Step aside cheesy ghost tours, “tombstone tourism” is so much more than visiting cemeteries to hear about local legends. In this episode of Unpacked, a seasoned traveler shares why graveyards and tombstones are at the top of her “must-see” list—no matter the destination. 

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Tombstone Tourism: Travel’s Underrated Experience. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

Should I Travel To A Cemetery?

Don’t miss these moments: 

[13:34] Finding solace for a familiar grief in Berlin’s Star Children Gardens

[22:49] Becoming better people and other surprising benefits of tombstone tourism. 

[25:29] Burial changes and a disappearing gravesite in Amsterdam

The Difference Between Graveyards and Cemeteries

Travel journalist Blane Bachelor visits a cemetery every time she travels, not because she’s searching for haunted stories, but because it enriches her experience of a place and her human experience overall. 

She chats with host Aislyn Greene about the cemeteries and graveyards around the world that everyone should visit, the personal benefits of walking through gravesites and how these landmarks can help you travel deeper. 

Resources: 

Read Blane’s full story here.

Explore more of her work on Instagram or on her website. 

Listen to this episode about how tourism can help us grieve. 

Read the transcript of this episode. 

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

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