October 25, 2024 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean discusses this week's travel news and hot deals!
In this spine-tingling episode, we embark on a journey through some of the most haunted and historically rich destinations perfect for a Halloween getaway. Join us as we explore the eerie charm of Salem, Massachusetts, where the infamous witch trials of 1692 still echo through the cobblestone streets. Next, we head to Charleston, South Carolina, a city steeped in ghostly legends and Southern Gothic allure.
Our travels then take us to the vibrant and mysterious New Orleans, where voodoo, jazz, and haunted mansions create an unforgettable Halloween atmosphere. Across the Atlantic, we delve into the misty highlands of Scotland, uncovering tales of ancient castles and spectral warriors. In Derry, Ireland, we walk through a city known for its rich history and chilling ghost stories.
Finally, we journey to the heart of vampire lore in Transylvania, Romania, where the legend of Dracula comes to life amidst the dark forests and medieval castles. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker or a history buff, this episode promises to guide you through the shadowed paths of some of the world’s most hauntingly beautiful destinations. Happy travels and happy haunting!
In this spine-tingling episode, we embark on a journey through some of the most haunted and historically rich destinations perfect for a Halloween getaway. Join us as we explore the eerie charm of Salem, Massachusetts, where the infamous witch trials of 1692 still echo through the cobblestone streets. Next, we head to Charleston, South Carolina, a city steeped in ghostly legends and Southern Gothic allure.
Our travels then take us to the vibrant and mysterious New Orleans, where voodoo, jazz, and haunted mansions create an unforgettable Halloween atmosphere. Across the Atlantic, we delve into the misty highlands of Scotland, uncovering tales of ancient castles and spectral warriors. In Derry, Ireland, we walk through a city known for its rich history and chilling ghost stories.
Finally, we journey to the heart of vampire lore in Transylvania, Romania, where the legend of Dracula comes to life amidst the dark forests and medieval castles. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker or a history buff, this episode promises to guide you through the shadowed paths of some of the world’s most hauntingly beautiful destinations. Happy travels and happy haunting!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
It's a travel show and podcasts from your friends at
the wishing Well two forty three f Avenue in Harrisburg
and online at the wishing Well dot this. The wishing
Well is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel agency and a
Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show and podcast hosted by
Terry Dean, bringing her over forty years of experience in
the travel industry to help guide you to great experiences
(00:22):
in your travel, whether it be around the block, around
the country, or around the world. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris, Hi, Hell are you Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great. Happy Saturday to beautiful Saturday. Missed your last week.
I think I was traveling. I can't remember what was
going on. We were traveling too.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
We had our entire staff in Philadelphia for the weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh that tray you told me you were going to
do that happen? Wing up on the train.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
The train, Oh the train is fabulous. I know you
flew recently and you were talking about how cramped the
seats were. Chris, we were not. We were in leather
luxury on board the train, watching the beautiful scenery and
the fall foliage and it was wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's totally nice.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
After I've told you how I suffered to tell me
how luxurious your trip.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, I was saving it just for this moment.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Well, I'm glad you guys had a nice trip we did.
Philadelphia was great. It was really great weather as it was.
I'm sure where you were.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It was like almost eighty degrees. We went to Memphis
to visit SA Chew Children's Research Hospital.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Which is so admirable. Glad you did that. Well, we
go down.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're trying to go every year because on one of
our radio stations here in town we do a radiothon
and if we get to go visit, we come in
refreshed and energized, and we have a lot of new information.
There was something very exciting, and then we'll move on
from Saint Jude. This radiothon, we're celebrating thirty five years
(01:51):
since Randy Owen started the radiothon back in nineteen eighty nine.
My goodness, and it's radio stations all over the country
that do this. This year they hit one billion dollars
that the radiothons have raised for the kids of Saint Jude.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
How wonderful is that. And for those listening, Randy Owen
is the lead singer for Alabama.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
He always comes down and wanders around and says hello
to everybody, and if you've met him before, he usually
remembers you.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
No kidding. Yeah, I think it's because we have ID
tags on, but we.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Tell ourselves that he remember, so he instantly goes, hey, Chris,
how are you?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
He does? He does. He is a super nice guy. Yeah,
that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So, over the course of the last two weeks, have
we missed any big travel news.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Well, you know, we haven't missed any big travel news
that we're not going to cover today. So I'm going
to say hello to my business partner, Harry, who's joining
us here today, and he's going to take you really
quickly through the news of the week. Excellent, really quickly.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Huh Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
So this morning, Chris, I want to start with some
news that I want to talk about air since you
were talking about air, so I'm going to talk about
air two and a lot of times when people talk
about traveling by air, it's not always the most pleasant
conversations and stories that people have to share. But what
I want to share this morning I'm going to share
some news about air and what's going on, but I
(03:17):
also want to put it in a different light, and
that is as we look at some of the challenges
that the airline industry faces and the challenges that the
passengers of the airline industry face, I want to talk
about it can only get better, and it is getting better.
That's the optimistic side to this. And I'm going to
start with an investigation that the US Departments of Transportation
(03:39):
and the US Department of Justice have launched where they've
asked the airlines. They've issued what they call an rfire
request for information, and they've asked for some information regarding
the state of competition in air travel. Since deregulation, a
lot has happened, mergers acquisition Following the regulation way back
(04:00):
in nineteen seventy eight, a lot of things have happened,
and so there's not.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
As much competition.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
And when you don't have competition, sometimes you don't have
the best quality service, if you can relate to that
at all. Yeah, So higher prices, little lower services. So
the Departments of Transportation, Departments Justice are going to learn
from the airline businesses and travelers what's going on. In
the industry, and we don't know where it's going to
(04:29):
go yet, but Secretary of Transportation of Pete Boudaget said
good service and fair prices depend upon ensuring that there
is real competition, which is especially challenging for the many
American communities that have lost service amid airline consolidation. So
if you're interested in that, look into the Department of Justice,
Department and Transportations websites and they're open for public comments
(04:52):
until the twenty third of December, how appropriate, just until Christmas.
You can comment on what's going on. So I think
that means that maybe things can get better in the future.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Huh. We can only hope, Harry. I hear you in
know O the news.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Chris Frontier and Spirit Airlines are talking about mergers again.
They lasted this in twenty twenty two, and it's interesting
that they're talking because Spirit Airlines just recently reported that
they lost one hundred and eighty three million dollars, So
I'm not sure how they are a merger partner for anybody,
(05:27):
but they're talking. And what's interesting about this is if
they succeed with these talks, and Frontier and Spirit combined,
they would be the United States's fifth largest airline. They
would actually be the largest airline at Fort Lauderdale Airport,
the second largest in Dallas, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
(05:50):
So this is in the talking stages. This is something
to watch. Don't know where this is going to go,
but it'd make for an interesting marriage between those two
airlines for sure. Another one in the news this week
is our friends at American Airlines. And again, all this
news we got to put in the perspective of thinking
things can only continue to improve and at least people
are talking and doing things. So American Airlines they had
(06:13):
some problems. You might remember about a year ago there
was a video that went viral with an American Airlines
employee losing or dumping or accidentally letting a wheelchair fall
off of a ramp. It went viral on the internet. Well,
the Department of Transportation apparently saw that video. Chris, they
find American Airlines fifty million dollars because of all the
(06:37):
mistreatment that was going on for disabled passengers in their equipment,
their wheelchairs and other equipment. Fifty million dollars. I feel
like that's more than a fine. But yeah, well there's
some good news in that these fines are for things
that happen between twenty nineteen twenty twenty three. The good
news is that half of that fine is going back
to American Can you imagine that with the provision that
(06:59):
they use it to improve the services and the facilities
for accommodating disabled passengers. So I said, there's good news.
I think that is good news, especially if you're a
disabled passenger, and we work with lots of folks that
come to us at the Wishing Well that have special
needs or accommodations, medical equipment such as wheelchairs, breathing apparats,
(07:21):
other kinds of things.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
I think the other thing too, I wanted to make
sure to point out here, and that is we don't
really offer these news stories, even though they may sound
a bit negative. Sometimes we don't offer these news stories
on a lifeless.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Ordinary to kind of bring you down.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
What we do instead is try to offer these so
that you're informed, that you know that this is an
industry that is heavily monitored, and that there are some
provisions in place for travelers should something go wrong, somebody's watching,
somebody's trying to make sure that all of these things
are taking care of should they go off the rails.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I always like to remember when you look at the
volume of flights, the volume of people who are on
those flights incredible, very few. I mean these are minor things,
and the big scheme of things it is. It's just
unfortunate because when things go wrong, it makes the news.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And if you're the passenger whose wheelchair is not available,
it's the end of the world for you that day.
I mean literally it is. You're grounded, literally and physically both.
So they need to take care. And the good news
is that I think, as Terry said, people are watching,
the regulatory agencies are watching, the public is watching. Their
opportunities for people to have comments on some of the
(08:39):
things that are going on. And it's important if you
see something that's wrong, let somebody know, Let the federal
agencies know, let the airlines know. And it may take time,
but something good may happen. I got some good news
that I want to share. Forbes' Travel Guide has just
announced that New York City's LaGuardia Airport is the new
(09:02):
best airport in the United States.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Have you ever heard any stories about LaGuardia.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I would not have ever guessed that LA You would
talk to any list that was positive.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, it was on everybody's bad list.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
I mean even presidents have said of both parties have said,
what a terrible airport LaGuardia is. Well, they've had this
program begun back in twenty sixteen where they have spent
eight billion dollars renovating that airport. It touched every part
of the airport, Chris. They have new terminal bridges to
(09:34):
connect the terminals so you don't have to walk outside
in the New York winter weather. They've got better roadway connections.
They've got a brand new departures hall. It's got windows
floor to ceilings so you can see outside.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Very pleasant looking. She might be pretty, but she still
can't get a flight out on two And that's just
the truth.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Well, but they've got that fixed to Terry, they've got
some new retail operations in their new food operation, and
so even if your flight doesn't make it out on time,
it's one of the best airports. And according to Forbes
Travel Guide, it is the top United States airport. And
if you're in New York and you don't like LaGuardia,
(10:14):
apparently Terry, you don't like LaGuardia there's a program underway
also at Kennedy International Airport. They're in the midst of
their own nineteen billion dollars transformation at that airport, and
they would be opening some new terminals. There's a new
terminal scheduled to open in twenty twenty six. So you
talked about hope, Terry, there's hope. Yeah. So that's one
(10:39):
piece of good news. One last piece of news I
want to talk about. We've talked about this many many
times TSA they've issued yet I've got yet another in
parentheses here in my notes, yet another final ruling regarding
real ID. How many times have we talked about real ID?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Talked about it a lot. Yes, this is it. This
is the last one.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
They and when they announce that it's the final ruling,
I don't mean if they're going to give up or
they're done with rulings, but apparently this is the final one.
