75. 5 Bucket List Destinations for Every Halloween Fan | Luxury Travel Destinations

My favorite month of the year is here and I’m counting down five iconic Halloween luxury destinations that are NOT Orlando based! From ghostly cruises to legendary locations steeped in Halloween lore, I’ll guide you through these hauntingly beautiful destinations that blend luxury, history, and spine-tingling thrills. Tune in and start planning your perfect spook-tacular Halloween.

Links Mentioned:
Virgin Halloween Voyages
Krew of Boo
Bram Stocker Festival
Dublin Nightmare Realm
Derry Halloween
Sleepy Hollow
Bran Castle

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher.

Transcript

Well, hello, jetsetters. Welcome to my Halloween special episode. October is my favorite month of the year. The air is supposed to get a little colder. The leaves are supposed to start turning colors. The pumpkins and the fall decorations come out. People start making their holiday travel plans. And of course, the month of October culminates in every child's favorite holiday, Halloween.

So you might say that because I love Halloween so much, that Halloween travel is in my blood. So today, I'm going to show you how to take your Halloween travel experience from ordinary to extraordinary by exploring 5 iconic luxury Halloween destinations that are not Orlando based. I'm gonna count down from 5 to 1 with the number one being the absolute hashtag bucket list Halloween trip that we are all holding out for together. At number 5, we have the Virgin Voyage Cruise Line doing what they are calling their Halloween voyages. Virgin says, and I quote, it's the Halloween voyages of no kids and just treats, and it is the answer to your Halloween prayers. Now beyond all the normal inclusions that you get on a Virgin Voyage cruise, the Halloween Voyages are going to have a few extra flare to them. They'll have a costume party and a contest, entertainment options like themed trivia. I may have mentioned that the last trivia I did on a virgin voyage got a perfect score, earned some pretty Instagram worthy cocktails, a surprise.

And I will never be doing virgin voyage trivia ever again because how can you top that? They will have skull painting and of course, a haunted grog walk. Because if you don't go on a cruise and do a pub walk during Halloween, it's got to be a haunted grog walk. Virgin's also adding some special food and beverage menu items specifically for their Halloween voyage sailors. Meaning, you can't try them unless you're on one of those specific sailings. Can you say FOMO? Finally, the rotating cast of comedy, music, and dance acts. From the Happenings cast and others will all be themed to my favorite holiday. While all of these activities are on board, certain sailings of all the lady ships, Valiant Lady, which is my personal favorite of the Virgin ships, is going to be the Halloween flagship ship. Say that three times fast.

It's gonna feature a never before seen show that's gonna document the Halloween history, as well as live music from a Halloween themed band. And Virgin Voyages is always a luxury experience, but of course, you can take it up to a rock star level by booking yourself a suite. And that way you get early boarding on the ship. You get first chance at dining reservations, and maybe you get an invite to one of the special secret Halloween shows that will be happening on board. At number 2, we're gonna head down south to New Orleans, Louisiana. Now personally, New Orleans can be scary and haunted at any time of year. I know this from my own personal experience, when I almost lost my life there due to a crowd surge, while I was innocently standing on the street in the French Quarter when a fight broke out. But they do take things to a new level for Halloween celebrations with the crew of boo, crew spelled k r e w, official Halloween parade.

So basically, it's like a Mardi Gras parade with a Halloween theme. Although, that is the big event, the crew of Boo parade. There's lots of other experiences that lead up to that, and it starts with a royal luncheon and a happy hour, complete with a second line at the award winning restaurant of Galatoire's. So getting to eat at Galatoire's again is reason enough for this Halloween celebration to rate this list. Galatoire's is one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. The restaurant sits directly on Bourbon Street, and it's been open since 1905. And they still enforce a strict dress code, including dinner jackets for men. Now I ate back there when I was very young, so I didn't have my shellfish allergy or my aversion to spice.

And I had the best shrimp remoulade ever. And of course, my favorite meal of any day, dessert, was bread pudding with banana praline sauce. I'm sorry. We're talking about Halloween in New Orleans and not my favorite meals. Okay. So following the second line, which goes from Galatoire's, it conveniently ends at Pat O'Brien's where you will then have a captain's party. And of course, you will need the VIP upgrade to attend that. And you can hurricane your heart away in the Big Easy.

Now all of that is just the lead up to the crew parade. The parade rolls through the heart of downtown New Orleans, and it has the same 3 d fiberglass and paper mache floats that any Mardi Gras visitor has seen, but they are all of werewolves, ghosts, vampires, other Halloween themed monsters. And the crew of Boo floats are very child friendly. Costumes are encouraged and parade goers are welcome to wear your favorite family friendly Halloween gear. You will be able to catch plenty of toys, candy, beads, and of course, other Halloween themed throws. This year, there's even a doublone, which is the special coin that they're making for Halloween that they'll be throwing off the floats. There are VIP viewing areas for sale and they sell out fast. Now, following the crew of Boo Parade, crew members and parade goers join in the after parade costume party, the Monster Mash, featuring costume, contests, drink specials, and live entertainment.

