Few holidays in America are as universally beloved as Halloween. It’s got something for everyone – adorable costumes and trick-or-treating for families, parties for the carefree crowd, and plenty of opportunities to yell at miscreants for the unabashedly grumpy.
Halloween also falls during a wonderful time of year for traveling. Flights are cheaper, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the crowds of summer have dwindled away. So, if you’re on the hunt for some of the spookiest places to travel this fall, look no further than these globally renowned haunts:
- New Orleans
New Orleans is a city of vibrance and celebration, and oftentimes that celebration is intrinsically linked to black magic and the dead. With amazing cemeteries around every corner, haunting architecture, and nightly celebrations on Bourbon Street, New Orleans is a great place to go for a voodoo walking tour or to simply enjoy the creepiness of the night (with a stop at a jazz bar mixed in for good measure).
- London
London is a beautiful city by day, and a haunting city by night. Visit the Tower of London to learn about everyone who literally lost their head on the grounds, or learn about the never-caught mass murderer, Jack the Ripper. Enjoy a ghost walking tour, or simply amble through the various ancient sights around the city to give yourself a good scare.
- Salem
The home of the witch trials of 1692, Salem, Massachusetts has labeled itself “Witch City.” Visitors can take a wide variety of tours to visit the various sites involved in the witch trials, and they can even visit the graves of many of the men and women who were put to death. The city even offers a “Haunted Passport” that encourages visitors to come back after October to see some of the other, less haunted treasures that the city has to offer.
- Paris
The City of Light is also home to many haunted highlights. Perhaps the most haunting are the catacombs under the city – a network of tunnels that house thousands of human skeletons. The catacombs can be toured year-round, as can the haunted Garnier opera house, the setting for The Phantom of the Opera.
- Australia
If haunted asylums are more your speed, you might want to consider a trip to Australia. There you’ll find the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum and the Ararat Lunatic Asylum, both of which are said to be haunted by the ghosts of past residents. The two institutions were open for 125 and 140 years, respectively, and both are open for ghost tours.
Wherever your haunted travels take you, contact the Swift team to get expedited passports and expedited visas. Nothing is scarier than realizing your passport is expired right before a big international trip. As soon as you realize it is time to renew, let us know. We’re always here to help!
