Get ready for some good ol’ wholesome vacation suggestions, my sweet friends.
Everybody’s got their reason for traveling, be it for the beautiful locales, incredible cultural experiences, rugged landscapes, et al. But what about those of us with extremely specific interests that reside outside of these (very nice) reasons? We have compiled a list of this week’s weirdest and extremely specific reasons to travel this fall, and approximately five kinds of people who will be very into them (er, one of them, at least).
You Never Forgot Lisa Frank and You Never Will
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, many of us dreamed of living inside of a Lisa Frank product but settled for staring at a notebook or trapper keeper. Well, now you can book a stay at the Lisa Frank Flat, a hotel room decked the heck out in everything Lisa Frank, created by Hotels.com. The pop-up will be located in Downtown Los Angeles, starting on October 11 and lasting through October 27 (a very limited time engagement, so get on this quick!).
Some important features of this rental are a dolphin-shaped toilet paper holder, a kitchen stocked with a “90s era snacks,” and a desk filled with all of the Lisa Frank school supplies (for you, an adult, to perhaps get some homework done).
You Want to See This Highly Radioactive and Infamous Part of Chernobyl
Since the miniseries Chernobyl came out on HBO (and won several Emmy awards), there has been a huge surge in Chernobyl tourism. People have been flocking to the nuclear powerplant and site of the 1986 disaster that resulted in an explosion that killed 31 people and exposed millions more to deadly radiation. Tourists have been visiting Pripyat (the city of surrounding the site) for years, but now Chernobyl tour companies have confirmed that the Reactor 4 Control Room (previously off-limits) is now available for touring—that is, as long as you wear a full hazmat suit (and get tested for radiology afterward).
Recommended Fodor’s Video
You Love Doughnuts, But Also Are Cool With Robe Swings and Ball Pits
This pop-up is essentially a doughnut shop created by the chain Doughnut Time, but it’s also…a lot more than that? It’s a place deemed a “playground for adults” to buy doughnuts and then also do things like swing on a rope into a ball pit or take photos of your friends in front of colorful backdrops and neon lights. There is also a diving board for the ball pit (which they are referring to as “a pool”) and you can sit in loungers around the pool (aka the ball pit).
Another thing you can do, and perhaps the most important thing, is to order one of the chain’s cleverly named doughnuts (a Philled Collins, anyone?) from the counter. Doughnut Time World is located in Holburn, London. It’s open seven days a week and it’s free.
You LOVE Bats
Bat tourism is a thing, and guess what, now’s time for it—especially because bats are in trouble, due to loss of habitat and disease caused by a fungus found in caves in the eastern to the central United States. One of the best ways to help preserve these bats is by visiting them. “Bat tourism is important because it helps communities have a reason to sustain large populations of bats,” says associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lisa Pennisi.
This doesn’t mean you have to crawl into a cave—and, actually, please don’t. Pennisi says the best places to see bats (safely) are places easily accessible so that you don’t risk bothering them and endangering them more. Bat conservation organizations can help you plan this, but a few of the popular locations include Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bracken Cave, and Congress Avenue Bridge (both in Texas).
You Love to Take Photos of Yourself
Pop-ups specifically created for you to take photos of yourself in them (so, every pop-up, essentially) have become ubiquitous around the nation, the most “well-known” being the Museum of Selfies, which tours around and opened last year in Hollywood. Now the “museum” is popping up in the Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas starting on October 25—a convenient location for travelers who love to take photos of…themselves…because Las Vegas is also home to several other “selfie” sites (and they’re free, as opposed to the $23 you’ll spend on an adult ticket to the Museum of Selfies).Nevada has deemed themselves the “selfiest state in America, with plenty of options for you to take a photo of yourself in front of something interesting. Some places of note include various areas of Downtown Las Vegas, like the new Showgirl Gateway sign welcoming you to the downtown area or the Fremont East Crosswalk, at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.