After Dark: One Year

Death Kissed Traveler is officially one year old — and what better way to celebrate than by going back to where it all began? In this special anniversary episode, I’m sharing how my lifelong love of theme parks, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Epcot, RollerCoaster Tycoon, and my strange fascination with ride accidents turned into a podcast about the darker side of the places we travel to escape. What started as a show about amusement park accidents and hauntings has become so much more — hidden history, circus tragedies, fairs, true crime, folklore, mermaids, abandoned parks, environmental rabbit holes, and the eerie stories that still linger after the gates close. And of course, we’re celebrating with one of the strangest stories I’ve ever covered: Sam the Sandown Clown — a seven-foot-tall, part clown, part alien, part robot figure from Isle of Wight folklore. A story that feels like a circus nightmare, a cryptid encounter, and a ghost story all rolled into one. So come celebrate one year of Death Kissed Traveler with me as we look back at the stories, the lessons, the chaos, the hauntings, and the painted faces in the dark. Produced by Sun-Kissed Traveler. Visit sun-kissedtraveler.com for a free vacation quote and show sources. Written by Marissa Benson.  Music and Sound Effects Epidemic Sound.  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deathkissedtravelerpodcast/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deathkissedtravel?_t=ZT-90F2Dn2tEU9&_r=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Da6bkCo3o/?mibextid=wwXIfr Keywords: year one, dark history, ride accidents, haunted, horror, history, sam, sam the sandown clown, sam the clown, amusement parks, theme parks, circus, folklore