And there are VIP tickets there to upgrade to the luxury experience, which allows access to the private seated area with an open bar. And one more way to make this a once in a lifetime luxury experience, you can become a member of the crew and apply to ride on afloat in the parade. Now that is how you celebrate Halloween. Coming in at number 3 is, well, the whole country of Ireland. Did you know that everyone's favorite fright filled holiday began in Ireland? That is correct. You can trace Halloween back to its origins over 2000 years ago to pagan Ireland. And it's a time when ancient festival, and I'm going to say this wrong, Somhain, I need Nicola Coughlin for that, was celebrated in the heart of Ireland's ancient east. It marked the beginning of winter.

Now, although Dublin is the most well known of the Irish Halloween Fest, that is thanks in part to one of Dublin's biggest festivals, which is the Bram Stoker Festival. It combines a mix of theatrical performances that include DJ sets, live music, literary workshops. Bram Stoker was a famous Irish author. Free parades and more. And there's the Dublin nightmare realm, which is an indoor scream zone that has won several accolades, including the best scream park in Europe. Now, the Dublin nightmare realm every year is different. There's haunt themes and mazes and their redesigns, and they include 5 haunt mazes, 3 scare entertainment zones, a museum of horror, Halloween town, and other added attractions, street theater, and nightly entertainment. So you would think that I would be talking about Dublin at number 3.

But really, the real winner on our list is Derry. And not just because we all love the show Derry Girls. Derry is in Northwest Ireland, and it is the only completely walled city in Ireland and the UK. And these fortifications are over 400 years old. The city itself has over a 1000 years of history. And during every Halloween, they put on Europe's largest Halloween festival. And they say that the spirits are invited to party with us, us humans, at a scary, joyous, and fantastically fun carnival. Each location set up at the carnival represents a different spirit world.

And then the climax of all the festivities, the Dairy Halloween Carnival parade sweeps through the streets on Halloween night. You get to see an explosion of color and creativity as 100 of performers don elaborate costumes. There are fire breathing dragons. There are animated caricatures, and they're all moving to the beat of these very vibrant sombra drums. And then, of course, the evening culminates in a fireworks display, which is said to put all the spirits back into their realm and culminate the here I go. I'm gonna try it again. The Psalmhain Festival. Coming up in a number 4 is Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Now Sleepy Hollow earned its spot in the Halloween Hall of Fame because of Washington Irving's famous legend of the headless horseman. So we have another spooky town based on an author. Halloween in Sleepy Hollow does have something for everyone. It's family friendly. There are haunted hay rides, gothic mansions, blazing pumpkins, farmers market, live music, street fairs, Halloween 10 k which you run-in costumes, Halloween parade, and of course, the headless horseman. Now my favorite part of that entire extravaganza is the great jack o lantern blaze. This features over 7,000 hand carved illuminated pumpkins. It's truly like an art display.

It's set against the mysterious backdrop of the county's 8th century buildings and their riverscape landscape. You can attend The Blaze on select nights throughout September, October, and even into early November, but you do need to purchase tickets in advance. There are no tickets that are sold on-site. And every luxury Halloween visitor needs to VIP it up and add the Gordon Goblet Tavern experience. That allows you to enjoy some beverages at the adult variety while on the pumpkin trail. And every spa living gal like me should go there and stay at the Abbey Inn and Spa, which was once an Episcopal convent and is now a luxurious spa retreat. So get frighteningly pampered before you go on the jack o'lantern blaze. Now I have saved the very best for last.

So coming in at number 1, if you haven't already guessed it, may I give you a hint? It is another book. Transylvania, Romaine, because no Halloween compilation would be complete without a visit to the birthplace of Count Dracula. This place is an absolute must visit for anyone who loves spooky stories, And even more so if you're fascinated with vampires, especially the infamous one known as Dracula. Bran Castle is known as Dracula's castle. And you can explore the eerie hallways, foggy surroundings, and the graphic architecture. And Transylvania does their town proud. When the sun does go down, the castle transforms into the ultimate Halloween party location. Now you can check the website and you can always plan your trip around the date of the iconic Halloween party at Castle.

That is where they serve up delicious food and drinks. The dance floor keeps you moving until the early hours of the morning. That's right. 4 AM, people. There are very limited combo tickets that give you both a special Halloween tour and the party. And another bonus, it is recommended for adults only. So there you have it, friends. My personal listing of the destinations for every Halloween fan.

Did I list your favorite? Did I miss any that you love to do on Halloween? Which one have you now added to your Halloween must visit list? I would love to know the answer to those questions. So please reach out to me on my Instagram at jetsettingwithmichhele and Michele has one l. And let me know. And of course, links to all of these and my Instagram will be in the show notes. Until next time, safe travels.