Show Me Your Trips

After haunted hotels, historic cities, Salem, Halloween cruises, ghost tours, Transylvania, dark destinations, creepy attractions, scams, emergencies, and horror-movie mistakes, it is time to choose your own adventure. The finale of The 12 Trips of Halloween helps you define the experience you want, set a realistic budget and travel window, invite the right people, select one must-do activity, pla...

The tank is almost empty, the phone battery is at two percent, nobody knows where you are, and someone just suggested splitting up. You are no longer on vacation; you are in the opening scene of a horror movie. Episode 11 uses classic scary-movie mistakes to deliver serious travel advice. Listen to local warnings, establish meeting points, share your itinerary, carry a power bank, avoid restricted...

Nobody plans to lose a passport, miss a connection, arrive without luggage, or spend the night in an airport. Episode 10 shows how preparation can make those problems smaller. Scott covers document copies, entry requirements, medications, carry-on essentials, realistic connection times, travel protection, emergency contacts, itinerary sharing, and what to do when a flight is canceled or a passport...

The scariest person on your vacation may be holding a free bracelet, driving an unmarked taxi, offering help at an ATM, or sending a rental agreement that looks almost legitimate. Episode 9 explains how distraction scams, transportation tricks, fake rentals, compromised ATMs, counterfeit tickets, phishing messages, and urgent payment demands target travelers. Scott shares practical defenses: creat...

Catacombs, abandoned settlements, former prisons, crypts, underground tunnels, ossuaries, castles, and caves: the world's creepiest attractions can be unsettling, historic, and completely fascinating. Episode 8 examines why travelers seek them out and what to know before descending underground or stepping behind old prison walls. Scott covers advance tickets, official access, narrow passages, unev...

Why do travelers visit battlefields, prisons, memorials, disaster sites, and places connected to tragedy? Episode 7 explores dark tourism and the responsibility that comes with it. Scott discusses how these destinations can preserve memory, teach history, honor victims, and challenge the way we understand the past. He also explains why visitors should research context, follow local rules, support...

Step beyond the movie legend and follow Dracula's trail through Transylvania. Episode 6 explores the castles, medieval towns, mountain scenery, and folklore that make Romania an unforgettable destination. Scott separates the fictional Count Dracula from the complicated history associated with Vlad the Impaler and explains why Bran Castle is only one piece of a much larger journey. Learn how to bui...

A great ghost tour can make you forget you are standing on a sidewalk with twenty strangers. Episode 5 looks at how the best guides combine history, architecture, folklore, atmosphere, and storytelling - and how weaker tours rely on exaggerated claims and cheap scares. Scott shares what to look for in recent reviews, why the guide and group size matter, how to prepare for weather and walking condi...

Trade the neighborhood costume party for Halloween on the high seas. Episode 4 explores how cruise lines celebrate with costume contests, themed parties, seasonal entertainment, family activities, special drinks, and decorated ships. Scott explains why every October sailing is different, how to choose between a family-focused celebration and an adults-oriented getaway, and what to consider when pa...

Salem in October delivers costumes, museums, walking tours, performances, historic streets, and enormous crowds. Episode 3 explains how to enjoy the Halloween atmosphere without letting high prices, sold-out attractions, transportation problems, or unrealistic schedules turn the trip into a nightmare. Scott covers when to reserve accommodations, how to prioritize must-do experiences, why comfortab...

Which American city deserves the title of most haunted? In Episode 2, Scott compares the history, atmosphere, and travel experiences of Savannah, St. Augustine, New Orleans, Charleston, and Salem. The episode looks beyond ghost stories to help you choose a destination based on food, architecture, nightlife, museums, coastal access, Halloween energy, and crowd levels. You will also hear why daytime...

Would you pay to spend the night in a hotel where some guests supposedly never checked out? Scott Showalter opens The 12 Trips of Halloween with a challenge to book a stay in a famously haunted hotel. Discover what makes these properties so compelling, how to separate genuine history from Halloween theater, and what to research before paying extra for the room with the biggest reputation. From com...