They're going to begin enforcement of real ID on May
the seventh, twenty twenty five. And for anybody who hasn't
been alive for the last five years, as they've been
talking about real ID, real ID is a federal government's
(11:21):
answer to authenticating who you are when you enter a
federal facility, be a federal building like a courthouse or
an airport.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Real idea is what says that you are who you
say you are.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
And the big news on top that was new in
this ruling or this announcement is that they're also putting
out a waiver to allow certain states to have acceptance
of what's known as mobile driver's licenses. Do you have
a mobile driver license?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It's just the time where you can save them on
your phone, exactly right. I wanted to do that because
my iPhone will handle that. Virginia doesn't have them, you
have Virginia does.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
They announced that they have an app now on the
Apple Store or Google Play where you can get the
mobile ID app. So they're one of the states and
it's a selected number of states. And the good news
is that TSA has partnered with the certain states. There
are at least eleven, Virginia being one of them.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Some of the other ones.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Are the Big States, Arizona, California, and Colorado, Hawaii. Interestingly enough, Maryland,
New York are all part of this program that let
you have your mobile ID on your phone and you
can use them, but only at select airports and interestingly,
for our Virginia listeners, the airports that apply for them
(12:45):
are Richmond and Washington National. You can't use it yet,
Ed Dulles, you can't use it at Charlottesville our local airport,
or Shenandoah Valley Airport, but you can use it at
Richmond and National. You got to get the apps off
the Apple Store or Google Play. And that's according to
the Virginia website. So that's some good news. It's called
(13:06):
Virginia m ID. It's my ID, it's mobile driver's license.
So it's the abbreviation that the federal government's using is
little M capital D, capital L Mobile Driver's Licenses Virginia.
This app is called little AM I D. That's the
app you want downloading it right now.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
So next time you take off from Richmond or Washington National,
see if that works for you. I'd carry your regular
driver's license too. I was actually shocked.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
If I can tell you about my trip from Atlanta
back to Charlottesville. Sure they didn't check my they didn't
ask for a boarding pass. They had a piece of
paper over the scanner and says only if it's asked
asked for.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
They did check my ID. And then when I went up,
I had unpacked.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
You know, I have a c PET machine, I had
my laptop, I had all these lectures, and the lady
was like, oh, honey, you don't need to unpack. Everything goes.
It's twenty twenty four, and I'm thinking, well, great, I
hope nobody else is taking advantage of us exactly. That's
actually a little surprising.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Well, what's happening is the TSA behind the scenes has
been doing a lot of upgrading of their equipment, Chris.
And there's a lot going on that they don't announce
to the public in terms of what they see, what
they know, how they're linking together information and that includes
travelers profiles, and it's all part of, you know, their
goal of getting you through the airport faster, because like
(14:33):
the airlines that get complaints, TSA gets a couple two
when it comes to travel delay. So while they may
not have gotten it right yet, the good news is
they too are working on it.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
So that's my news this morning, Terry.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Great, We've got a couple of sales here today, Chris,
that we're going to talk about before we head into
our story for today. You know, we are heading into Halloween.
It's going to be next Thursday, so I know people
are going to be interested in the Halloween extravaganzas that
we're going to talk about. But I do have a
(15:09):
couple of sale things I wanted to mention today. First
one being offered by our good folks from Walt Disney.
Almost never does Disney go on sale, almost never, but
disney Land, not to be confused with disney World in Florida,
but disney Land in California, is offering a kids special
(15:30):
on their tickets where you can save up to two
hundred and fifty eight dollars on child ticket pricing at
Disneyland resorts. If you're doing even just a one day ticket,
you can save as much as one hundred and seventy
three dollars. So our good friends at Walt Disney World
are offering you some savings. And also, we were talking
(15:51):
about Amtrak a while ago. I just fell in love
with Amtrak all over again this past weekend. But they
are now offering a special from now until December thirty first,
so that's now until the end of the year where
you can save up to six hundred dollars on Amtrak
vacations and Some of those include the Scenic America by
(16:12):
Rail that goes eastbound. These are as many as seven
to twelve day trips. You can save on the Empire
Builder train reil experience two destinations on that and five
destinations on the Scenic America by Rail, but saving up
to six hundred dollars. That's a big savings these days.
And actually can't think of a better way to travel.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
And one of the most pleasant ways to travel also
includes the trains. I thought they were immaculately clean.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
They were, and actually I was also impressed. Amtrak even
sent me a survey to fill out after our trip.
They wanted to know how our experience was. And I
know some airlines do that too, but Amtrak is pretty
religious about that. They will always follow up with folks
to find out how your experience was, and I was
really happy to tell.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Them we would do it all over again. This is great.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
The other deal that I have comes from our good
friends at Abercrombie and Kent. And if you are a
luxury traveler, this is one for you. You can actually
and especially if you are looking toward doing a safari
anytime soon. They have some safaris right now that are
going to take you into an unforgettable adventure into the
(17:25):
heart of the great Migration. Now that migration period occurs
actually from December to March is a really good time
to see that in the southern Serengetti. But actually they
are offering this right now during that migration period. You
can save an additional two thousand dollars per person and
(17:46):
receive an air credit if you are booking by November
fifteenth for a twenty twenty five safaris. So if you
are interested in that, the Wishing Well has great details
on Abercrombie and Kent's African safaris, something that's on my
bucket list that I definitely want to take advantage of
and do, and so I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
A better way.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Two thousand dollars goes a long way when you're buying
airline tickets these days. Last sale that I wanted to
offer for those that are cruise officionados out there and
love Royal Caribbean, they're doing it again, giving you as
much as five hundred dollars on board credits and up
to seventy five dollars extra savings on their weekend getaway cruises.
(18:31):
And then they started something brand new they're calling it
their no surprise pricing. So now all the prices that
you see with Royal Caribbean or you buy are including
all taxes and fees.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So there you go. Some great sale fares.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
In the industry these days and something that should get
everybody up off the couch and get you traveling.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Terry, you mentioned that this Thursday is Halloween and our
show is kind of surrounding the Halloween.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Serce Is.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I want to call it the Nights not So Spooky
Show today, but we're calling this a Journey through Shadowed
Paths because there's a lot of cities that are great
to visit all the time, but especially during Halloween. They
have a few little extra tricks up their sleeve, an
extra bump in the.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Night, and each one of them's a treat two too.
I like what you did there, Harry.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
We'll get into a journey through shadowed Paths next here
on a life Less ordinarative.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Protect your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional.
The wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
that can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your
trip and heavy back as you travel. All of this
without support or so called convenience fees. We're on the
web at the Wishingwell dot diz or call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three
(19:53):
has five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreams come true.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Welcome back to a Life Less Ordinary. This is the
travel show and podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well.
You can find them on net Avenue in Harrisonburg. They're
online at the wishing Well dot biz and you can
call them, which they'd love to talk to you at
five four h N. I know a twenty three thirty three.
Our show today is a journey through shadowed paths, not
shadowed past, that's correct. So we're going to go on
(20:23):
some journeys. We are along some paths and maybe some
spooky stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Yes, well, you know we were talking earlier.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Halloween is coming up next Thursday, and so I thought
it was only appropriate that we spend a little bit
of time talking about because this is what I do, Chris.
I love what we talk about here on a Life
Less Ordinary. Try to make it relevant to whatever holiday
or event that's going on at the time. So, I mean,
(20:52):
I don't know if you've ever just sat around and
wondered what destinations might be the most fun or spooky
during this holiday, like I do.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But you don't have to wonder anymore.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
If I had to guess, I would say something up
around like Salem, Massachusetts.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Would you think that that would be great? Well, you
might be right about that.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
It is.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It's actually the first one on my list. Yeah, but
I have to tell you full disclosure, I am personally
not a huge fan of Halloween. I mean, I don't
do the dress up and you know, the bloody gory. Yeah,
I'm not into that. On the same page, as a
matter of fact, my daughter's going as a nurse, so
somebody's going to need her help by the looks of things.
(21:34):
But I like the lighter side of the holiday personally.
But if your fan of Halloween and travel, this morning
is just for you, and we are going to take
our first launch into Chris Salem, Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yeah, I know, right.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
In the early sixteen nineties, this small little colonial town
in Salem actually came the backdrop for one of the
most infamous episodes in American history. No wonder to me
why you decided that would be the one we talk
about and if you remember why it was so relevant,
and it was the Salem which hunts, You're right, everybody
(22:17):
remembers those Well, this dark chapter in the past has
actually kind of captivated a lot of historians and the
public too, because it served as a haunting reminder Chris
of the dangers of mass hysteria, paranoia and really consequences
of unchecked accusations. So due to the tragic sixteen ninety
(22:40):
two witch trials, Salem is one of the best Halloween
destinations in the world. How could we not mention that
today now what was once only a source of infamy
for the historical coastal city, it's now a highly profitable
to resdraw. For the most part art Salem's status as
(23:02):
which city has been embraced or at least tolerated by
a lot of those people who live there. But for
visitors it's downright fascinating. It really is, and never much
more so than the spookiest time of the year, of course,
and this I found fascinating. Halloween tourism in Salem accounts
(23:22):
for about thirty percent of the city's annual tourism. Oh gosh,
isn't that amazing? I mean, it counts for thirty percent.
That's a big number, you know, all in one season, yeah,
all in one season.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
And throughout October Salem becomes really just immersed in an
unbelievable array of haunted happenings. You're gonna find Halloween events
there featuring all of the old standbys. You've got the ghouls,
the ghost stories, the witches, the pirates, the vampires, all
things spooky. And some say it's one of the best
(23:54):
Halloween vacations you can have in the United States. And
I actually have some friends and I love them, but
they are so into Halloween it's ghoulish, you know, how
really happy they are about Halloween.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I used to live real close to that place. I
was up in New Hampshire and there's a Salem, New
Hampshire also, but the Salem, Massachusetts is the place to
be in that part of the country for Halloween.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Now, a staple of any Halloween celebration worth its salt
is a costume ball. Of course, everybody's going to dress up.
You're going to see all kinds of things, and in
Salem you can take your pick. The biggest ball is
hosted by the Hawthorne Hotel on the Saturday before Halloween.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
That's today, and guess what.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
When the hotel's elegant interior is transformed into a fantasy
land of colorful lights, giant pumpkins, and delightfully gory decors,
you can say it's officially Halloween.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Every year the Hawthorn uses a theme for that party.
