Supernatural Travel Tales

Key Links: Visit Lake Charles Lost Lake Charles _______ In this episode we chat with Adley Cormier, a Lake Charles native and historian. Adley shares some of the more colorful history, and legends that abound in Southwest Louisiania. Through him we meet some illustrious guests including coin rollers, cigar smokers, murderous females and even some baleful ghost cows. We also discuss Lake Charles’ pirates and slaves and why for a time, this area was a “no man’s land” that offered refuge to runaway slaves and outlaws alike. Lastly, if you’ve ever wondered about the difference between Cajun and Creole food, you’ll find the answer. As usual we share this week’s Travelscope with Stella Campofiore at the end of the episode. For more details: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/ghost-cows-gourmets-pirates/ Join the Facebook Group Produced by Simpler Media

This week we welcome back “Brian the Skeptic” to discuss our top 10 Supernatural Travel woo wanderer experiences. And we also discuss that time he ran into the Queen of England, by accident. Would you dare to stay at a haunted hotel? Get your palm read? Fall asleep in the middle of a group past life regression experience? Here’s the truth about some of the wackier experiences we’ve had, and a few dares we have yet to take.   For more details: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/truth-or-dare Join the Facebook Group Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links: Sandy O Brien Fort Mifflin This week we are visiting with creative tour de force, Sandy O Brien. Sandy is a healer, an artist and an empath extraordinaire. In this episode we discuss her childhood experiences with a ghost in philly, her visits with a ghostbusting relative to Fort Mifflin, and the strange things that she experienced while working aboard the Queen Many. Some conversations are a journey, and a treat. For more details: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/mr-desantis Join the Facebook Group Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links: Mike’s Road Trip Visit Kutna Hora Sedlec Cathedral Sedlec Ossuary This week, we’re visiting the Bone Church, AKA Sedlec Ossuary. This is a very unusual church, located just outside the Czech town of Kutna Hora. The Bone Church is the final resting place for the remains of somewhere between 40,000 to 70,000 individuals. What makes this cemetery/church so unusual is the macabre decor. A little over a hundred years ago, a decision was made to do something with all the bones that had literally been piling up for centuries there. A local wood carver was hired to create decoration from the remains. Chandeliers of bones, garlands of skulls, chalices of femurs, coats of arms of clavicles. They say seeing is believing, but we’re discussing all that we saw and felt at this highly unusual church. More details at:  http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/bone-church/ Join the Facebook Group Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links: Bell Witch Cave via A Southern Gypsy York Minster via Greedy Gourmet Eat Pray Love Palm Reading via Temples and Treehouses Key West Ghost Tour via Round the World Guys Greyfriars Kirkyard via Wanderlust and Life Supernatural Travel Tales Facebook Live at Greyfriars If you want the scoop on haunted places to visit - ask a travel blogger. In this episode I’m joined by my more skeptical husband as we review some woo travel stories from around the world. We’re tackling some big questions, such as: Do liquid spirits make you more or less likely to see spectral spirits? Is looking at your palm like looking for love in all the wrong places? What do Halloween attractions have in common with religious pilgrimages? What does your perception of pain have to do with your ability to see ghosts? I’m joined by my frequent travel companion (and husband) Brian Maso for today’s episode. Stay tuned for your travelscope with Stella Campofiore, after the interview. More details at: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/travel-bloggers-spooked/ Join the Facebook Group Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links The Mission Inn Riverside The Food Lab Riverside Kadi Baker Mary Kings Close Greyfriars Cemetery Damnation Alley From Scotland to So Cal, we’re talking about haunted historic destinations today. As a historic, luxury hotel, the Mission Inn has won all kinds of awards.  But what makes the Mission Inn so magical is that the founder, Frank Miller, was an avid world traveler. Frank collected the essences of iconic European destinations. He came back from Europe with a head full of dreams, and made those dreams reality for travelers in Southern California. You won’t find another property anywhere,  that manages to successfully marry so many different architectural styles. From Gothic to Moorish Revival and Mediterranean, it’s possible to feel transported here without leaving the country. Famous authors like Anne Rice have stayed here, and the hotel has hosted dozens of events for celebrities and presidents. It’s a hidden gem. Some hotels cash in on their ghosts, but the Mission Inn prefers to be a little more discrete. You might have some luck getting stories out of the bartender, if you visit. We’ve got the inside scoop on which rooms might still be occupied, even after the guests check out. More details at: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/ask-the-bartender-about-the-ghosts-at-the-mission-inn/ Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links San Bernadino County Roy’s Diner Amboy Crater Calico Bracken Fern Manor Joshua Tree National Park ---- San Bernadino County is huge. It stretches from the mountains of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear to the deserts of Joshua Tree and the Mojave all the way to the Colorado River and the Nevada/Arizona borders. It’s not only the largest county in California, it is the largest county in the entire country. In this episode we travel from the mountains to the desert, tracing the steps of some colorful characters in Cali history. We’ll be taking pit stops and parking for photo ops along the way. More details at : http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/spooky-san-bernadino-county/ ---- Produced by Simpler Media

