Phantoms Fly Free

It’s not hard to vacation when you’re dead. In fact it's arguable that death itself is a vacation; you don’t have any earthly responsibilities anymore, so just put up your feet and relax until Earth is decimated by a robot take-over or the inevitable heat-death of the universe. What's the best way to enjoy your everlasting leisure time? By travelling of course!

Customs is a breeze when you’re invisible (literally, most people will think you're a cool breeze) and stowing away on an airplane can be as comfortable as sharing a seat with a first-class fleshie. Choosing a destination, now that’s the hard part. Sure, you could go to Hawaii, drift across the beach, inhale the savoury-sweet vapor of a luau, but without other folks to chat with it can get a little lonely. The eager-to-please hotel staff can only serve you if they can see you, and really, who wants to spend all their energy taking on a physical form? You’re here to relax, ghoulfriend.

Still, there is some fun to be had haunting hotels.

So where can you go for an RIP-roaring good time? Easy! Any place with intense paranormal activity will provide you not only with interesting company, but a thorough history of the estate. Who knows more about the horrors of a medieval dungeon than its tortured inhabitants? A dearly departed maid can tell you far more intimate details about the goings-on of a haunted mansion than some snippy English-major with a black cloak and an armful of brochures.

Take the Winchester Mystery House for example, located in sunny San Jose, California. When William Winchester of Winchester Rifles passed away he left his aggrieving widow and an enormous sum of money. Sarah Winchester became convinced that the Winchester Mansion was haunted by victims of her husband’s rifles. Her paranoia was fed by a psychic known as the Boston Medium, who told her that she must continuously renovate the house in order to confuse the spirits who sought her. Sara set contractors to work the new additions; they built rooms linked with false staircases and hallways that lead nowhere. Until her dying day, Sarah Winchester feared unearthly visitors but it’s rumoured that she’s a brilliant entertainer post-mortem! Prepare yourself for the most intense game of hide-and-go-seek ever, with 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens!


Charmaine Gratton

Charmaine Gratton is a writer, student and retail associate. She currently resides in Ottawa with her husband and two dogs, Disco and Frisket. She’s an amateur ukulele player, a rabid hair enthusiast, and a fan of all things spooky.

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