I think last year it was Marti Gras Masquerade, and
this is when you're going to see a lot of
guests dressed perfectly to the theme, complete with flashy masquerade
masks and stacks of bead necklaces of course to throw
(25:18):
out to fellow party goes. The majority, however, are wearing
whatever Halloween disguise, kind of struct their fancy. Now, speaking
of costumes, you won't believe how many creative and jaw
dropping costumes you're going to see at the Hawthorne Costume Ball.
Some of this creativity is actually fueled by the Hawthorne's
extravagant costume contest, that's what they've got going on, But
(25:42):
most attendees seem motivated only by the fun and fantasy
of the night, and that's plenty enough to bring out
the strange and wonderful creations.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
So before you get.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Into your next one, Terry, I've got a question for
you and Chris about Halloween. You ready, you know where
the tradition of Halloween costumes originated. Where in the world
that the tradition of Halloween costumes originate. I'm going to
say Germany. Germany's one guess, Romania. Not Romania, We'll talk
(26:14):
about that later. But they actually began in Ireland. And
that's the next place that you're going, I think right
it is.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yeah, we're going to take a quick little trot over
the pond hereyto Ireland and we're going to visit a
quaint little village called Dery for the next spot on
my Halloween must see destinations. Now, this little village is
in northern Ireland, but it does Halloween in a very,
very big way. This little city transforms into a hub
(26:42):
of what they call spawn tingling enchantment during the Halloween
season in October. From ancient traditions to contemporary celebrations, Dery
offers just some unique and immersive experiences that showcase the
city's rich cultural heritage. Now, during all of these ghoulish festivities,
(27:03):
there's usually a full event program of parades, fireworks, and
street theater. The four nights they have there of the
past and present collide to conjure up a dazzling street
celebration of all things spooky in the official home of Halloween,
which is Dairy. And here you can follow the awakening
(27:26):
the walled city trail and find out more about the folklore,
the history and the heritage that makes this place so special.
This is so funny to me that Dairy, Ireland is
the place where you have these incredible Halloween festivities because
I always say, if you're good when you die, alluding
to Heaven, that you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
You've said that many times I.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Have, But here you go. This place is ghoulish of
all things. The story of Halloween is brought to life
in Dairy through some illuminations, aerial performances, pyrotechnics and music,
and thousands of people in costume come out also to
roam the streets there that are just extravagantly decorated. I
(28:12):
think it's one of the best Halloween city breaks you
can have in Europe.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
And I'll tell you what. Dairy.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Halloweens have become actually so extravagant and popular over the
years that it's been collecting accolades from literally around the globe.
As a matter of fact, USA today, Okay, a US
paper named Dairy the best Halloween destination in the world.
So if Americans can say somebody else does Halloween better
(28:39):
than we do, you know, or you can guarantee it's
a pretty good Halloween put on.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
And it's Ireland, and it is Ireland.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Now there are tours and trails, something called First Light.
They've got carnival parades and fireworks, and the city puts
on well over one hundred events total in venues across Dairy,
the leaves turning, you've got the rush of creepy costumes
and displays, all making it one of the best spooky
places to visit in all of October. Now here's another
(29:11):
one for you, Chris. Did you know Savannah, Georgia is
considered one of the most haunted cities in America.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
No, and I don't want to know.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I know you're not a big fan of Halloween either,
are you. I mean, you're you're kind of creeped out
by it.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I just find that Halloween it's it feels like it's
all directing you to the wrong thing, got it? Yeah,
But I found out after you and I did a
Halloween show last year. I went home and I told
my wife, I'm like, oh, I can't stand Hellowe. She's like,
Halloween is actually a church holiday. Yeah, and it's like,
I know, it's the eve of All Hallow's.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Day, it is all Sts Day, and we're going to
talk about that. That gets back to Scottish history as
a matter of fact, but Savannah is known as one
of the most haunted cities, and that means there's plenty
of spooky things to do in there. Some of the
reasons though, that Savannah is got such a reputation stems
(30:07):
from its historic history. Savannah history is kind of marked
by bloody battles there, including the Siege of Savannah in
seventeen seventy nine and the Civil War. Some say that
soldiers from those conflicts still linger in the city. Ooh,
and then deadly diseases actually are another reason why Savannah
(30:31):
made that reputation famous. The yellow fever epidemic decimated Savannah's
population in eighteen twenty and nine. More epidemics followed that.
Many believe that victims of those epidemics are still in
the city. Chris, then you had the fires, you had
the fires. Devastating fires destroyed hundreds of Savannah buildings in
(30:54):
seventeen ninety six and in eighteen twenty. And then there's
Colonial Parts Cemetery, the historic burial ground opened in seventeen
fifty and it contains mass graves for nearly four thousand
people who died from yellow fever. Now, if you go there,
(31:15):
you're gonna need to know this. Savannah's beautiful cemeteries aren't
usually open at night howl Aelujah. So if you plan
to check out Colonial Park Bonda Venture, known as one
of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world, by the way,
and Laurel Grove, you're going to be sure you go
in the daytime hours because again they're not open at night.
And you must must go on a ghost tour if
(31:37):
you're in Savannah during this time of year.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
It's a tradition.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
The walking ghost tours are the best, but you can
also ride around in an old hearse or hop on
a haunted trolley tour.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Chris, I want to so badly hook you up with
some of these.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
They sound like fun, so much fun, And if you're
in a different type of spirits, maybe this will be
more up your alley. You can do the Haunted pub tours.
Those are also really popular. And if you're brave enough
to stay in a haunted hotel, you're going to want
to check out Savannah's oldest and one of its most
haunted hotels, called the Marshall House. It's a great iconic
(32:12):
hotel right in the middle of Savannah, in the center
of the historic district where else. And it's close to
a lot of shopping, so if the spooks don't get
you can still go shopping and dining right outside the door.
It's really close to the beautiful square in Antebellum architecture everywhere,
River Street just a few blocks away, and then you've
got the City Market that's nearby. Two and one of
(32:34):
my favorite things, most guests don't even need their car
until it's time to leave. If you ever leave, Chris,
if you ever leave. And you know, I just had
to include this next fabulous city because when it comes
to celebrating Halloween, few places can rival the vibrant and
(32:55):
the bewitching atmosphere of New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Oh that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Yeah, they're kind of known for that, even I mean
even through other times of the year. There's sort of
that ambiance of New Orleans, the creole it is. I
think you're right, because they are, you know. It hearkens
back to the what were the dolls, the voodoo dolls that.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
They had, Yeah, all of that.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
They're kind of known for that rich cultural heritage and
a lot of historical significance and a lot, and I
do mean a lot of captivating traditions in the Crescent
Cities they like to call it. Takes Halloween in New
Orleans to a whole nother level. They've got these elaborate parades,
which when I was there actually was able to witness
some of those. They celebrate everything, you know, with a parade,
(33:43):
a wedding, a death, whatever, they're going to march in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
I like that when they have the bands and the
umbrellas and everything. Oh yeah, funerals yep, and they do that,
you bet you. It's also known as a southern US
city where touring cemeteries is inuraged and everywhere you look
is a piece of haunted history. Now, one of the
most infamous haunted locations in New Orleans is the Madame
(34:08):
Lallarie Mansion. And I actually saw a movie about this
one time. I will never watch that movie again. But
a grand, grand place, but sinister residence with a dark,
dark past. This mansion Chris is reported to be the
most likely place in the city to fill a shield,
run up your spine.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Let's go there now.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
As you wonder the atmospheric streets of the French Quarter
or take a spooky cemetery tour, you're going to realize
that New Orleans isn't just a city.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
It's a paranormal playground. I don't like that, but.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
It's true, making it the perfect destination for Halloween thrill seekers.
It's the perfect destination in the USA, especially since thousands
head there for the famous parade down Frenchman's Street on
how and it offers a prime opportunity to explore the
city's haunted history through ghost tours and paranormal investigations. But
(35:09):
not just for that, it's just happens to be one
of my favorite Halloween destinations in the world. I love
New Orleans. New Orleans is great. A lot of old
old mansions there. I remember when we were there, we
took our whole office down for an office trip and
we actually were able to tour some old homes that
(35:29):
were on the market to be sold in the real
estate market, and many of them, we were told were haunted.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Do you believe in hauntings?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
You know, I'm on the fence about that. I personally
have never seen any ghosts or never been haunted or
seen any hauntings myself, but I hear about it.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
I have always said, it doesn't make sense that someone
who died in the Civil War their spirit is still here.
I can buy that maybe a spirit is here. Why
are they wearing clothes?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
How is their.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Uniform part of their spirit? So I've always used as
my argument that they're not real. I have been in
a place that is said to be haunted, and I'm
going to tell you it felt haunted. It really yeah,
I felt it was still occupied at the time. It
was the West Virginia Penitentiary, right and I could feel
it just climbing up my back. It was just the
(36:29):
most eerie, don't I don't even like talking about it. It
was so uncomfortable. This is really interesting, But I have
a different question. Why were you in the West Virginia Penitentiary. Listen, Harry,
you know we all have our past.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Now that may be another story I had it.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
I had a friend in college whose dad was the
captain of the afternoon shift, and he gave us a
very in depth tour the penitentiary. It was not the
public tour, and I got to see things and experience
things during that tour that made me want to make
sure I never ended up in a penitential or jail
or any kind of detention.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Well, that's good, and I'm glad you are on the
straightened arrow.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yes, we need a second to recompose.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Don't do that, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Our show today is called a journey through shadowed paths,
and we are going to experience some more shadowy paths next.
Here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Siri?
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Let the Wishing World guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very best destinations
and all they offer at the best prices. Our mobile
travel app keeps your vacation on track and keeps you
connected with our team of experts. For help if you
need it, call us at five four zero nine, zero
eight two thirty three to three stop buy two forty
threep avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell dot Bizz.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
And welcome back to a lifeless ordinary. This is the
travel showing podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well Well.
Every Saturday morning, we like to talk about beautiful destinations, cruises,
romantic getaways. Today, Terry, you have chosen a journey through
shadowed paths. We are talking about places for those of
(38:19):
us who want to combine our love for Halloween, yes,
and our love of travel.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
I am not in that group. By the way, I
do not want to go.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Well, hopefully everybody listening really does like to travel and
part them on board with And I think there's enough
from each one of the cities that we're mentioning today
that you can extract from that and really find something positive,
even if you don't like Halloween. There's something positive in
all of these cities that we're mentioning today. And now, Chris,
we have ventured quite a bit across the globe. We're
(38:51):
going to go back and swing back over to the
UK and venture into Lockness, Scotland. Okay, that's the home
of the tales of course about NeSSI, the Lockness Monster
and well known story.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Right.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
Lockness is considered a haunted area because of the legend
of the Lockness monster, which is, if you're listening, a
mysterious lake creature that people believe lives in the lock Now.