Key Links: OC Ghosts and Legends The Bracken Fern Manor The Queen Mary ----- You might be surprised to learn that Southern California is teeming with paranormal activity. The Queen Mary docked in Long Beach is known for hosting many, many ghosts, and the cities of San Juan Capistrano and Orange have legendary ghosts in residence as well. But that’s just for starters.   OC Ghosts and Legends brings in their team of experts to investigate paranormal occurrences all over Orange County and beyond. They actually specialize in the lesser known hauntings, and are available to investigate when things go bump in the night. OC Ghosts and Legends invites you to be a part of their team, when you sign up for one of their tours or lockdown events. If you’ve ever fantasized about doing some Ghostbusting, this might be tour for you. More details at: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/paranormal-lockdowns-ghostbusters-oc/ ----- Produced by Simpler Media

Ireland is a popular destination for American tourists looking to explore their own history and heritage. One trip is never enough though! It’s hard to even scratch the surface with a single trip to Ireland, particularly if magic and history are topics you are interested in. Repeat visits are encouraged. Today’s guest Jody Halsted has been traveling across Ireland for over a decade with her own family, discovering the most family friendly sites and activities on the tourist trail and off. Dedicated to Ireland family travel, her website Ireland Family Vacations, provides exceptional advice for a magical Ireland vacation. For families looking for a perfectly tailored Ireland vacation, Jody offers Ireland vacation coaching, working with your family to help you choose the perfect lodging, destinations, and activities to fit your budget, interests, and expectations. Additional links to check out: Lough Gur Ancient Traditions Still Celebrated Today The Game of Thrones Trail You can find this episode and more on the Supernatural Travel website. And please remember if you have a haunting travel story to share, be in touch - when the going gets interesting, I totally want to hear about it! More details on this episode at: http://www.supernaturaltravel.com/ireland-haunted-castles/

Key Links: The Hollywood Museum Live the Sweet Life ----- When Sugar signed up to take a tour of the Hollywood Museum on Mother’s day, she never imagined that this would lead to an encounter with Mommy Dearest. Things started going wrong the minute they entered the “blondes only” room in the museum which used to be Max Factor’s digs.  And they only got worse when they got to the brunette’s room. In this episode Sugar recounts this haunted Hollywood encounter and we go on to discuss how (and where) travel sometimes makes us skittish.

