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When we think about traveling, we often picture adventure and excitement. Most times, that's exactly what we get, along with souvenirs, social media reels and memories that stick with us for life.
But every now and then, the trip takes a turn. Instead of poolside cocktails or scenic mountaintop views, you find yourself sprinting through an airport or freezing at 2 a.m. And for Indonesians, let’s be honest, the occasional ghost sighting isn't that far-fetched.
Still, it's often the parts we didn't plan—the wrong turns, the eerie detours, the mysterious figures on quiet roads—that make for the best stories. You probably wouldn’t want to relive them, but you’ll definitely never forget them.
We asked for your strangest, spookiest, most chaotic travel tales. You delivered. Here are the top stories we received, edited slightly for style and maximum scare.
1. The villas that never sleep
Muhammad Sinatra, 33
During a field research trip in the jungles of Kalimantan in 2022, I had to stay in several villas usually occupied by workers on short-term assignments.
They were—unbeknownst to me—haunted.
The first villa was uneventful until the final night, when a worker said that one of his colleagues had been assaulted in his dreams by a female ghost. Repeatedly.
That same night, at exactly midnight, something knocked on my window. Not the door. The window, even though it was set in a part of the house fenced off from outside access.
Then came Villa 2. When I arrived, the owner gave me the most haunted room, joking, “badan kamu paling gede” (you’re the biggest one here). Every night, something—or someone—rapped on the door, the cupboards, the table. It sounded like... dancing.
But the real horror wasn’t in my room. My friend, who’d been assigned the “least haunted” room, woke up to find a dark figure trying to shove her off the bed. She ran, trembling, to sleep in someone else’s room.
2. The welcoming local
@xadcici, 23
In May 2024, my family and I found ourselves driving across Sulawesi for my grandfather’s funeral, forced into a grueling two-day, two-night road trip after the eruption of Mount Ruang shut down most airports.
It was around midnight on the remote Palu-Mamuju road when it happened.
As our car sped through the darkness, with the light from our headlights cutting through the dense forest, my mother saw her.
A woman, alone by the roadside. Long hair. White dress. She raised her hand and waved. At first, my mom thought she was just a local. But as we drove on, the woman reappeared.
Again. And again. Always at the edge of the road, always waving.
My mother realized this was no ordinary person. She began whispering prayers under her breath, asking for God’s protection as we passed through that eerie stretch of forest. Only when we reached Manado did she tell us what she saw, chuckling softly as if it was nothing unusual. But to me, it was a night I’ll never forget.
3. Don’t look up
Eli, 48
It was December 2019 and I arrived at an isolated hotel in Berau, East Kalimantan. The lobby was silent, but for the steady tick of a grandfather clock. I was given what they called their “quietest room”.
When I entered, it was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of hush that presses against your skin.
At 1:00 a.m., it began.
A faint scraping sound. Slow. Deliberate. From above.
I lay in bed with the covers drawn tight, my ears straining. The sound wasn't coming from the pipes. Not rodents. No, it was closer. It was a dragging sound, as if brittle, ancient nails were scraping along the inside of the ceiling.
I held my breath. The noise stopped.
Then, directly overhead, I heard a tap, tap, tap. Steady. Rhythmic. Too measured to be random.
Dread prickled my scalp. The ceiling sagged slightly, as though something or someone were pressing down on it, moving, pacing, waiting.
My mind raced. Should I check the ceiling? Should I stay in bed? What do I do if I come face-to-face with something—or someone—from the other side?
I decided to run to the door and bolted to the lobby.
4. In the dead of a wintry night/A winter horror tale
FM, 28
It started with a deal: 12 euros (US$14.13) for a ferry from Helsinki, Finland, to Tallinn, Estonia. Too good to pass up. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 8 a.m., which meant we needed to be there by 7:30 at the latest.
We booked a morning train from the city of Tampere to Helsinki, thinking we had time. But a closer look at the schedule proved otherwise—we’d be cutting it too close. So we changed our plans, opting for a late-night train that left Tampere just before midnight.
It included a two-hour layover in a small town called Riihimäki, but we figured we’d just wait at the station. Sleep a little, stay warm, no problem.
But when we got there at 2 a.m., the station was closed.
We were stuck outside. In the middle of Finnish winter. In negative 7 degrees Celsius.
We started walking. Looking for anything—a 24-hour café, a gas station, a supermarket. Nothing.
And then, just as we were about to give up, we saw a bar.
We were saved.
We survived getting stuck in the middle of nowhere in the winter.
5. Where is my daughter now?
Leonnie, 28
My cousin’s friend was visiting a theme park abroad with her five-year-old daughter for the holidays. This was a few years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mother had to use the restroom. She told her daughter to wait just outside—right there, in front of the bathroom entrance. But when she stepped back out, her daughter was gone, lost in the crowd.
Security swept the area. They searched until the park closed. But they found nothing, no trace. She was never found.
Never leave your child unattended, even when you think they're old enough. Some horrors have nothing to do with the paranormal.
