Holiday Travel: A Halloween Dream Trip

Photo credit: Xcaret.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I’ve never traveled anywhere to celebrate it–though the list of places I’d like visit on Halloween requires counting on the fingers of more than one hand.  Here’s why: Halloween is far more than a day upon which children get candy and women dress up as nurses-with-loose-morals.  Halloween is (loosely) based on the traditions of a variety of different mythologies.  As such, Halloween is a truly American holiday–basically, as a nation, we stole from a variety of rich, older-than-us cultures and then added scores of Snickers Bars and a dash of Hollywood.

Most family holiday camps have an entertainment venue. This is likely to be open all day; with children’s party games, story telling, and activities to keep the younger members of your holiday party amused. In the evenings the entertainment venue will have a more adult theme, with a bar, singers and maybe a cabaret.

The park will be geared up for families, so you’ll find plenty for the young holiday makers to do. You will almost certainly have an adventure playground to explore, some of these adventure playgrounds are so big it’ll take all week for the children to have a go on everything! You can click for more info about Fairway Holiday Park Isle of Wight.

Everybody loves a swim, so your holiday park will have a swimming pool too. Sometimes you’ll get an outdoor pool. Sometimes an indoor pool. If you’re lucky you’ll get both an indoor and an outdoor pool. A new arrival to holiday camps are the “splash areas”. These aren’t really a swimming pool – but lots of fountains and waterfalls which have a tendency to cascade over the unsuspecting paddler!

The obligatory amusement arcade will feature in the main entertainment area within the holiday park, and will contain the latest in video games and slot machines – you’ll also get games like pool and air hockey, so watch out dad, you’re likely to get shown up!

When planning a holiday, one of the decisions to be made is where you will stay. Accommodations can be one of the biggest expenses and also can set the tone for your holiday. If you are traveling with family then an affordable choice is a holiday park.

Holiday parks are perfect for families as they may be able to offer you connecting rooms or even a cabin with bedrooms and a kitchen. Many holiday parks have a space for your caravan if you want to bring one along. Another option in the park might be a hotel room or camping in the park.

Sounds pretty damn American to me.

This Halloween, I’m lifting the thin veil between worlds and traveling from New Mexico to…old Mexico.

I will be spending American-Halloween (today) in the states–in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  And then I’m traveling from Albuquerque to Playa del Carmen tomorrow to observe the Dia de los Muertos at Xcaret eco-park, where upwards of 40,000 other people will be celebrating the Festival of Life and Death.

If that’s not a Halloween-loving travel nerd’s dream come true, I don’t know what is.

I’m going with no plans, no preconceived notions, no goals.  I just want to observe and learn.  And take notes and (when appropriate) photos, so that I can share my experiences with all of you.  I can’t wait.  And fortunately, I don’t have to, as my flight leaves in less than 24 hours.

Help make my international data plan worthwhile, and follow along on Twitter or, better, on Instagram, as I experience the Festival of Life and Death.  I will be photo-posting and tweeting throughout the weekend.

Disclosure: I am being hosted by Experiences Xcaret.  However, all thoughts, opinions, lessons learned, and otherworldly experiences are, as always, my own.