Radiant Human In this episode we chat with Christina Lonsdale of Radiant Human about her art. Christina has imaged the auras of over 30,000 people, in a traveling exhibit that illuminates a more metaphysical approach to portraiture. From her website: Radiant Human is the portrait practice of Portland-based visual artist Christina Lonsdale. The prodigal daughter of an energy painter mother and a two-time commune founding father, Lonsdale was raised on mysticism at the dawn of the digital age — formative years when science and spiritualism occupied equal bandwidth. In Radiant Human, she finds a sort of parity between these opposing faiths; a discipline that shores up the distance between New Age self-discovery and New Media self(ie)-actualization. Radiant Human is responsible for thousands of phantasmagorical photographs, captured all across North America. Our personalized aura portraits embolden participants to open themselves to the ineffable — promoting greater awareness of all the subtle influences affecting our everyday. We caught up with Christina on the road to talk about this fascinating subject.

Key Links iTravelJerusalem Blue Thread Marketing ---------- Today I chat with Mordecai Holtz,  New Media Director at iTravel Jerusalem the official tourism site of the city. He’s also Chief Digital strategist at Blue Thread Marketing. Jerusalem is a magical mystical and miracle filled place for millions of people, all over the world. Multiple religions are rooted in this land, which has led to conflict. Where there is passion, there is often conflict. And yet, contrary to this, many people describe Jerusalem as an ultimately peaceful place. A place where everyone feels welcome Many travelers who travel to Jerusalem are so overwhelmed by history and that sense of belonging. So many are so overwhelmed by history, that they suffer a sort of temporary delusion. A pleasant one.

Key Links: Buzzfeed Night On the Queen Mary Dark Harbor Event Aboard the Queen Mary Queen Mary History Most Haunted Room for Rent Aboard Queen Mary ------------------ Sheri Jackson was the only one in her party that decided to stay up late and do the in depth tour of the Queen Mary. The tour lasted till 2 or 3 am and took participants deep into the bowels of the ship. There they would spend time in one of the most haunted areas of the ship. The swimming pool and the changing rooms are famous for being haunted, most particularly by a little girl and a cat. Sheri and the other guests sat in the dressing stalls, quietly waiting to see what might happen. As she was sitting, Sheri felt something on her bench. A small tile. She doesn’t know why she did it, but she slipped the tile into her bag. Things started to get really strange when Sheri went back to her room. It got even stranger when she got home. Was it her imagination? Or was it the tile?   You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out what happened!

Sometimes spirits brush up against us in the most unexpected ways and places. Is it an angel? A spirit? Or just a strange and inexplicable coincidence? Somehow these kinds of experiences seem more common outside of our daily routine, and our comfort zone. That was the case for Jana, who happened upon a very unusual waiter during a happy family trip to Manhattan. They went back to see the waiter again. But guess what happened? You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out.

Key Links Traveling With MJ ---------- As a nervous traveler I have developed a personal routine when I board planes. I always wear a few good luck charms, and though I don’t really think that these things keep the plane aloft, I wouldn’t want to fly without them! It occurred to me that there’s far quirkier folk out there, which made me wonder about other people’s flying rituals and superstitions. What sort of stuff do other people do when they fly? So I asked my friend Mary Jo - who has over 30 years in the airline industry. In this episode we chatted about some of the little and big things people do to keep themselves calm on flights. And then she told me something really surprising that she herself observed once from the flight deck. What was it? You’ll have to listen to find out!

In this episode I speak with Evo Terra, a podcast strategist and ex-expat, about Sak Yant tattoos, and the little known Wai Kru festival he has attended several times. Sak Yant Tattoos are part of a revered tradition. The tattoos are very specific, and usually chosen by the artist. They impart special blessings, and protection to the recipient.  They may also come with prescriptions for lifestyle changes, including diet and behavior modification. In the event that a tattoo’s charms become depleted, there is a festival where the spirits are called upon to revive and recharge the the tattoos. During this festival, many of the recipients are “possessed” by the spirits behind their body art, and are overcome - charging the stage in their monkey, alligator, or old man form. What’s it like to be there? How do you get them to settle down? Why exactly does this happen? You’ll have to tune in to find some of these answers.  