The legend of the Locknest Monster actually began to gain
popularity somewhere around nineteen thirty three after a couple claimed
(39:24):
to see a large animal cross the road in front
of their car, and the following year, a photograph of
the monster's neck and head, known as the Surgeon's Photograph,
was published in the Daily Mail, and it sparked international attention.
That's kind of how we were first introduced to NeSSI now,
(39:45):
despite a lot of investigations, there's really no scientific evidence
of the Lockness Monster existing. Some theories about the creature
include that it might be a prehistoric marine reptile, a
i an eels some people have said, or even a
swimming circus elephant. I don't think that's it, but others
(40:05):
believe that people are misinterpreting what they see, or that
their desire for that monster to be real is influenced by.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Their perception it's real. I think it's real too.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Lockness is also home to Bolskin House, which was the
home of Aleister Crowley, an occultist known as the Beast
of Bolskin and Crowley was known to perform rituals and
black magic at the house, and some say it is
haunted by strange noises. And I have no desire whatsoever
(40:42):
to go to that house, I will say right up front.
But what is Halloween called in Scotland. Well, in Scotland
Halloween has a few different names, and the name Halloween
comes from a Scottish shortening of All Hallows Eve, and
it's got its roots actually in Gaelic and the festival
(41:02):
of Shamhan. And in Scotland trick or treating is known
as guysing, which actually comes from the disguises or costumes worn.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
By the children. That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Yeah, So the origin actually Halloween first came to light
in the sixteenth century, where folklore, customs and Chris you
were right, religious beliefs played a large part in celebrations
and traditions, and today's sam Him Festival is inspired by
those origins. And it's a great way to get in
(41:34):
touch with the history of this popular date. Now, one
of the likely tales you're gonna hear while you're in
Scotland surround Saint Andrew's Castle. This is freaky, you know,
home to Saint Andrew's gold Court golf Course. The golf course, well,
the golf course may not be haunted, but the castle,
well that's a different story. Saint Andrew's Cathedral is rumored
(41:57):
to be haunted by two ghosts of Friendly Monk who
has been encountered on the stairs at Saint Rule's Tower,
and the beautiful White Lady. For the past two hundred years,
people have reported sightings of a lady wearing white gloves
gliding through the grounds before vanishing at the cathedral's haunted tower.
(42:19):
Legend has it that Stonemasons that were repairing the Haunted
tower in the Fife town broke through into a sealed
chamber and they found.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
A number of coffins. One lay open and contained the
well preserved body of a young woman wearing white gloves. Okay,
you do so.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
A lot of the history coming from Scotland actually is
probably what we think of as Halloween today, but it
did have some very good beginnings. I do want Harry
now to talk about his experience. We're going to stay
over in the European area and he's going to talk
to you about his actual experience in Romania, in Transylvania.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Yeah, we talked about a lot of places that people
might want to go in, things that they might want
to see. I want to share with you, Chris, my
experience in a place called Brasov, Romania, which is the
home to a castle called bron Castle, which of course
is famous, even though he never visited there for a
(43:31):
character whose name we all know, right, Vlood.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Why are the lights blinking off and on in this room?
What's happening?
Speaker 4 (43:41):
I'm Glad the Impaler, Glad the Impeller. Which the truth is,
he never visited this castle. And actually the author of
the story about Dracula, Bromstoker's Dracula, never visited the castle either.
He had only allegedly maybe seen some photographs of it,
(44:02):
and people have just linked it to the castle, and
there you go. This castle's got a lot of neat
things in it, though we got to go inside it.
It's a museum today. It's got a lot of art
and furniture that you can see, but it's also got
a lot of hidden rooms and there is even a
torture chamber inside this castle. I see you getting excited, Chris. Okay,
(44:28):
So if you really want to do Halloween, you want
to get out there for the Halloween party, and a
lot of things that we're talking about this morning you
have to start thinking about for next year twenty twenty five.
But this one you can still do this year. Just
call Terry and let her know because they celebrate the
big Halloween party there on November the second, so you
(44:52):
still have time to get to Broncastle and celebrate Halloween.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
And I want to give you a little bit what.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
You can encounter there because I went, and I went
to most all of these events, all right. It starts
out with a lot of special lighting. You get up
to the castle and they have the footlights changed to
purple and eerie purple color. You approach, there's a street
with some shops on there, and all of the shops
(45:20):
are decorated just for Halloween. They have audio effects out
there in addition to the lights and things that they've
got going on. They have actors out there interacting with you,
costumed as you would have it just for Halloween, and
you get this special kind of feeling and you can
(45:41):
go into the castle. There's a special tour that they do.
It costs about twenty five dollars, well worth it, and
they go through all the dimly lit places outside of
the castle and then inside the castle. But if you
want to do a little bit more than just a tour,
if that doesn't freaky out out, you can stay for
(46:01):
a little more. They have what they call the combo ticket,
and that lets you go inside for the tour and
you get access to the Halloween party that night under
dim lights. They set up a humongous tent outside of
the castle and they have a large party, complete with band.
They have bars set up outside there, and so you're
(46:22):
standing outside looking at this spooky castle underneath this tent
with all the spooky lights, and lo and behold a
lot of the people who come to this Halloween party.
They don't come in their street clothes. They come dressed
up in their Halloween costumes. And so you know, I
saw all kinds of vampires. I saw clowns, I saw.
(46:44):
Most of the costumes are a little Dracula focused outside.
Imagine a lot of theater blood is involved in these costumes.
Very very very very cool, and that you know, party
with great. But before the party, I wanted I told
you I wanted the full experience. So I went to
(47:06):
a special Halloween dinner, and that dinner included all kinds
of Halloween themed entrees. A lot of them were colored
black and orange in honor of Halloween. You didn't exactly
know what you were eating, but I can tell you
that the food was absolutely marvelous.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
So there you go. You didn't know what you were eating,
but you just knew it could have been. Whatever it was.
It was so cool. And and did I mention that
they also had adult beverages at this dinner? Dinner no wonder.
You didn't care? I did not. I did not care.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
So if this is something that you're interested in, you
can also add to it the Courtyard party that's beforehand
you go out for little ordures and everything. What it is,
it's a very special party. They sell only one hundred tickets,
so you have to think about that one for twenty
twenty five. Chris, if you want to go a lot
of times when I talk to you say yeah, I
(48:03):
want to do that, and we want to go on
this tour, I'm not getting it from you today.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
I think I would enjoiceing the castle in maybe April daylight,
maybe well daylight only. Yeah, it sounds like it'd be
I like castles. That sounds interesting, and I even like
the historical part of it. I don't want to have
anything to do with all of this blood and gore
and vampires and this orange and black dinner. Well this
(48:28):
this castle. It's set in a very very beautiful part
of Romania. It's up in the northern part of the
country and it's in the woods, so everything is just
right for that Halloween night. And when I was there,
and it was about seven years ago, went with my brother.
I don't know how they made this happen, but they
even arranged to have the moon just right, you way,
(48:48):
that Halloween moon out there lighting up the night too,
So it was it was a great, great trip. So
this is something you can start planning either this year
if you want your last minute traveler, or you can
look ahead and think about it for next year.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (49:04):
I think it's a great idea, and I think actually
people are looking for any reason to take off and
travel and have a unique experience anymore. I mean, we
joke about it, we make light about some of these cities,
but let me tell you something. When you have a
city like Savannah, Georgia deriving about thirty percent of its
(49:25):
tourism income from Halloween travel, that is a huge number,
and that says to me that people really are using
any and all availed events or whatever to use that
as a reason to go traveling.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
Why not?
Speaker 4 (49:41):
You know, well, when we talk about travel, how many
times have we used the words memories? How many times
do we use the words experience. It's about travel, It's
about creating memories, it's about having experiences.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Some of them are once in a lifetime. I would
love to go back to bron Castle.
Speaker 4 (49:59):
Chances are are in my life I may not have
that opportunity, but I can tell you I have those
very vivid memories. I have the photographs. Time with my brother.
Family is also a big thing, and it's a big
part of travel. So all of these things that we've
talked about today, whether you're a fan of Halloween or not,
think about them as experiences. These are places you can go.
(50:20):
These are places you can see any time of the year. Chris,
I know you want to go in the middle of
the in the middle of the day, check this castle out,
look around and just use your imagination to let you
know what it might be like on Halloween Eve.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Every one of the locations we've talked about today sound
exciting to me. I would love to visit all of
these locations, just not at night around Halloween, That's okay.
New Orleans, I would love to go to New Orleans.
And I know Marty Grass runs into the night, but
I'd like to do that during the day. I'd like
to Oh yeah, yeah, I would like to go up
(50:56):
to New England.
Speaker 3 (50:57):
And yeah, is a Cafe Dumont? You know, Yes, I'm
on board for all of that. A little creole food,
not bad at all. Well, however you do it. I
mean the theme of the show a life less ordinary.
So it's up to you, if you're listening today, to
think about that, think about what it means to you. Chris,
You've just done a great job of painting the picture
of what a life less ordinary would mean to you
(51:19):
in any of these locations. For me, I want to
be there on Halloween Eve, and that's my less ordinary.
Yours is a little different, Terry. I'm sure you have yours.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
You know, we didn't have time for all of the
cities that I wanted to cover in today's show, one
of which, by the way, was Cuba, where they actually
bury their dead on top of the ground, and all
of the cemetery plots there have mounded graves, and they
tell me that that is also a very very spooky
(51:51):
place to be for Halloween.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
It's Cuba. It's yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:55):
But you know, there's so many places around the globe
where you can find interesting reasons to travel. And what
I would like to encourage people to do here on
a life less ordinary is find those reasons, find those
things that drive you off of your couch and get
you to seeing the world, because it's a fabulous, entertaining
(52:16):
and immensely educational place to pick up information and cultures
and experiences.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
We've only got less than a minute left. I want
to ask, what's your favorite Halloween costume when you dress up?
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I was Casper, the friendly ghost er.
Speaker 4 (52:33):
I dressed up one year as a policeman, and that
was as far as I could get, was dressing up
as one.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
I always dressed up as a clown when I was
a kid, and yeah, I was always almost every year
as a clown.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
You and somehow that all fits you know, I think
that all fits all three of our personalities quite well.
