I Always Visit a Cemetery When I Travel—Here's Why You Should, Too

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.

** New Opportunity: What's one tricky travel topic you want us to unpack? Send us a voice message here, for a chance to weigh in and be featured in an upcoming episode. **

Tombstone Tourism: Travel’s Underrated Experience. In this episode you’ll learn:

How visiting a cemetery can give you cultural insight into the places you visit.

The social and health benefits of walking through a cemetery.

Some of the cemeteries you should add to your list, and what makes them unique.

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.