Key Links DivaMoms @Diva_Mom Book Link ----------- Lyss Stern had a close and loving relationship with her father. He was also particularly fond of her oldest son. The two of them bonded over a mutual love of baseball. When it was time for her son to be bar mitzvahed, Lyss planned ceremonies both in the US and abroad, in Israel. It was the trip of a lifetime - something she had wanted to do with her parents when she was younger. For both ceremonies, Lyss made sure that her son wore something of his grandfather’s. He donned his grandpa’s tallit (prayer shawl) and a very special tie.   Everyone missed having her dad there, most especially Lyss and her son, who she assured “Grandpa will always be with you.” Then something happened at the western wall. Not once but twice. Lyss felt her dad. His presence brought extra tears to her eyes. ----------- Produced by Simpler Media Follow us on Twitter New episodes every Tuesday!

Key Links: Supernatural Travel Rouge18 Rouge 18 on Instagram McSorley’s NYC ---------- Empaths are very sensitive, and many claim to have the ability to clearly sense the energy of accumulated emotions and intentions attached to people, places and even things. While most people sense nothing, or just have a faint read on a room, empaths can be easily overwhelmed by their location, and the energy or “vibes” in a room. These “vibes” linger, not unlike a scent. The energy that empaths read can come from the living people who occupy the space, or quite possibly, from the dead… Empaths tend to have more “psychic” experiences, and even those who don’t necessarily believe that they have experienced a supernatural event, tend to describe empathic experiences in similar ways. For many empaths, traveling present special challenges. It’s hard to predict what emotions might arise upon visiting locations where tragedies have occurred, and to stay in locations where generations have continuously dwelled. Some of my best friends are also empaths. Takes one to know one! What’s it like to be an empath? Today I discuss some of the crazy tuned in, turned up experiences I’ve had with my fellow empath, Amber Katz.

Key Links: Supernatural Travel Fort Ticonderoga Visit Lake George ---------- It was a perfectly sunny day when Katherine and her husband set off on a drive to visit historic Fort Ticonderoga, but somewhere along the way, Katherine started to feel something wrong. She couldn’t quite place the feeling, but it made her uneasy. Incredibly uneasy. She began to panic, and insisted that her husband pull the car over. She had to get out, clear her head, catch her breath. But when she got out of the car and looked all around it was as if the sunshine had vanished. She felt death, death all around her. “Can’t you feel it too?” she asked her husband. But he had no idea what she was talking about. Frantically, she searched for sign, something, some explanation. Finally several yards away she found a small sign, nailed to a tree. It explained everything.

ey Links: Queen Bee Latina Supernatural Travel ---------- Have you ever walked into a place and felt like you are being watched. Sensed sorrow? Or just picked up on a really bad vibe? In this episode I sat down with my friend Angela to hear about her unexpected experience when she went to meet a friend for dinner. Angela had agreed to meet her childhood pal at the a Pizzeria, in the Lanmark building. But from the moment she walked into the place she sensed something wasn’t quite right. She had an overwhelming sense of fear and despair. None of it made sense, and so she tried to ignore this overwhelming feeling and enjoy her meal. But it was pointless. She couldn’t shake the feeling. Finally after her friends left she asked the waitress for the history of the building. What she discovered left her shocked.

Key Links: A Healing Spirit Supernatural Travel ---------- Have you ever arrived somewhere for the first time, only to feel completely at home?  Walked through a new city that felt inexplicably familiar? As travelers, most of us have experienced this. “I must have lived here in a past life,” is what we say to explain this sense of deja vu and familiarity. Sometimes, in jest - but what if there is really something to that? In this episode I sat down with Carol Cassara, a hypnotherapist who specializes in past life regressions. Some of the questions we discussed include: Are we drawn to travel to locations we may have lived in in a past life? Where might past life memories, experienced in our travels come from, if not from a past life experience. Are we drawn to places in order to meet people who we might have known in a past life? It turns out it really isn’t that simple. Is anything? Whether or not you think you lived in ancient Rome, that feeling you might have had in the colosseum is transformative. Experiencing that sense of deja vu has a way of opening people up to possibilities that they may not have considered before.

