3 Spooky Halloween Travel Destinations!

“…he found that a traveller’s life is one that includes much pain amidst its enjoyments. His feelings are forever on the stretch; and when he begins to sink into repose, he finds himself obliged to quit that on which he rests in pleasure for something new, which again engages his attention, and which also he forsakes for other novelties.” – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (ch19)

Halloween is coming!! Whilst I am NOT a fan of scary movies or creepy stuff… I love fancy dress and seeing everyone in their best vampire/witch outfit! If you’re into the fun party side of Halloween like me, check out this awesome Barcelona Halloween event (or scroll to the bottom to read more)!

However, if you are in to the creepy stuff, here are a few spooky halloween travel destinations for you to sink your fangs in to over the holiday period!

1. The Orkney Islands, Scotland

Photo by John Haslam under the Attribution License

Any readers of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will know that the Orkney Islands are a pivotal moment near the end of the classic novel. It is here that Victor Frankenstein takes a stand against his monster, and destroys the female ‘mate’ he had begun to create for him. The Scottish Isles are beautifully natural rock formations on which very small numbers are populated, and with the addition of a stormy day and a lively imagination you can be transported straight back to the moonlit night under which Victor Frankenstein takes the dismembered fragments of his second experiment and dumps them in to the ocean!

Interesting extra: There is actually a Frankenstein Castle located near Darmstadt, Germany. Whilst it’s not known for sure whether or not this castle was the inspiration behind her novel, the name (originally coined in 1252, over 500 years before the publication of the novel) is now synonymous with the frightening monster and an annual Halloween festival takes place around it every year.

2. Transylvania, Romania

Photo by Rob under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

Let’s face it, Vampires have softened up a bit recently with the likes of Twilight, but back in the day they used to be terrifyingly blood-thirsty aristocrats (yes, aristocrats!) who’s legacy is mostly down to the old folklore of Romania. Readers of Bram Stoker’s Dracula will be familiar with the incredible descriptions of Dracula’s castle in Transylvania, but it is the more recent work of Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian, that truly describes the land of Vlad III the Impaler. I suggest visiting, and deciding for yourself how much of the Dracula myth is historical fact and how much is fiction.

Interesting extra: Vlad III the Impaler is said to have been born in Sighișoara, a town on the UNESCO World Heritage List that is a 2 hour drive North of Bran Castle (picture above).

3. Sleepy Hollow

Photo by Ciorra Photography under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 License

Dracula & Frankenstein are such famous halloween monsters, that you almost get used to them. The Headless Horseman riding through misty forests from Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is an image that never fails to creep me out time and again, with no thanks to the creepy (yet witty!) 1999 film by Tim Burton. An actual town in New York, you can attend evening lantern tours of the cemetery…I’ve you’re brave enough!

Interesting extra: the author of the Legend of Sleep Hollow, Washington Irving, is actually buried in the Sleepy Hollow town cemetery.

EXTRA. Barcelona!

Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital, not only celebrates Halloween with spooky ghost walks that honour it’s gruesome European history, but also treats the holiday as a celebration! Much like the El Dia de los Muertos festivals that take place in Mexico, the Spanish view Halloween as a period to honour those who have passed away and to celebrate the life that continues!

But let’s face it, if you’re in Europe right now you’re damn well not going to make it all the way to Mexico in time for their Day of The Dead – so why not head over to Barcelona instead? A friend of mine told me about an awesome event being hosted by Stoke Travel… Halloween Party: Get Your Freak On! I’m doing my best to see if I can squeeze it in between needing to be in Greece and London either side of Halloween, but if I can’t make it I’m hoping at least some of you will be in Spain over the weekend and can let me know how it goes!

For just €25 Stoke are promising:

• a halloween pre-party
• a spooky ghost-walk tour
• a creepy afterparty…”as we take you to the club where we will meet a different kind of creatures of the night!”

So if you fancy a halloween weekend with a difference – well flights from London to Barca are less than £40 with RyanAir at the moment!

 Obviously, there are plenty of creepy locations out there – there’s even a few ‘haunted houses’ near where I live! I’m trying to get up the courage to go photograph them for you guys… we’ll see!