Vacations should be a time for relaxing and having fun, and aside from the depressing realization that you're not going to get another one for a whole year, the only things you want to bring home are some nice souvenirs for yourself and some cheap ones for friends. But there are some vacation destinations that might send something extra home with you. Some places come with a curse.
10. Koh Hingham, Thailand
The beaches of the little island of Koh Hingham are undeniably beautiful, covered with smooth black and white rocks. No one lives there, and visitors need to find someone on the nearby island of Koh Lipe who's willing to take them. The trip lasts about 20 minutes, and once you're there, you'd better make sure that you don't take anything back with you.
According to the legend, the stones and beaches are protected by an ancient curse, cast by the god of Tarutao. Anyone who dares take a stone from the island disrespects the god, and in doing so, brings upon themselves a lifetime of bad luck. Even the tiniest pebble can invoke the curse on anyone who disrespects the wishes of the gods. And when it comes to any deity that's promising bad luck, we're thinking it's better to be safe than sorry.
Every year, though, people ignore those words of wisdom, and more than a few tourists are said to have visited the island and scoffed at the curse, taking some of the smooth stones home with them. Many of those stones are mailed back in an attempt to break the curse that has followed them. Thailand's national parks departments say they receive packages every year containing the gemstone-like rocks that people have taken home and later regretted.
While you're on the beach, though, you can play with the rocks as you see fit. Many visitors leave behind messages written on the black and white stones. Others build miniature stupas and leave something behind—all their deepest wishes, prayers, and desires.
9. Ye Olde Cross Pub's Dirty Bottles, England
If you're planning an English vacation that covers more than just London, one of the most iconic locations you can include on your itinerary is Alnwick Castle. For the last 700-odd years, the famous castle (which has been seen in everything from Downton Abbey to Harry Potter) has overlooked the even older town of Alnwick. And not far from the castle is a little pub, officially called Ye Olde Cross Inn. Its strange front window is sealed off against a deadly curse.
The pub has been dated to sometime in the 17th century, and today it bears a different name: The Dirty Bottles. That's because sealed between two windows in the front of the pub are a set of old, dusty bottles. It's a sharp contrast to the sophisticated, modern look that the pub sports now. However, the bottles are such a part of the pub's history that when it was redone, the bottles stayed—safely out of reach of curious guests.
According to the story, the bottles were originally arranged in the window by the pub's innkeeper. As he was setting up the display, no doubt hoping to tempt passersby with the promise of a tasty beverage, he had a heart attack and died on the spot. The innkeeper's widow placed a curse on the bottles, saying that anyone who moved or touched them would suffer the same fate as her husband. The display was sealed, and the bottles remain.
It's not clear if there were any other instantaneous deaths attributed to the ill-fated bottles, but there's something poetic about the legacy of the bottles and the old innkeeper. He was trying to attract customers with his display, and hundreds of years later, it's still doing exactly that.
8. Pele's Curse, Hawaii
Around eight million tourists head to the beautiful island paradise of Hawaii every year. Sadly, over the last 50 years or so, they've had an incredibly detrimental impact on the state's wild beauty. Many were taking souvenirs (usually lava rocks) home with them, but fortunately, the goddess Pele was there to look over her island.
