In yesterday's post I mentioned how HauntJaunts.net is not a one-of-a-kind, there are other haunted travel sites out there. What are they?
I listed them yesterday, but they're worth noting again:
THE OTHER HAUNTED TRAVEL SITES
NOT SUCH A NOVEL CONCEPT
It was in late 2007 when I first thought instead of doing Haunt Jaunts: A Travel Guide for Restless Spirits as a book like I'd initially seen it as that I'd set it up as a website.
One of the first things I did was check out the Internet for any similar sites already in existence. That's how I found A Ghost in My Suitcase.
At first I was bummed. "Someone else has already had this idea? Drat."
But as I cruised around on the site, I realized his vision and mine were two different things. He was using the website to promote his book of the same name. His shtick was 50 haunted places in 50 states.
My vision was bigger than that. I wanted to be a sort of paranormal yellow pages. A place people could turn to when looking for restaurants, hotels, or attractions with ghost stories attached to them. If the allegedly haunted place had a website, I'd link to it, as well as include its physical address and phone number.
Also, I liked the idea of not only breaking Jaunts down by state, but also by venue and giving them catchy names. (Hence, Apparition Attractions, Eerie Eateries & Pubs, Spooky Stays, etc...)
"There might just be room on the web for both of us!" I realized.
COMPETITION OR...?
Then this year as I've set about getting things set up in earnest I stumbled across the other two sites: The Haunted Traveler and TravelParanormal.com.
My first reaction was similar to the one I'd had upon discovering A Ghost in My Suitcase. Then I checked them out.
Each offers something unique. The Haunted Traveler's site does list some Haunt Jaunts and gives a history behind some of them, but his main deal is his spirit photography. (Which is amazing, I must say. I haven't checked into how much his work costs, but talk about hauntingly beautiful...)
And then TravelParanormal.com lists all the 50 states, but it's more of a compilation of news and articles related to cities within the state.
ONE MORE HAUNTED TRAVEL SITE
There's one more haunted listing site that my friend Brenda sent me not too long ago: The Shadowlands Haunted Places Index.
This has the most thorough listings of all of them. Not only does it have all 50 states, but also includes listings for haunted places outside of America.
However, it still isn't the vision I had. If I''m not mistaken, it would (and I think does) list somewhere like Waverly, whereas I wouldn't.
I only want to list Jaunts where people can go freely. (You may have to pay for a room or something like that to stay at a Jaunt, but it's accessible to the public.) I didn't want to get into listing abandoned places and all that, no matter how good the ghost story.
COMMON THEME + DIFFERENT APPROACHES = MORE CHOICES
As I see it, we each offer a different flavor. It's kind of like pizza: not all of them taste the same. Some people like the sauce at one place better than another. Or the crust. Or the way the meat is sliced. Everyone has their favorite based on how it suits their palate.
I think the same applies for finding ghosts via haunted travel sites: one might appeal to one ghost enthusiast more than another. At least there's some choice.
Of course, that doesn't stop me from hoping HauntJaunts.net will explode. I can see it now: the Domino's or the Pizza Hut of the ghost community.
Okay, okay, it may sound crazy.But it doesn't hurt to wish big, does it?
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