Speaker 2 (52:51):
Well. I hope you have a wonderful Halloween. I will
be giving out candy so you can you can ring
the doorbell at the Carmichael House on Thursday and we'll
give you something we bought at Costco. I'm sure, but
don't expect me to come outside dressed in costume. That's
the deal. Okay, We've only got a few seconds. How
do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 3 (53:08):
We're easy to find. We're located Chris at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harsonburg in the Valley Center. You
can call us We're at five four oh nine oh
eight two three three three, or look us up on
the web.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
Weird. This has been a life Less Ordinary, the travel
show from your friends at the wishing Well at two
forty three nef Avenue in Harsenburg. If you have any
questions on topics discussed today, please reach out to the
wishing Well online at the wishing Well topiz or five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past
(53:41):
episodes are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see
you again next Saturday morning at ten for a life
less Ordinary from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
It's a travel show and podcasts from your friends at
the wishing Well two forty three f Avenue in Harrisburg
and online at the wishing Well dot this. The wishing
Well is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel agency and a
Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show and podcast hosted by
Terry Dean, bringing her over forty years of experience in
the travel industry to help guide you to great experiences
(00:22):
in your travel, whether it be around the block, around
the country, or around the world. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris, Hi, Hell are you Terry.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I'm great. Happy Saturday to beautiful Saturday. Missed your last week.
I think I was traveling. I can't remember what was
going on. We were traveling too.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
We had our entire staff in Philadelphia for the weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh that tray you told me you were going to
do that happen? Wing up on the train.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
The train, Oh the train is fabulous. I know you
flew recently and you were talking about how cramped the
seats were. Chris, we were not. We were in leather
luxury on board the train, watching the beautiful scenery and
the fall foliage and it was wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
It's totally nice.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
After I've told you how I suffered to tell me
how luxurious your trip.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, I was saving it just for this moment.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Well, I'm glad you guys had a nice trip we did.
Philadelphia was great. It was really great weather as it was.
I'm sure where you were.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It was like almost eighty degrees. We went to Memphis
to visit SA Chew Children's Research Hospital.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Which is so admirable. Glad you did that. Well, we
go down.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're trying to go every year because on one of
our radio stations here in town we do a radiothon
and if we get to go visit, we come in
refreshed and energized, and we have a lot of new information.
There was something very exciting, and then we'll move on
from Saint Jude. This radiothon, we're celebrating thirty five years
(01:51):
since Randy Owen started the radiothon back in nineteen eighty nine.
My goodness, and it's radio stations all over the country
that do this. This year they hit one billion dollars
that the radiothons have raised for the kids of Saint Jude.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
How wonderful is that. And for those listening, Randy Owen
is the lead singer for Alabama.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
He always comes down and wanders around and says hello
to everybody, and if you've met him before, he usually
remembers you.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
No kidding. Yeah, I think it's because we have ID
tags on, but we.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Tell ourselves that he remember, so he instantly goes, hey, Chris,
how are you?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
He does? He does. He is a super nice guy. Yeah,
that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So, over the course of the last two weeks, have
we missed any big travel news.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Well, you know, we haven't missed any big travel news
that we're not going to cover today. So I'm going
to say hello to my business partner, Harry, who's joining
us here today, and he's going to take you really
quickly through the news of the week. Excellent, really quickly.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Huh Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
So this morning, Chris, I want to start with some
news that I want to talk about air since you
were talking about air, so I'm going to talk about
air two and a lot of times when people talk
about traveling by air, it's not always the most pleasant
conversations and stories that people have to share. But what
I want to share this morning I'm going to share
some news about air and what's going on, but I
(03:17):
also want to put it in a different light, and
that is as we look at some of the challenges
that the airline industry faces and the challenges that the
passengers of the airline industry face, I want to talk
about it can only get better, and it is getting better.
That's the optimistic side to this. And I'm going to
start with an investigation that the US Departments of Transportation
(03:39):
and the US Department of Justice have launched where they've
asked the airlines. They've issued what they call an rfire
request for information, and they've asked for some information regarding
the state of competition in air travel. Since deregulation, a
lot has happened, mergers acquisition Following the regulation way back
(04:00):
in nineteen seventy eight, a lot of things have happened,
and so there's not.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
As much competition.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
And when you don't have competition, sometimes you don't have
the best quality service, if you can relate to that
at all. Yeah, So higher prices, little lower services. So
the Departments of Transportation, Departments Justice are going to learn
from the airline businesses and travelers what's going on. In
the industry, and we don't know where it's going to
(04:29):
go yet, but Secretary of Transportation of Pete Boudaget said
good service and fair prices depend upon ensuring that there
is real competition, which is especially challenging for the many
American communities that have lost service amid airline consolidation. So
if you're interested in that, look into the Department of Justice,
Department and Transportations websites and they're open for public comments
(04:52):
until the twenty third of December, how appropriate, just until Christmas.
You can comment on what's going on. So I think
that means that maybe things can get better in the future.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Huh. We can only hope, Harry. I hear you in
know O the news.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Chris Frontier and Spirit Airlines are talking about mergers again.
They lasted this in twenty twenty two, and it's interesting
that they're talking because Spirit Airlines just recently reported that
they lost one hundred and eighty three million dollars, So
I'm not sure how they are a merger partner for anybody,
(05:27):
but they're talking. And what's interesting about this is if
they succeed with these talks, and Frontier and Spirit combined,
they would be the United States's fifth largest airline. They
would actually be the largest airline at Fort Lauderdale Airport,
the second largest in Dallas, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
(05:50):
So this is in the talking stages. This is something
to watch. Don't know where this is going to go,
but it'd make for an interesting marriage between those two
airlines for sure. Another one in the news this week
is our friends at American Airlines. And again, all this
news we got to put in the perspective of thinking
things can only continue to improve and at least people
are talking and doing things. So American Airlines they had
(06:13):
some problems. You might remember about a year ago there
was a video that went viral with an American Airlines
employee losing or dumping or accidentally letting a wheelchair fall
off of a ramp. It went viral on the internet. Well,
the Department of Transportation apparently saw that video. Chris, they
find American Airlines fifty million dollars because of all the
(06:37):
mistreatment that was going on for disabled passengers in their equipment,
their wheelchairs and other equipment. Fifty million dollars. I feel
like that's more than a fine. But yeah, well there's
some good news in that these fines are for things
that happen between twenty nineteen twenty twenty three. The good
news is that half of that fine is going back
to American Can you imagine that with the provision that
(06:59):
they use it to improve the services and the facilities
for accommodating disabled passengers. So I said, there's good news.
I think that is good news, especially if you're a
disabled passenger, and we work with lots of folks that
come to us at the Wishing Well that have special
needs or accommodations, medical equipment such as wheelchairs, breathing apparats,
(07:21):
other kinds of things.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
I think the other thing too, I wanted to make
sure to point out here, and that is we don't
really offer these news stories, even though they may sound
a bit negative. Sometimes we don't offer these news stories
on a lifeless.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Ordinary to kind of bring you down.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
What we do instead is try to offer these so
that you're informed, that you know that this is an
industry that is heavily monitored, and that there are some
provisions in place for travelers should something go wrong, somebody's watching,
somebody's trying to make sure that all of these things
are taking care of should they go off the rails.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
I always like to remember when you look at the
volume of flights, the volume of people who are on
those flights incredible, very few. I mean these are minor things,
and the big scheme of things it is. It's just
unfortunate because when things go wrong, it makes the news.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And if you're the passenger whose wheelchair is not available,
it's the end of the world for you that day.
I mean literally it is. You're grounded, literally and physically both.
So they need to take care. And the good news
is that I think, as Terry said, people are watching,
the regulatory agencies are watching, the public is watching. Their
opportunities for people to have comments on some of the
(08:39):
things that are going on. And it's important if you
see something that's wrong, let somebody know, Let the federal
agencies know, let the airlines know. And it may take time,
but something good may happen. I got some good news
that I want to share. Forbes' Travel Guide has just
announced that New York City's LaGuardia Airport is the new
(09:02):
best airport in the United States.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Have you ever heard any stories about LaGuardia.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I would not have ever guessed that LA You would
talk to any list that was positive.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, it was on everybody's bad list.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
I mean even presidents have said of both parties have said,
what a terrible airport LaGuardia is. Well, they've had this
program begun back in twenty sixteen where they have spent
eight billion dollars renovating that airport. It touched every part
of the airport, Chris. They have new terminal bridges to
(09:34):
connect the terminals so you don't have to walk outside
in the New York winter weather. They've got better roadway connections.
They've got a brand new departures hall. It's got windows
floor to ceilings so you can see outside.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Very pleasant looking. She might be pretty, but she still
can't get a flight out on two And that's just
the truth.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Well, but they've got that fixed to Terry, they've got
some new retail operations in their new food operation, and
so even if your flight doesn't make it out on time,
it's one of the best airports. And according to Forbes
Travel Guide, it is the top United States airport. And
if you're in New York and you don't like LaGuardia,
(10:14):
apparently Terry, you don't like LaGuardia there's a program underway
also at Kennedy International Airport. They're in the midst of
their own nineteen billion dollars transformation at that airport, and
they would be opening some new terminals. There's a new
terminal scheduled to open in twenty twenty six. So you
talked about hope, Terry, there's hope. Yeah. So that's one
(10:39):
piece of good news. One last piece of news I
want to talk about. We've talked about this many many
times TSA they've issued yet I've got yet another in
parentheses here in my notes, yet another final ruling regarding
real ID. How many times have we talked about real ID?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Talked about it a lot. Yes, this is it. This
is the last one.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
They and when they announce that it's the final ruling,
I don't mean if they're going to give up or
they're done with rulings, but apparently this is the final one.
They're going to begin enforcement of real ID on May
the seventh, twenty twenty five. And for anybody who hasn't
been alive for the last five years, as they've been
talking about real ID, real ID is a federal government's
(11:21):
answer to authenticating who you are when you enter a
federal facility, be a federal building like a courthouse or
an airport.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Real idea is what says that you are who you
say you are.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
And the big news on top that was new in
this ruling or this announcement is that they're also putting
out a waiver to allow certain states to have acceptance
of what's known as mobile driver's licenses. Do you have
a mobile driver license?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
It's just the time where you can save them on
your phone, exactly right. I wanted to do that because
my iPhone will handle that. Virginia doesn't have them, you
have Virginia does.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
They announced that they have an app now on the
Apple Store or Google Play where you can get the
mobile ID app. So they're one of the states and
it's a selected number of states. And the good news
is that TSA has partnered with the certain states. There
are at least eleven, Virginia being one of them.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Some of the other ones.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Are the Big States, Arizona, California, and Colorado, Hawaii. Interestingly enough, Maryland,
New York are all part of this program that let
you have your mobile ID on your phone and you
can use them, but only at select airports and interestingly,
for our Virginia listeners, the airports that apply for them
(12:45):
are Richmond and Washington National. You can't use it yet,
Ed Dulles, you can't use it at Charlottesville our local airport,
or Shenandoah Valley Airport, but you can use it at
Richmond and National. You got to get the apps off
the Apple Store or Google Play. And that's according to
the Virginia website. So that's some good news. It's called
(13:06):
Virginia m ID. It's my ID, it's mobile driver's license.