Key Links: Tracey Clark Photography Supernatural Travel --------- Tracey was home for the holidays, and thrilled to be driving around in her new car. Her first new car. It was Thanksgiving, and her mind was full of the food friends and family she’d soon be enjoying. A few things struck her as she waited at the intersection. Even though she was in a hurry, she couldn’t help but notice the older woman in the convertible next to hers. The woman was in her late 60s or 70s. Her perfectly coiffed hair and skin glowed.  She was a vision to behold. And she was wearing her seatbelt. “She’s rad!” Tracey thought. And then the next thing, “I think I’ll put on my seatbelt.”   Quickly, a second before the light changed, Tracey buckled up. It was the moment that changed everything.

Key Links: Only in Your State - Background on Alice’s Grave Beloved Atmosphere Supernatural Travel ---------- Every Summer Amy and her summer sisters would reunite on Pawleys Island. It was where they spent their summers, on an island steeped in local legends and lore, like the story of the Gray man, who would protect you from storms. But the story that Amy and her friends were most drawn in by, was the story of Alice Flagg, a young girl who died of a broken heart over a hundred years ago. There’s a very specific ritual that Amy and her friends performed when they would visit Alice’s grave, in order to offer her a ring. It’s said Alice doesn’t care for junk jewelry. So don’t expect your ring to move if it’s a fake! Here’s what happened when my friend Amy Askin performed this ritual, late one night at All Saints Cemetery, at Alice’s grave.

Key Links: My Normal Gay Life My Sachaji Eco Lodge and Wellness Resort Supernatural Travel ---------- The hotel's menu offered the usual gamut of wellness treatments like yoga and massage.  But one thing was novel and unique to this location. At the end of the menu Jose spied the opportunity to sign up for a cleansing ritual. For this experience, however, he wasn't sure what to expect. Just what do you wear to a shamanic ritual cleansing? Would he have to get naked? Drink or eat anything?  Who else would be present? The shaman explained that her family had been passing down their knowledge as long as anyone had recorded or could remember, and probably longer. Jose was about to participate in what was genuinely, an ancient ritual. What the shaman was able to tell him, was truly a surprise.

Key Links:  Supernatural Travel  Remote Viewing ---------- I was only a baby when this happened but I’ve heard the story so many times over the years, it’s almost like I was there too. Ruth Blumenfeld woke with a start from a deep sleep. Floodlights streamed in through her bedroom window. She was completely shocked and terrified to hear the rumbling of troops and tanks, just outside her door, gathering in her suburban cul de sac. Naturally, she woke my dad. “We’ve go to get out of here!” she cried.  But he shook his head bewildered. “What are you talking about?” It turns out what Ruth was seeing wasn’t happening in her own backyard. She was picking up on what was going on thousands of miles away.It was so real that she couldn’t fathom why nobody else could see or hear the vivid scene we was describing.

Key Links: Supernatural Travel The Krakow Pogrom Modern Kaddish/Adele Mash Up ------------------------- Marly always made fun of her mother and sister’s belief in spirits. She wasn’t a believer. But a trip to Krakow Poland took and unexpected turn for Marly and Ani, when Ani began chanting in her sleep. According to the Airbnb host, the apartment wasn’t haunted. But all the guests heard the weeping woman enter the room that night. Racked with grief, her sobbing could not be ignored. She wept the way of the brokenhearted and bereft. It was impossible to deny her presence, even though no physical being was there. It took several days to figure out who she might have been. We will never know for certain why she chose to visit us in particular. But we are sure of one thing: we were touched by her story and changed forever by this experience.

Key Links: Supernatural Travel We’re checking our baggage and adventuring beyond the bucket list to talk about transformational travel. Experiences that change you, and the way you see your world. Travel has the ability to broaden your horizons and change your beliefs. But some trips are trippier. Some journeys go above and beyond… Those journeys make for the best stories!