraged to dress up (uh, yes please!) and participate in awesome activities, like dueling classes, make new friends, ride the "Knight Bus", go on a Butterbeer crawl and watch a Quidditch tournament.

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Philadelphia

Since Philadelphia is just a short drive from Chestnut Hill, why not check out what it has to offer. In October, you can look forward to the Chrysanthemum Festival, the Schuylkill Regatta and South Street's Pumpkin Festival. The Mutter Museum, a museum of weird and interesting medical stuff, has always been on my list, so I'm totally going to hit that up. Aside from that, there's tons of history. You can purchase the Philadelphia CityPASS for $59 and check out 4 of these 5 things:

• The Franklin Institue
• The Big Bus & Philadelphia Trolley Works
• One Liberty Observation Deck
• Adventure Aquarium OR Philadelphia Zoo.

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Hershey, Pennsylvania

Who doesn't love chocolate? Well, I do, so this seems like a no-brainer. Candy for days, a theme park and walking chocolate bars! I'm totally in! Plus it's right next door to:

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Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Another thing that's been on my wish list for a long time. I'd love to buy some sweet homemade quilts and other goodies, while learning more about the Amish community and way of life. Maybe I'll get a chance to ride in one of those horse and buggies where cars aren't a problem like they are in the city. Believe it or not, there are a lot of things to do here, from museums and tours to driving over (through?) covered bridges and wine tasting. 

If you've been to any of these places, what were your favorite things to see or do? 

The September Swago Board is Here!

The digital rewards site Swagbucks is offering big payouts during on their September Swago Board, which runs from September 10th through September 17th at 9am PT! Swago is just like bingo, but in this case you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online.

If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster. Here are a few tips: 

• Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores! 
• Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete. 
• You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, September 17th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely. 
• Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding “Submit” button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely. 
  
  
• Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin & Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you'll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!

The Spin & Win Wheel will be available all throughout Swago and you have until 11:59pm PT on Monday, September 17th to use all your spins. 

Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points - if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus, which is enough for a $5 gift card from the retailer of your choice.  

Click here right now and click "Join" to get started! If you don't already have a Swagbucks account, you'll be able to quickly sign up; PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of October, you'll get a bonus 300 SB!


Disclaimer: This post has affiliate links and I will receive compensation in the form of SB when you sign up through that link.

Packable Halloween Costumes

I love travel in the fall and this often takes me to new places near or over Halloween. Whether it's a Mickey's-Not-So-Scary-Halloween-Party at Disney or a Harry Potter festival, I'm always up for putting on a costume and having a good time. As a budget traveler though, I'm not willing to pack much extra where I have to check a bag to my destination, so I look for creative costumes that I can make out of things I can easily pack or am already taking with me. 

In the past, Eric and I have dressed as Wayne & Garth, an ice cream man, a sports fan, and this Halloween we'll be dressing in our Wizarding wear for both a Harry Potter festival and a night of magical science. If you're also looking for an easy, but still fun, costume to take in your carry-on, I've rounded up some of my favorites of the moment.

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Be fruit! Pineapples are really in right now. I'm sure you can throw a spare t-shirt in your bag...and you could even wear it on your trip and then jazz it up afterward, allowing it to do double-duty. Use a Sharpie or fabric marker to create the little spikes you see and then add a headband with the crown to finish the look. Click on the link if you need more help. You can also be a strawberry with a pink shirt and regular leaves on your head, be a kiwi without a headband at all. Do you and find your favorite fruit that this would work with.

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Ladies, you probably are already traveling with a little black dress. It's practically a must for travel of all kinds. Grab yourself some spare black fabric to make yourself some bat wings, throw on a headband with ears and you're done! Classy and fun! Click the link for instructions.

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Eric and I always have khaki pieces in our wardrobe and one year we pulled all our items together to become travelers on safari. It worked for the warm California weather and was also creative. Go with green, brown or tan and add a hat and binoculars (we used toy ones that were small and easy to pack in shoes) and you're ready to spot some animals!

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Come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price Is Right! I love this awesome idea. Basically, you can wear whatever you have (bonus points if you make it a I ♥ Drew or Bob shirt of some kind) and then pack yourself a name tag and price guessing board. I adore anything that packs flat and takes up no room and you can just make one or as many as are in your travel party. Easy!

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If you have more of a morbid sense of humor like I do, then maybe going as roadkill will have you doubled over. I think this is a clever and easy costume that you can do quickly with an appropriate stencil. If you also want to have tire marks on your clothing, go for it. The further you go with it, the better you're going to sell this outfit. Don't forget your animal ears and tail if you want to add that as well. 

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I include Rosie the Riveter in all my costume lists, because A. she's amazing and B. she's super easy to pull off. You probably already have everything in your closet and you can wear jeans or denim shorts, depending on the weather. Make sure to pack the perfect red lipstick though, because it absolutely completes the look.

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I never would have thought of this costume, even though I've been similar in the past. Dominos are creative and so simple! Cut out some white dots, affix them to clothing you already have packed that are black (don't forget that white undershirt that peeks out as the line) and you're Halloween ready. Use fabric tape for easy add and removal of your dots.

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Pig in a blanket! Either pack a cute little baby blanket or a large piece of fabric, put on a pig nose and you've got a costume everyone will love.

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Be a stick figure! This is another easy-to-accomplish outfit. Pack a white outfit and some black tape. Stick on, wear out, pull off and wear other days of your vacation. Don't forget to make yourself a face mask.

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That cute outfit in your carry-on can turn you into a superstar! Throw it on with a black and white wig (the bigger the better) so it covers your eyes, or more, and a giant head bow. Voila! Now you're Sia.

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Bob Ross is having a revival these last few years. People love him, because he's so chill. Everyone can pull him off with a basic jeans and button down shirt outfit and a big wig. If you're going as a couple, turn your travel dress into a "happy little tree". Genius. We had friends who did this combo at our Halloween party last year and it was fantastic.

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This is another new favorite among my friends: sauce bottles. You can find shirts of your favorite sauces, like Sriracha, Tabasco, soy sauce and more (or you can make your own), add a matching hat or make a headband cap and you're done! It's super comfortable and looks like you put a lot of thought into it.

I'll be wearing my Harry Potter witch wear this weekend for Rose City Comic Con, so look for pics on my Instagram if you want some inspo. 

What are your favorite go-to easy costumes?

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