So it's the abbreviation that the federal government's using is
little M capital D, capital L Mobile Driver's Licenses Virginia.
This app is called little AM I D. That's the
app you want downloading it right now.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
So next time you take off from Richmond or Washington National,
see if that works for you. I'd carry your regular
driver's license too. I was actually shocked.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
If I can tell you about my trip from Atlanta
back to Charlottesville. Sure they didn't check my they didn't
ask for a boarding pass. They had a piece of
paper over the scanner and says only if it's asked
asked for.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
They did check my ID. And then when I went up,
I had unpacked.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
You know, I have a c PET machine, I had
my laptop, I had all these lectures, and the lady
was like, oh, honey, you don't need to unpack. Everything goes.
It's twenty twenty four, and I'm thinking, well, great, I
hope nobody else is taking advantage of us exactly. That's
actually a little surprising.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Well, what's happening is the TSA behind the scenes has
been doing a lot of upgrading of their equipment, Chris.
And there's a lot going on that they don't announce
to the public in terms of what they see, what
they know, how they're linking together information and that includes
travelers profiles, and it's all part of, you know, their
goal of getting you through the airport faster, because like
(14:33):
the airlines that get complaints, TSA gets a couple two
when it comes to travel delay. So while they may
not have gotten it right yet, the good news is
they too are working on it.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
So that's my news this morning, Terry.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Great, We've got a couple of sales here today, Chris,
that we're going to talk about before we head into
our story for today. You know, we are heading into Halloween.
It's going to be next Thursday, so I know people
are going to be interested in the Halloween extravaganzas that
we're going to talk about. But I do have a
(15:09):
couple of sale things I wanted to mention today. First
one being offered by our good folks from Walt Disney.
Almost never does Disney go on sale, almost never, but
disney Land, not to be confused with disney World in Florida,
but disney Land in California, is offering a kids special
(15:30):
on their tickets where you can save up to two
hundred and fifty eight dollars on child ticket pricing at
Disneyland resorts. If you're doing even just a one day ticket,
you can save as much as one hundred and seventy
three dollars. So our good friends at Walt Disney World
are offering you some savings. And also, we were talking
(15:51):
about Amtrak a while ago. I just fell in love
with Amtrak all over again this past weekend. But they
are now offering a special from now until December thirty first,
so that's now until the end of the year where
you can save up to six hundred dollars on Amtrak
vacations and Some of those include the Scenic America by
(16:12):
Rail that goes eastbound. These are as many as seven
to twelve day trips. You can save on the Empire
Builder train reil experience two destinations on that and five
destinations on the Scenic America by Rail, but saving up
to six hundred dollars. That's a big savings these days.
And actually can't think of a better way to travel.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
And one of the most pleasant ways to travel also
includes the trains. I thought they were immaculately clean.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
They were, and actually I was also impressed. Amtrak even
sent me a survey to fill out after our trip.
They wanted to know how our experience was. And I
know some airlines do that too, but Amtrak is pretty
religious about that. They will always follow up with folks
to find out how your experience was, and I was
really happy to tell.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Them we would do it all over again. This is great.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
The other deal that I have comes from our good
friends at Abercrombie and Kent. And if you are a
luxury traveler, this is one for you. You can actually
and especially if you are looking toward doing a safari
anytime soon. They have some safaris right now that are
going to take you into an unforgettable adventure into the
(17:25):
heart of the great Migration. Now that migration period occurs
actually from December to March is a really good time
to see that in the southern Serengetti. But actually they
are offering this right now during that migration period. You
can save an additional two thousand dollars per person and
(17:46):
receive an air credit if you are booking by November
fifteenth for a twenty twenty five safaris. So if you
are interested in that, the Wishing Well has great details
on Abercrombie and Kent's African safaris, something that's on my
bucket list that I definitely want to take advantage of
and do, and so I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
A better way.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Two thousand dollars goes a long way when you're buying
airline tickets these days. Last sale that I wanted to
offer for those that are cruise officionados out there and
love Royal Caribbean, they're doing it again, giving you as
much as five hundred dollars on board credits and up
to seventy five dollars extra savings on their weekend getaway cruises.
(18:31):
And then they started something brand new they're calling it
their no surprise pricing. So now all the prices that
you see with Royal Caribbean or you buy are including
all taxes and fees.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So there you go. Some great sale fares.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
In the industry these days and something that should get
everybody up off the couch and get you traveling.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Terry, you mentioned that this Thursday is Halloween and our
show is kind of surrounding the Halloween.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Serce Is.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I want to call it the Nights not So Spooky
Show today, but we're calling this a Journey through Shadowed
Paths because there's a lot of cities that are great
to visit all the time, but especially during Halloween. They
have a few little extra tricks up their sleeve, an
extra bump in the.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Night, and each one of them's a treat two too.
I like what you did there, Harry.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
We'll get into a journey through shadowed Paths next here
on a life Less ordinarative.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Protect your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional.
The wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
that can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your
trip and heavy back as you travel. All of this
without support or so called convenience fees. We're on the
web at the Wishingwell dot diz or call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three
(19:53):
has five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreams come true.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Welcome back to a Life Less Ordinary. This is the
travel show and podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well.
You can find them on net Avenue in Harrisonburg. They're
online at the wishing Well dot biz and you can
call them, which they'd love to talk to you at
five four h N. I know a twenty three thirty three.
Our show today is a journey through shadowed paths, not
shadowed past, that's correct. So we're going to go on
(20:23):
some journeys. We are along some paths and maybe some
spooky stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Yes, well, you know we were talking earlier.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Halloween is coming up next Thursday, and so I thought
it was only appropriate that we spend a little bit
of time talking about because this is what I do, Chris.
I love what we talk about here on a Life
Less Ordinary. Try to make it relevant to whatever holiday
or event that's going on at the time. So, I mean,
(20:52):
I don't know if you've ever just sat around and
wondered what destinations might be the most fun or spooky
during this holiday, like I do.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
But you don't have to wonder anymore.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
If I had to guess, I would say something up
around like Salem, Massachusetts.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Would you think that that would be great? Well, you
might be right about that.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
It is.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
It's actually the first one on my list. Yeah, but
I have to tell you full disclosure, I am personally
not a huge fan of Halloween. I mean, I don't
do the dress up and you know, the bloody gory. Yeah,
I'm not into that. On the same page, as a
matter of fact, my daughter's going as a nurse, so
somebody's going to need her help by the looks of things.
(21:34):
But I like the lighter side of the holiday personally.
But if your fan of Halloween and travel, this morning
is just for you, and we are going to take
our first launch into Chris Salem, Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yeah, I know, right.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
In the early sixteen nineties, this small little colonial town
in Salem actually came the backdrop for one of the
most infamous episodes in American history. No wonder to me
why you decided that would be the one we talk
about and if you remember why it was so relevant,
and it was the Salem which hunts, You're right, everybody
(22:17):
remembers those Well, this dark chapter in the past has
actually kind of captivated a lot of historians and the
public too, because it served as a haunting reminder Chris
of the dangers of mass hysteria, paranoia and really consequences
of unchecked accusations. So due to the tragic sixteen ninety
(22:40):
two witch trials, Salem is one of the best Halloween
destinations in the world. How could we not mention that
today now what was once only a source of infamy
for the historical coastal city, it's now a highly profitable
to resdraw. For the most part art Salem's status as
(23:02):
which city has been embraced or at least tolerated by
a lot of those people who live there. But for
visitors it's downright fascinating. It really is, and never much
more so than the spookiest time of the year, of course,
and this I found fascinating. Halloween tourism in Salem accounts
(23:22):
for about thirty percent of the city's annual tourism. Oh gosh,
isn't that amazing? I mean, it counts for thirty percent.
That's a big number, you know, all in one season, yeah,
all in one season.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
And throughout October Salem becomes really just immersed in an
unbelievable array of haunted happenings. You're gonna find Halloween events
there featuring all of the old standbys. You've got the ghouls,
the ghost stories, the witches, the pirates, the vampires, all
things spooky. And some say it's one of the best
(23:54):
Halloween vacations you can have in the United States. And
I actually have some friends and I love them, but
they are so into Halloween it's ghoulish, you know, how
really happy they are about Halloween.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I used to live real close to that place. I
was up in New Hampshire and there's a Salem, New
Hampshire also, but the Salem, Massachusetts is the place to
be in that part of the country for Halloween.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Now, a staple of any Halloween celebration worth its salt
is a costume ball. Of course, everybody's going to dress up.
You're going to see all kinds of things, and in
Salem you can take your pick. The biggest ball is
hosted by the Hawthorne Hotel on the Saturday before Halloween.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
That's today, and guess what.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
When the hotel's elegant interior is transformed into a fantasy
land of colorful lights, giant pumpkins, and delightfully gory decors,
you can say it's officially Halloween.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Every year the Hawthorn uses a theme for that party.
I think last year it was Marti Gras Masquerade, and
this is when you're going to see a lot of
guests dressed perfectly to the theme, complete with flashy masquerade
masks and stacks of bead necklaces of course to throw
(25:18):
out to fellow party goes. The majority, however, are wearing
whatever Halloween disguise, kind of struct their fancy. Now, speaking
of costumes, you won't believe how many creative and jaw
dropping costumes you're going to see at the Hawthorne Costume Ball.