Twenty episodes. Balconies. Drink packages. Suites. Business class. Airport lounges. Private tours. Overwater bungalows. Alaska cruises. Travel insurance. Travel advisors. Now there’s one final question:So...was it worth it? In Episode 21, Scott Showalter wraps up the “Is It Worth It?” series by stepping away from individual products and focusing on the bigger lesson:How do you decide what is actu...

After 19 episodes of talking about travel value, we finally ask the question Scott intentionally saved until near the end:Is using a travel advisor worth it? In Episode 20 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter looks beyond simply booking hotels and cruises. We’re talking about planning, destination knowledge, groups, complex itineraries, supplier relationships, time savings, advocacy, support, and...

Glaciers. Mountains. Wildlife. Scenic cruising. An Alaska cruise can feel completely different from almost any other cruise vacation. But it can also get expensive quickly. In Episode 19 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter asks whether an Alaska cruise really delivers enough value to justify the cost. And then we take it one step further:Is the balcony upgrade worth it on an Alaska cruise? We’ll...

Turquoise water. Private deck. Direct ocean access. Breakfast delivered over the water. It may be one of the most recognizable travel experiences on the planet. It may also produce one of the biggest cases of sticker shock. In Episode 18 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter tackles the ultimate Instagram-vs.-reality vacation upgrade:The overwater bungalow. We’ll talk about privacy, weather, ocean...

Sometimes it’s one of the easiest ways to understand a new city. Other times...You’ve paid good money to sit in traffic wearing headphones. In Episode 17 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter puts the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus through the test. We’ll talk about first-day orientation, sightseeing convenience, stop locations, bus frequency, weather, families, mobility concerns, traffic, commentary, and why...

Four people with a private guide can have a very different day than 50 people following somebody holding a numbered paddle. In Episode 16 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter looks at whether paying more for a private tour actually creates enough additional value to justify the cost. We’re talking about flexibility, local expertise, customized itineraries, time savings, multigenerational travel,...

Nobody gets excited about buying travel insurance. There's no ocean view. No cocktail. No room upgrade. And you're probably not posting a picture of your policy on Instagram. But when something goes wrong? It can suddenly become one of the most important purchases connected to your entire vacation. In Episode 15 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter asks whether travel insurance is really worth th...

TSA PreCheck. Global Entry. CLEAR.At this point, getting through the airport is starting to sound like choosing a streaming service. In Episode 14 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter tackles CLEAR and one of the most misunderstood questions in airport travel:Is CLEAR the same thing as TSA PreCheck? Spoiler alert: No. We’ll discuss biometric identity verification, participating airports, how CLEA...

You've just spent nine hours flying home from Europe. You're tired. Your phone is dying. Your body has absolutely no idea what time it is. And then...Welcome to the immigration line. In Episode 13 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter explores Global Entry and whether international travelers should consider adding it to their travel toolkit. We’ll break down how Global Entry differs from TSA PreCh...

Shoes off. Laptop out. Jacket off. Liquids out. Then you look over and see another group of travelers seemingly breezing through security...How do I get in THAT line? In Episode 12 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter takes on TSA PreCheck and whether paying for expedited airport screening is actually worthwhile. We’ll talk about what PreCheck does—and doesn't—provide, how frequently you need to...

Comfortable chairs. Food. Drinks. Wi-Fi. Charging outlets. Maybe even a shower. Airport lounges sound like the perfect escape from a crowded terminal. Until you discover that 147 other travelers apparently discovered the same “secret” lounge. In Episode 11 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter asks whether airport lounge accessreally delivers enough value to justify the cost. We’ll talk about day...

Economy is cheaper. Business Class is incredible. But what about that cabin sitting right in the middle? In Episode 10 of “Is It Worth It?”, Scott Showalter takes a closer look at Premium Economy and asks whether a wider seat, extra legroom, more recline, upgraded meals, and additional perks are actually worth paying more for. We’ll talk about the important difference between true Premium Economy...

Lie-flat seat. Airport lounge. Priority boarding. Better meals. More space. Business class sounds fantastic. Then you see the price...And suddenly you’re wondering whether you should upgrade your airplane seat or use that money to stay another week in Italy. In Episode 9 of the “Is It Worth It?” series, Scott Showalter tackles one of travel’s ultimate splurges: business class airfare. We’ll look a...