How to Plan a Dark Tour or Halloween Vacation
Determine who will be going on the trip with you., Involve anyone else going on the trip in the planning of it., Pick a primary geographical location or theme for your trip., Research the locations and the area surrounding them., Find out if there...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine who will be going on the trip with you.
Whether friends or family, they should have an interest in the subject matter of the tour.
It can be an unpleasant experience for them, yourself and anyone else along if one person is uncomfortable with the nature of the locations being visited. -
Step 2: Involve anyone else going on the trip in the planning of it.
This will further generate interest and can be fun in its own right.
Besides, with more than one person researching the trip, you are more likely to turn up a location or opportunity that would have been otherwise missed. , A geographical location can be chosen based on proximity to home, a specific point of interest, density of dark locations, other non-dark tourist features that may also appeal (you can always take a break from Salem’s witches to go whale watching), or any number of other reasons an area might appeal.
Picking a theme for a dark journey can be satisfying for someone with specific interests.
Themes can range from something simple/general such as Halloween events/festivals and haunted locations to complex/specific such as visiting sites of political assassinations or places that were used in the filming of horror movies. , Utilize the internet, books, magazines, DVDs, etc. to perform your research. ,, For example:
Amityville, NY and Burkittsville, Maryland are not pleased with the attention brought to them by the films "The Amityville Horror" and "The Blair Witch Project." You may wish to reconsider your trip if the location isn’t friendly to this form of tourism. , Finding out the cost of guided tours, museum admissions, and other attraction costs will help with planning the budget for the trip. , Another handy thing to know for your trip budget.
It pays to look into surrounding areas.
For example:
The demand for hotel rooms in Salem, MA in the month of October drives the price up and makes it prohibitively expensive for some folks.
However the city of Danvers has average-priced lodging while only being 15 minutes away (it also has quite a few locations tied to the Salem Witch Trials…including the actual execution site). , What can you expect to find there? Some locations of interest are not oriented for tourism.
Some may in fact be sore points with the local community.
They may have been torn down or altered over the years due to either natural change or a community’s need to have an infamous crime scene removed due to a need to heal and move on from the unpleasantness. , Some locations have events that only occur on specific days of the week or year.
Do you wish to visit on the anniversary of a particular event associated with the location? Visiting some locations near an anniversary or during the Halloween season may lead to dealing with crowds, lines and other associated drawbacks of peak time for a particular location.
However, it may also feature tourist opportunities unavailable during non-peak time, such as guided tours limited to specific times of year, festivals, etc. , Print out maps from websites which allow you to get directions from one location to the next. , This is especially important if you are traveling with people who are not as into the subject matter of the dark locations as you.
It can also be a good idea to plan breaks and visits to more lighthearted locations to avoid becoming depressed if the area you are visiting might bring yourself or other travelers down.
Taking a guided tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland or visiting the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City may affect you in ways you don’t plan for.
Also, you are on vacation…you should plan time to relax and not burn yourself out by trying to cram in too many locations/activities. , Make sure to bring your camera or camcorder to capture the moment.
Take into account the luggage of fellow travelers if the trip is by automobile. , -
Step 3: Pick a primary geographical location or theme for your trip.
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Step 4: Research the locations and the area surrounding them.
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Step 5: Find out if there are there locations of further interest nearby that you weren’t aware of and can include in the trip.
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Step 6: Find out if tourism welcome at the sites of your interest.
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Step 7: Research how much will it cost.
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Step 8: Look for available lodging and its cost.
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Step 9: Find out if the locations actually still exist.
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Step 10: Think about what time of year is the best for your visit?
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Step 11: Pick up an Atlas or maps of the area(s) to be visited.
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Step 12: Plan some visits to non-dark sites and/or downtime for your trip.
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Step 13: Pack appropriately for your trip based on weather conditions for the location in that season and length of stay.
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Step 14: If you are traveling by automobile
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Step 15: make sure that your vehicle is in shape for the trip
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Step 16: especially if traveling long distances.
Detailed Guide
Whether friends or family, they should have an interest in the subject matter of the tour.
It can be an unpleasant experience for them, yourself and anyone else along if one person is uncomfortable with the nature of the locations being visited.
This will further generate interest and can be fun in its own right.
Besides, with more than one person researching the trip, you are more likely to turn up a location or opportunity that would have been otherwise missed. , A geographical location can be chosen based on proximity to home, a specific point of interest, density of dark locations, other non-dark tourist features that may also appeal (you can always take a break from Salem’s witches to go whale watching), or any number of other reasons an area might appeal.
Picking a theme for a dark journey can be satisfying for someone with specific interests.
Themes can range from something simple/general such as Halloween events/festivals and haunted locations to complex/specific such as visiting sites of political assassinations or places that were used in the filming of horror movies. , Utilize the internet, books, magazines, DVDs, etc. to perform your research. ,, For example:
Amityville, NY and Burkittsville, Maryland are not pleased with the attention brought to them by the films "The Amityville Horror" and "The Blair Witch Project." You may wish to reconsider your trip if the location isn’t friendly to this form of tourism. , Finding out the cost of guided tours, museum admissions, and other attraction costs will help with planning the budget for the trip. , Another handy thing to know for your trip budget.
It pays to look into surrounding areas.
For example:
The demand for hotel rooms in Salem, MA in the month of October drives the price up and makes it prohibitively expensive for some folks.
However the city of Danvers has average-priced lodging while only being 15 minutes away (it also has quite a few locations tied to the Salem Witch Trials…including the actual execution site). , What can you expect to find there? Some locations of interest are not oriented for tourism.
Some may in fact be sore points with the local community.
They may have been torn down or altered over the years due to either natural change or a community’s need to have an infamous crime scene removed due to a need to heal and move on from the unpleasantness. , Some locations have events that only occur on specific days of the week or year.
Do you wish to visit on the anniversary of a particular event associated with the location? Visiting some locations near an anniversary or during the Halloween season may lead to dealing with crowds, lines and other associated drawbacks of peak time for a particular location.
However, it may also feature tourist opportunities unavailable during non-peak time, such as guided tours limited to specific times of year, festivals, etc. , Print out maps from websites which allow you to get directions from one location to the next. , This is especially important if you are traveling with people who are not as into the subject matter of the dark locations as you.
It can also be a good idea to plan breaks and visits to more lighthearted locations to avoid becoming depressed if the area you are visiting might bring yourself or other travelers down.
Taking a guided tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland or visiting the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City may affect you in ways you don’t plan for.
Also, you are on vacation…you should plan time to relax and not burn yourself out by trying to cram in too many locations/activities. , Make sure to bring your camera or camcorder to capture the moment.
Take into account the luggage of fellow travelers if the trip is by automobile. ,
About the Author
Claire Nelson
Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.
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