Some of this creativity is actually fueled by the Hawthorne's
extravagant costume contest, that's what they've got going on, But
(25:42):
most attendees seem motivated only by the fun and fantasy
of the night, and that's plenty enough to bring out
the strange and wonderful creations.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
So before you get.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Into your next one, Terry, I've got a question for
you and Chris about Halloween. You ready, you know where
the tradition of Halloween costumes originated. Where in the world
that the tradition of Halloween costumes originate. I'm going to
say Germany. Germany's one guess, Romania. Not Romania, We'll talk
(26:14):
about that later. But they actually began in Ireland. And
that's the next place that you're going, I think right
it is.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Yeah, we're going to take a quick little trot over
the pond hereyto Ireland and we're going to visit a
quaint little village called Dery for the next spot on
my Halloween must see destinations. Now, this little village is
in northern Ireland, but it does Halloween in a very,
very big way. This little city transforms into a hub
(26:42):
of what they call spawn tingling enchantment during the Halloween
season in October. From ancient traditions to contemporary celebrations, Dery
offers just some unique and immersive experiences that showcase the
city's rich cultural heritage. Now, during all of these ghoulish festivities,
(27:03):
there's usually a full event program of parades, fireworks, and
street theater. The four nights they have there of the
past and present collide to conjure up a dazzling street
celebration of all things spooky in the official home of Halloween,
which is Dairy. And here you can follow the awakening
(27:26):
the walled city trail and find out more about the folklore,
the history and the heritage that makes this place so special.
This is so funny to me that Dairy, Ireland is
the place where you have these incredible Halloween festivities because
I always say, if you're good when you die, alluding
to Heaven, that you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
You've said that many times I.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Have, But here you go. This place is ghoulish of
all things. The story of Halloween is brought to life
in Dairy through some illuminations, aerial performances, pyrotechnics and music,
and thousands of people in costume come out also to
roam the streets there that are just extravagantly decorated. I
(28:12):
think it's one of the best Halloween city breaks you
can have in Europe.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
And I'll tell you what. Dairy.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Halloweens have become actually so extravagant and popular over the
years that it's been collecting accolades from literally around the globe.
As a matter of fact, USA today, Okay, a US
paper named Dairy the best Halloween destination in the world.
So if Americans can say somebody else does Halloween better
(28:39):
than we do, you know, or you can guarantee it's
a pretty good Halloween put on.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
And it's Ireland, and it is Ireland.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Now there are tours and trails, something called First Light.
They've got carnival parades and fireworks, and the city puts
on well over one hundred events total in venues across Dairy,
the leaves turning, you've got the rush of creepy costumes
and displays, all making it one of the best spooky
places to visit in all of October. Now here's another
(29:11):
one for you, Chris. Did you know Savannah, Georgia is
considered one of the most haunted cities in America.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
No, and I don't want to know.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I know you're not a big fan of Halloween either,
are you. I mean, you're you're kind of creeped out
by it.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I just find that Halloween it's it feels like it's
all directing you to the wrong thing, got it? Yeah,
But I found out after you and I did a
Halloween show last year. I went home and I told
my wife, I'm like, oh, I can't stand Hellowe. She's like,
Halloween is actually a church holiday. Yeah, and it's like,
I know, it's the eve of All Hallow's.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Day, it is all Sts Day, and we're going to
talk about that. That gets back to Scottish history as
a matter of fact, but Savannah is known as one
of the most haunted cities, and that means there's plenty
of spooky things to do in there. Some of the
reasons though, that Savannah is got such a reputation stems
(30:07):
from its historic history. Savannah history is kind of marked
by bloody battles there, including the Siege of Savannah in
seventeen seventy nine and the Civil War. Some say that
soldiers from those conflicts still linger in the city. Ooh,
and then deadly diseases actually are another reason why Savannah
(30:31):
made that reputation famous. The yellow fever epidemic decimated Savannah's
population in eighteen twenty and nine. More epidemics followed that.
Many believe that victims of those epidemics are still in
the city. Chris, then you had the fires, you had
the fires. Devastating fires destroyed hundreds of Savannah buildings in
(30:54):
seventeen ninety six and in eighteen twenty. And then there's
Colonial Parts Cemetery, the historic burial ground opened in seventeen
fifty and it contains mass graves for nearly four thousand
people who died from yellow fever. Now, if you go there,
(31:15):
you're gonna need to know this. Savannah's beautiful cemeteries aren't
usually open at night howl Aelujah. So if you plan
to check out Colonial Park Bonda Venture, known as one
of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world, by the way,
and Laurel Grove, you're going to be sure you go
in the daytime hours because again they're not open at night.
And you must must go on a ghost tour if
(31:37):
you're in Savannah during this time of year.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
It's a tradition.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
The walking ghost tours are the best, but you can
also ride around in an old hearse or hop on
a haunted trolley tour.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Chris, I want to so badly hook you up with
some of these.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
They sound like fun, so much fun, And if you're
in a different type of spirits, maybe this will be
more up your alley. You can do the Haunted pub tours.
Those are also really popular. And if you're brave enough
to stay in a haunted hotel, you're going to want
to check out Savannah's oldest and one of its most
haunted hotels, called the Marshall House. It's a great iconic
(32:12):
hotel right in the middle of Savannah, in the center
of the historic district where else. And it's close to
a lot of shopping, so if the spooks don't get
you can still go shopping and dining right outside the door.
It's really close to the beautiful square in Antebellum architecture everywhere,
River Street just a few blocks away, and then you've
got the City Market that's nearby. Two and one of
(32:34):
my favorite things, most guests don't even need their car
until it's time to leave. If you ever leave, Chris,
if you ever leave. And you know, I just had
to include this next fabulous city because when it comes
to celebrating Halloween, few places can rival the vibrant and
(32:55):
the bewitching atmosphere of New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Oh that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Yeah, they're kind of known for that, even I mean
even through other times of the year. There's sort of
that ambiance of New Orleans, the creole it is. I
think you're right, because they are, you know. It hearkens
back to the what were the dolls, the voodoo dolls that.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
They had, Yeah, all of that.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
They're kind of known for that rich cultural heritage and
a lot of historical significance and a lot, and I
do mean a lot of captivating traditions in the Crescent
Cities they like to call it. Takes Halloween in New
Orleans to a whole nother level. They've got these elaborate parades,
which when I was there actually was able to witness
some of those. They celebrate everything, you know, with a parade,
(33:43):
a wedding, a death, whatever, they're going to march in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
I like that when they have the bands and the
umbrellas and everything. Oh yeah, funerals yep, and they do that,
you bet you. It's also known as a southern US
city where touring cemeteries is inuraged and everywhere you look
is a piece of haunted history. Now, one of the
most infamous haunted locations in New Orleans is the Madame
(34:08):
Lallarie Mansion. And I actually saw a movie about this
one time. I will never watch that movie again. But
a grand, grand place, but sinister residence with a dark,
dark past. This mansion Chris is reported to be the
most likely place in the city to fill a shield,
run up your spine.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Let's go there now.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
As you wonder the atmospheric streets of the French Quarter
or take a spooky cemetery tour, you're going to realize
that New Orleans isn't just a city.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
It's a paranormal playground. I don't like that, but.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
It's true, making it the perfect destination for Halloween thrill seekers.
It's the perfect destination in the USA, especially since thousands
head there for the famous parade down Frenchman's Street on
how and it offers a prime opportunity to explore the
city's haunted history through ghost tours and paranormal investigations. But
(35:09):
not just for that, it's just happens to be one
of my favorite Halloween destinations in the world. I love
New Orleans. New Orleans is great. A lot of old
old mansions there. I remember when we were there, we
took our whole office down for an office trip and
we actually were able to tour some old homes that
(35:29):
were on the market to be sold in the real
estate market, and many of them, we were told were haunted.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Do you believe in hauntings?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
You know, I'm on the fence about that. I personally
have never seen any ghosts or never been haunted or
seen any hauntings myself, but I hear about it.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
I have always said, it doesn't make sense that someone
who died in the Civil War their spirit is still here.
I can buy that maybe a spirit is here. Why
are they wearing clothes?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
How is their.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Uniform part of their spirit? So I've always used as
my argument that they're not real. I have been in
a place that is said to be haunted, and I'm
going to tell you it felt haunted. It really yeah,
I felt it was still occupied at the time. It
was the West Virginia Penitentiary, right and I could feel
it just climbing up my back. It was just the
(36:29):
most eerie, don't I don't even like talking about it. It
was so uncomfortable. This is really interesting, But I have
a different question. Why were you in the West Virginia Penitentiary. Listen, Harry,
you know we all have our past.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Now that may be another story I had it.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
I had a friend in college whose dad was the
captain of the afternoon shift, and he gave us a
very in depth tour the penitentiary. It was not the
public tour, and I got to see things and experience
things during that tour that made me want to make
sure I never ended up in a penitential or jail
or any kind of detention.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Well, that's good, and I'm glad you are on the
straightened arrow.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yes, we need a second to recompose.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Don't do that, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Our show today is called a journey through shadowed paths,
and we are going to experience some more shadowy paths next.
Here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Siri?
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Let the Wishing World guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very best destinations
and all they offer at the best prices. Our mobile
travel app keeps your vacation on track and keeps you
connected with our team of experts. For help if you
need it, call us at five four zero nine, zero
eight two thirty three to three stop buy two forty
threep avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell dot Bizz.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
And welcome back to a lifeless ordinary. This is the
travel showing podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well Well.
Every Saturday morning, we like to talk about beautiful destinations, cruises,
romantic getaways. Today, Terry, you have chosen a journey through
shadowed paths. We are talking about places for those of
(38:19):
us who want to combine our love for Halloween, yes,
and our love of travel.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
I am not in that group. By the way, I
do not want to go.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Well, hopefully everybody listening really does like to travel and
part them on board with And I think there's enough
from each one of the cities that we're mentioning today
that you can extract from that and really find something positive,
even if you don't like Halloween. There's something positive in
all of these cities that we're mentioning today. And now, Chris,
we have ventured quite a bit across the globe. We're
(38:51):
going to go back and swing back over to the
UK and venture into Lockness, Scotland. Okay, that's the home
of the tales of course about NeSSI, the Lockness Monster
and well known story.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Right.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
Lockness is considered a haunted area because of the legend
of the Lockness monster, which is, if you're listening, a
mysterious lake creature that people believe lives in the lock Now.
The legend of the Locknest Monster actually began to gain
popularity somewhere around nineteen thirty three after a couple claimed
(39:24):
to see a large animal cross the road in front
of their car, and the following year, a photograph of
the monster's neck and head, known as the Surgeon's Photograph,
was published in the Daily Mail, and it sparked international attention.
That's kind of how we were first introduced to NeSSI now,
(39:45):
despite a lot of investigations, there's really no scientific evidence
of the Lockness Monster existing. Some theories about the creature
include that it might be a prehistoric marine reptile, a
i an eels some people have said, or even a
swimming circus elephant. I don't think that's it, but others
(40:05):
believe that people are misinterpreting what they see, or that
their desire for that monster to be real is influenced by.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Their perception it's real. I think it's real too.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Lockness is also home to Bolskin House, which was the
home of Aleister Crowley, an occultist known as the Beast
of Bolskin and Crowley was known to perform rituals and
black magic at the house, and some say it is
haunted by strange noises. And I have no desire whatsoever
(40:42):
to go to that house, I will say right up front.
