A normal vacation where you visit scenic places is nice.
You know what is even more memorable?
Visiting completely abandoned ghost towns where whole buildings are intact and you can literally walk into any room in any house you want to.
It definitely gets creepier when it is dark and all the buildings are still there, uninhabited and waiting for your presence.
They are definitely worth the adventure!
1. St. Elmo, Colorado
A mining town, it was built when a railroad was built through it. But then the mines dried out, the town was completely abandoned in 1922. The buildings were left intact.
Fun fact – the belongings of the families that resided are still inside the homes.
2. Bhangarh, Rajasthan, India
The fort has been abandoned since the 172os, but you can see the bazaars and temples very intact. It is reputed to be haunted and famous legends of ghosts surround it.
3. Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
A very old city, established circa 1100 AD, it was a commercial center in Mexico at that time.
4. Bodie, California
Bodie was one of the largest towns in California with over 2000 homes during the gold rush, but then was abruptly abandoned in 20 years since it was founded in 1876.
It had just 90 inhabitants in 1940.
5. Humberstone and Santa Laura, Atacama Desert, Chile
Another mining town, Humberstone still has a fully furnished movie theatre, houses and a swimming pool made from the hull of a ship.
The shops in this ghost town still have their price lists intact.
6. Kayaköy, Anatolia, Turkey
Harsh winter winds have stripped most of the houses in this ghost town without roofs. Originally built in 1700s, it was abandoned in 1920 for political reasons.
A million people used to live in this town when it was alive. Now it is inhabited by less than 2000 people.
7. Pyramiden, Svalbard, Norway
Pyramiden is located on an island that belonged to Sweden once. When the Soviet union formed, this island was given away to the Soviets. All the residents fled in terror leaving the town exactly as it was built. Some of the facilities have not aged a bit in this ghost town.
8. Herculaneum, Naples, Italy
When mount Vesuvius exploded in 79 AD, the whole city of Herculaneum was covered under ash and lava. It was later excavated and many interesting everyday objects were found on the site.
9. Belchite, Zaragoza Province, Spain
Belchite was the main location of a brutal Spanish civil war battle that left most of the buildings battered and abandoned. You can still see the immense damage that battle did to the ghost town.
10. Kolmanskop, Namibia
The city was founded when diamonds were found in its vicinity. Then, when the diamonds ran out, so did the residents. The buildings have been invaded by sand and the whole place has the otherworldly feel to it.
11. Novi Cidade de Kilamba, near Luanda, Angola
The city was designed to hold more than half a million people. It has everything – a five-star hotel, schools, shopping malls – the whole shebang. The only thing missing in this city is people. Only 220 apartments were sold when the city opened.
12. Hashima Island, Japan
This island was one of the most densely populated places on the planet once. But coal mining made the island inhospitable. Getting in and out of the island was also a problem because of the choppy seas.
No one lives on the island today.
13. Pripyat, Ukraine
The city was hurriedly abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster. The city had opened a brand new amusement park on the day it was abandoned.
A big train too lies wasted on the outskirts of the city.
14. Capel Celyn, Wales
The village was drowned purposely to make a bigger reservoir, and the inhabitants left in anger. When the water receded, all that is left now is a ghost city.
15. Spinalonga, Crete
The island was used for military purposes and then as a leper colony in the 1900s. It has been uninhabited since 1965.
16. Sesena, Spain
Located south of Madrid, this city was hurriedly built during the real estate boom. But the profits tapered and the buildings were never sold or completed. Most of the buildings in this ghost town are still unoccupied and unsold.
17. Argentiera, Italy
This ghost city housed one of the most lucrative silver mines in the world. The mine was used by even the Romans. But the city was completely abandoned in the 1960s and has remained like this since then.
18. Tawergha, Libya
The town was emptied in 2006 by the government and has very few residents as of today.
19. Copehill Down, Wiltshire, England
The village was built by the UK as a military training site for its armed forces. Now it is not occupied and the UK government have given up the village so that it remains completely abandoned.
20. Port Arthur, Tasmania
This place was a home to many convicts when Australia was a dumping ground for criminals of the UK. It also witnessed a gruesome massacre in 1996. It is notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Australia.
There, now you have your potential vacation spots sorted for 2016!
Happy travels!