Discover meaningful Halloween travel for women in midlife — explore global traditions that honour the dead and find healing through intentional journeys.
🎃 A Deeper Meaning to Halloween
When we think of Halloween, we often imagine costumes, pumpkins, and parties. But across the world, this season holds a much deeper significance — a sacred moment to honour the dead and reflect on life’s cycles.
For women in midlife, especially those of us who’ve experienced loss or transformation, this time offers something profound: the chance to travel with intention. To remember, release, and reconnect.
On my recent honeymoon on the Camino de Santiago there were regular opportunities to honour those we have lost and those who were lost on the journey itself. From crosses, to shoes, to photos, to mementoes, to prose and poems, items are left in significant places along the route. One of the most poignant was the Iron Cross (Cruz de Ferro) where pilgrims leave rocks at the base to symbolise the shedding of burdens and in memory of lost loved ones. Larry and I took three stones from our driveway as we were leaving home. We lay one each to honour our past lives and loves and then one together as gratitude for our future.
What can I say? It was emotional!
You can follow our daily journey on my Camino series over on YouTube and if you missed any, they are all HERE to watch anytime.
Below are a few suggestions on where else you can travel to honour those you have lost, what to expect if you do, but most importantly how you can use their traditions on any trip if you have set an intention to remember loved ones. Some may be a little extreme, but others may spark something that connects with you.
Where? Mexico – Día de los Muertos, Oaxaca or Pátzcuaro
Why?
The Day of the Dead is Mexico’s most famous celebration of remembrance. In Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro, families gather around vibrant ofrendas (altars) filled with marigolds, candles, and photos of loved ones. Cemeteries glow through the night with candles, laughter, and song.
What?
Grief and joy can coexist. Bring a photo or keepsake of your loved one and respectfully add it to a local ofrenda. Let the community’s warmth help you reframe remembrance as celebration.
Where? Guatemala – Barriletes Gigantes, Santiago Sacatepéquez
Why?
Each November, Guatemalans send messages to heaven with giant handmade kites that fill the sky above cemeteries. These breathtaking creations connect the living and the dead in a vivid dance of colour and wind.
What?
Before your trip, write a letter to your loved one. When you arrive, release it into the air or tie it to a small kite — a symbolic act of letting go.
Where? Japan – Obon Festival, Kyoto
Why?
Although celebrated in August, Japan’s Obon Festival beautifully embodies remembrance. Families light lanterns to guide ancestral spirits, and Kyoto’s mountains blaze with the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires.
What?
Visit a temple and write a message on an ema plaque. Whether it’s gratitude or a promise to live fully, let it bridge you to your loved one — and to yourself.
Where? Ireland and Scotland – Samhain, the Celtic New Year
Why?
The roots of Halloween lie in Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival marking the transition between harvest and winter. In places like County Meath, Ireland, people still light fires, tell stories, and honour ancestors as the veil between worlds thins.
What?
Use this moment as a personal reset. Light a candle, set intentions for the coming year, and give thanks for the people who helped shape your path.
Where? Madagascar – Famadihana, “The Turning of the Bones”
Why?
In one of the world’s most powerful rituals, Malagasy families exhume and rewrap their ancestors’ remains, dancing joyfully in celebration of their lives. It’s a rare, sacred reminder that love transcends time.
What?
Although this may be a little extreme, why not consider how you might “turn” your own memories — transforming grief into movement, celebration, or creative expression.
Making It Intentional: How to Honour Loved Ones Through Travel
You don’t need to travel across continents to create meaning — but when you do so intentionally, your journey becomes an act of transformation.
Ideas for meaningful travel after loss:
- Create your own ritual. Bring a small token of remembrance and take a quiet moment to give thanks.
- Journal your journey. Write down what your loved one taught you — and how you’re living those lessons now.
- Learn from local customs. Participate respectfully and allow their wisdom to shape your own understanding of remembrance.
- Move through grief. Let travel be your permission slip to heal, to breathe, to find new beginnings.
Finding Light in the Darkness
For many women in midlife, Halloween isn’t about costumes or candy — it’s about connection. It’s about remembering who we’ve loved, who we’ve lost, and who we’re becoming.
Travel, when done with heart and intention, becomes a way to turn remembrance into renewal. This Halloween season, step into the world’s sacred traditions — and you may just find your own spirit rekindled in the process.
So, what ways have you honoured your loved ones on journeys past or plans for the future? Hit reply to this email to let me know or connect via your social method of choice your social method of choice (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads or LinkedIn) to give me all the details.
Date for your Diary
On November 15th I’ll be speaking at the first ever Travel Coach Virtual Summit where over 20 Travel Coaches will be inspiring an audience of travellers to use travel as a tool for healing, personal growth, and transformation. There are some fascinating presentations on the agenda. My talk is titled From Heartbreak to Healing: How Travel Helped Me Rebuild After Loss. There are already over 200 registered so, you can join now using THIS LINK. Even if you can’t join live, by registering you will have access to all presentations.
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Until next time,
Safe Travels
Sue x
P.S. FINAL CALL as prices for my travel coaching and Find Your Way: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Travel Journey will be going up significantly soon. If you’ve ever thought about asking for my help — whether that’s with one-to-one coaching or joining Find Your Way — now is the time to act. This is your chance to invest in yourself before my whole business gets a shake-up. Don’t let the moment pass you by! Hit reply to this email or contact me on sue@suewherewhywhat.com and let’s arrange a Clarity Call to start your journey of transformation today.
This newsletter may contain affiliate links. By using these, Sue Where Why What may receive a small commission for which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own.
More of my Adventures…
Blog – Ireland’s Beautiful Wild Atlantic Way in 5 Days
Blog – Scottish Highlands Itinerary – A Perfect 10 Day Road Trip for The Highlands & Islands
Video – Walking the Camino Francés: A Transformational Journey
And finally, just for you…Receive a small commission for which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own., but you wilmain my own., but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own.
🏠 For accommodation, I use Expedia and Booking.com primarily. They have their own loyalty schemes which is easy to progress through the levels for better discounts and inclusions.
🚍 For tours and activities, my preferred supplier is Get Your Guide.
🚶♀️ For walking and food tours (two of my favourite things to do anywhere), I recommend Walks and Devour Tours.
🗺️ For multi day or week tours, check out G Adventures. I used them for trips in Costa Rica, Peru, and Galapagos.
🤞 I would never leave home without travel insurance. With Safety Wing you can take out an annual policy and pay monthly. This takes the hassle out of having to remember for us regular travellers.
🛫 For cheap flights, check out Skyscanner or join Jacks Flight Club which scans the internet for error fares (UK only).
🧳 For luggage storage on your travels, I recommend the service by Bounce
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