But what is Halloween called in Scotland. Well, in Scotland
Halloween has a few different names, and the name Halloween
comes from a Scottish shortening of All Hallows Eve, and
it's got its roots actually in Gaelic and the festival
(41:02):
of Shamhan. And in Scotland trick or treating is known
as guysing, which actually comes from the disguises or costumes worn.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
By the children. That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
Yeah, So the origin actually Halloween first came to light
in the sixteenth century, where folklore, customs and Chris you
were right, religious beliefs played a large part in celebrations
and traditions, and today's sam Him Festival is inspired by
those origins. And it's a great way to get in
(41:34):
touch with the history of this popular date. Now, one
of the likely tales you're gonna hear while you're in
Scotland surround Saint Andrew's Castle. This is freaky, you know,
home to Saint Andrew's gold Court golf Course. The golf course, well,
the golf course may not be haunted, but the castle,
well that's a different story. Saint Andrew's Cathedral is rumored
(41:57):
to be haunted by two ghosts of Friendly Monk who
has been encountered on the stairs at Saint Rule's Tower,
and the beautiful White Lady. For the past two hundred years,
people have reported sightings of a lady wearing white gloves
gliding through the grounds before vanishing at the cathedral's haunted tower.
(42:19):
Legend has it that Stonemasons that were repairing the Haunted
tower in the Fife town broke through into a sealed
chamber and they found.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
A number of coffins. One lay open and contained the
well preserved body of a young woman wearing white gloves. Okay,
you do so.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
A lot of the history coming from Scotland actually is
probably what we think of as Halloween today, but it
did have some very good beginnings. I do want Harry
now to talk about his experience. We're going to stay
over in the European area and he's going to talk
to you about his actual experience in Romania, in Transylvania.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
Yeah, we talked about a lot of places that people
might want to go in, things that they might want
to see. I want to share with you, Chris, my
experience in a place called Brasov, Romania, which is the
home to a castle called bron Castle, which of course
is famous, even though he never visited there for a
(43:31):
character whose name we all know, right, Vlood.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Why are the lights blinking off and on in this room?
What's happening?
Speaker 4 (43:41):
I'm Glad the Impaler, Glad the Impeller. Which the truth is,
he never visited this castle. And actually the author of
the story about Dracula, Bromstoker's Dracula, never visited the castle either.
He had only allegedly maybe seen some photographs of it,
(44:02):
and people have just linked it to the castle, and
there you go. This castle's got a lot of neat
things in it, though we got to go inside it.
It's a museum today. It's got a lot of art
and furniture that you can see, but it's also got
a lot of hidden rooms and there is even a
torture chamber inside this castle. I see you getting excited, Chris. Okay,
(44:28):
So if you really want to do Halloween, you want
to get out there for the Halloween party, and a
lot of things that we're talking about this morning you
have to start thinking about for next year twenty twenty five.
But this one you can still do this year. Just
call Terry and let her know because they celebrate the
big Halloween party there on November the second, so you
(44:52):
still have time to get to Broncastle and celebrate Halloween.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
And I want to give you a little bit what.
Speaker 4 (45:00):
You can encounter there because I went, and I went
to most all of these events, all right. It starts
out with a lot of special lighting. You get up
to the castle and they have the footlights changed to
purple and eerie purple color. You approach, there's a street
with some shops on there, and all of the shops
(45:20):
are decorated just for Halloween. They have audio effects out
there in addition to the lights and things that they've
got going on. They have actors out there interacting with you,
costumed as you would have it just for Halloween, and
you get this special kind of feeling and you can
(45:41):
go into the castle. There's a special tour that they do.
It costs about twenty five dollars, well worth it, and
they go through all the dimly lit places outside of
the castle and then inside the castle. But if you
want to do a little bit more than just a tour,
if that doesn't freaky out out, you can stay for
(46:01):
a little more. They have what they call the combo ticket,
and that lets you go inside for the tour and
you get access to the Halloween party that night under
dim lights. They set up a humongous tent outside of
the castle and they have a large party, complete with band.
They have bars set up outside there, and so you're
(46:22):
standing outside looking at this spooky castle underneath this tent
with all the spooky lights, and lo and behold a
lot of the people who come to this Halloween party.
They don't come in their street clothes. They come dressed
up in their Halloween costumes. And so you know, I
saw all kinds of vampires. I saw clowns, I saw.
(46:44):
Most of the costumes are a little Dracula focused outside.
Imagine a lot of theater blood is involved in these costumes.
Very very very very cool, and that you know, party
with great. But before the party, I wanted I told
you I wanted the full experience. So I went to
(47:06):
a special Halloween dinner, and that dinner included all kinds
of Halloween themed entrees. A lot of them were colored
black and orange in honor of Halloween. You didn't exactly
know what you were eating, but I can tell you
that the food was absolutely marvelous.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
So there you go. You didn't know what you were eating,
but you just knew it could have been. Whatever it was.
It was so cool. And and did I mention that
they also had adult beverages at this dinner? Dinner no wonder.
You didn't care? I did not. I did not care.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
So if this is something that you're interested in, you
can also add to it the Courtyard party that's beforehand
you go out for little ordures and everything. What it is,
it's a very special party. They sell only one hundred tickets,
so you have to think about that one for twenty
twenty five. Chris, if you want to go a lot
of times when I talk to you say yeah, I
(48:03):
want to do that, and we want to go on
this tour, I'm not getting it from you today.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
I think I would enjoiceing the castle in maybe April daylight,
maybe well daylight only. Yeah, it sounds like it'd be
I like castles. That sounds interesting, and I even like
the historical part of it. I don't want to have
anything to do with all of this blood and gore
and vampires and this orange and black dinner. Well this
(48:28):
this castle. It's set in a very very beautiful part
of Romania. It's up in the northern part of the
country and it's in the woods, so everything is just
right for that Halloween night. And when I was there,
and it was about seven years ago, went with my brother.
I don't know how they made this happen, but they
even arranged to have the moon just right, you way,
(48:48):
that Halloween moon out there lighting up the night too,
So it was it was a great, great trip. So
this is something you can start planning either this year
if you want your last minute traveler, or you can
look ahead and think about it for next year.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
What do you think.
Speaker 3 (49:04):
I think it's a great idea, and I think actually
people are looking for any reason to take off and
travel and have a unique experience anymore. I mean, we
joke about it, we make light about some of these cities,
but let me tell you something. When you have a
city like Savannah, Georgia deriving about thirty percent of its
(49:25):
tourism income from Halloween travel, that is a huge number,
and that says to me that people really are using
any and all availed events or whatever to use that
as a reason to go traveling.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
Why not?
Speaker 4 (49:41):
You know, well, when we talk about travel, how many
times have we used the words memories? How many times
do we use the words experience. It's about travel, It's
about creating memories, it's about having experiences.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Some of them are once in a lifetime. I would
love to go back to bron Castle.
Speaker 4 (49:59):
Chances are are in my life I may not have
that opportunity, but I can tell you I have those
very vivid memories. I have the photographs. Time with my brother.
Family is also a big thing, and it's a big
part of travel. So all of these things that we've
talked about today, whether you're a fan of Halloween or not,
think about them as experiences. These are places you can go.
(50:20):
These are places you can see any time of the year. Chris,
I know you want to go in the middle of
the in the middle of the day, check this castle out,
look around and just use your imagination to let you
know what it might be like on Halloween Eve.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Every one of the locations we've talked about today sound
exciting to me. I would love to visit all of
these locations, just not at night around Halloween, That's okay.
New Orleans, I would love to go to New Orleans.
And I know Marty Grass runs into the night, but
I'd like to do that during the day. I'd like
to Oh yeah, yeah, I would like to go up
(50:56):
to New England.
Speaker 3 (50:57):
And yeah, is a Cafe Dumont? You know, Yes, I'm
on board for all of that. A little creole food,
not bad at all. Well, however you do it. I
mean the theme of the show a life less ordinary.
So it's up to you, if you're listening today, to
think about that, think about what it means to you. Chris,
You've just done a great job of painting the picture
of what a life less ordinary would mean to you
(51:19):
in any of these locations. For me, I want to
be there on Halloween Eve, and that's my less ordinary.
Yours is a little different, Terry. I'm sure you have yours.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
You know, we didn't have time for all of the
cities that I wanted to cover in today's show, one
of which, by the way, was Cuba, where they actually
bury their dead on top of the ground, and all
of the cemetery plots there have mounded graves, and they
tell me that that is also a very very spooky
(51:51):
place to be for Halloween.
Speaker 1 (51:53):
It's Cuba. It's yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:55):
But you know, there's so many places around the globe
where you can find interesting reasons to travel. And what
I would like to encourage people to do here on
a life less ordinary is find those reasons, find those
things that drive you off of your couch and get
you to seeing the world, because it's a fabulous, entertaining
(52:16):
and immensely educational place to pick up information and cultures
and experiences.
Speaker 2 (52:24):
We've only got less than a minute left. I want
to ask, what's your favorite Halloween costume when you dress up?
Speaker 1 (52:29):
I was Casper, the friendly ghost er.
Speaker 4 (52:33):
I dressed up one year as a policeman, and that
was as far as I could get, was dressing up
as one.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
I always dressed up as a clown when I was
a kid, and yeah, I was always almost every year
as a clown.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
You and somehow that all fits you know, I think
that all fits all three of our personalities quite well.
Speaker 2 (52:51):
Well. I hope you have a wonderful Halloween. I will
be giving out candy so you can you can ring
the doorbell at the Carmichael House on Thursday and we'll
give you something we bought at Costco. I'm sure, but
don't expect me to come outside dressed in costume. That's
the deal. Okay, We've only got a few seconds. How
do we get in touch with you?
Speaker 3 (53:08):
We're easy to find. We're located Chris at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harsonburg in the Valley Center. You
can call us We're at five four oh nine oh
eight two three three three, or look us up on
the web.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
Weird. This has been a life Less Ordinary, the travel
show from your friends at the wishing Well at two
forty three nef Avenue in Harsenburg. If you have any
questions on topics discussed today, please reach out to the
wishing Well online at the wishing Well topiz or five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past
(53:41):
episodes are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see
you again next Saturday morning at ten for a life
less Ordinary from the wishing Well
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