“We will never remember anything by sitting in one place waiting for the memories to come back to us of their own accord! Memories are scattered all over the world. We must travel if we want to find them and flush them from their hiding places!”

― Milan Kundera

What is a wedo pilgrimage?

What makes a journey a weirdo pilgrimage and not just another trip?

The three factors below summarize the qualities of a weirdo pilgrimage.

1. Quirky or uncommon destination – it ain’t a Cabo resort.

2. The location has a supernatural, enigmatic, or paranormal element.
There is often an air of mystery, tales of hauntings, high strangeness or cryptids, or an unusual history associated with the destination.

3. The traveler is seeking something. They are hoping for an insight into a mysterious event, understanding of a paranormal anomoly, or an unusual instructive encounter. The desire for unverified personal gnosis (UPG) is always part of the attraction and a key objective of a weirdo pilgrimage.

Traditionally defined, a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place in service of higher purpose or spiritual significance. 

With the weirdo pilgrimage – others may look at you funny and ask why you are going there when you tell them where you’re headed. They may continue looking at you strangely when you explain your reasons. A weirdo pilgrimage seldom makes sense to anyone but the pilgrim.

Seeking exalted meaning or understanding is a key part of any pilgrimage, with a weirdo pilgrimage it is no different. What is sought, though, often has a hint of eerie mystery or strange sacredness. The journey may be to a well-travelled sacred site, a destination known for high strangeness, or a location that has meaning only for the pilgrim.

The traveler might be tracking down a place from childhood that has sparked a powerful longing or a memory that fills them with a peculiar, compelling nostalgia.

Sometimes, the pilgrim doesn’t understand the draw of a particular destination, but they feel an abnormal pull to the place. They may have found that when they heard the name of the place or encountered a story about the location, they felt an unnatural draw and had to visit.

Some weirdo pilgrimages are undertaken simply to scratch an itch or find out why a place inspires such strange and strong curiosity.

As with a traditional pilgrimage, on a weirdo pilgrimage, the traveler is seeking meaning (and possibly a mystical experience) that will change their understanding of the self and their relation to the cosmos or expand their knowledge about a matter dear to them (typically oddball obsessions or bizarre interests).

Where We’ve Been…

• Mysterious Miamisburg
  Visiting one of the largest mounds in eastern North America.
• Haunted Lily Dale
  A journey to the mystical New York Spiritualist’s hamlet.