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It’s that time of year again, when thoughts turn to the more macabre tourist destinations. Usually, we’d wheel out a photo of Bran Castle in Transylvania – you know, the one where Vlad the Impaler lived. The legend of Vlad, of course, gave birth to Dracula, which in turn spawned a whole series of knock-offs, good and bad. Lonely Planet’s Robert Reid reckons that the undead have jumped the shark. In Talking Travel 22, he’s ready to talk about the regular dead, and for a scary Halloween tourism experience, he recommends another of Transylvania’s haunted castles. The one you see above is Corvin Castle, and judging by the history of the place, you’re likely to find this place plenty scary. And if you’re going to that part of Romania, why not check out BBC Travel’s “Mini-guide to Transylvania.” And if you’ve read to many Stephenie Meyer novels, and you just have to get your fill of blood-suckers, then not to worry, because Lonely Planet has this article, “In Search of the Real Dracula.” And there’s also Robert’s own “Transylvania Halloween” from two years ago.

Of course, we know there are a lot of other great Halloween-esque destinations. The BBC’s David Allan recommends the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, the Halloween festivities in the Lan Kwai Fong district in Hong Kong, and Sleepy Hallow, New York.

Also in this episode, we spend some time pondering an out-of-this-world holiday in space. Businessmen like billionaire Richard Branson is betting big that enough people will want to fork over tens of thousands of dollars for a few minutes on weightlessness on the very edge of space. Call it the trip of  a lifetime? Sure. The ultimate bucket list item? Most definitely. But tourism? Well, not everyone who has bought the ticket to space, and taken the ride, wants to be called a mere tourist.

How about you? Would you part with $200,000 for a six minute ride in space? Tell us below.

(Photo: Stubes99)