Yet another British backpacker has died on what was meant to be the adventure of a lifetime. STEPHEN LEWIS looks at the risks and the rewards of budget travel.
IT is scarcely possible to imagine the pain of British backpacker Jason Walsh's parents Ian and Stella today. Their 28-year-old son was spending a year in Australia with his girlfriend. It was the couple's first big foreign trip, and they had been planning it for some time.
But the dream trip turned to tragedy on Monday when the bus carrying Jason and other backpackers in northern Australia collided head-on with another vehicle. Jason and a Japanese tourist were killed, and several other travellers were injured.
It is perhaps a parent's worst nightmare. And tragically, such cases seem to happen all too frequently.
Earlier this month, backpacker Kirsty Jones, from Brecon, was raped and murdered in her guesthouse in the northern Thai hill resort of Chiang Mai.
On July 31 four Irish and British travellers, all aged between 20 and 25, were killed near Darwin in northern Australia when a tyre on their car blew out and they veered into the path of a lorry.
And in June 15 people, including six young Britons, died after an arson attack on the Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers, near Brisbane.
David Hughes, manager of York Backpackers Hostel in Micklegate is keen to put things into context.
Yes, he says, there are risks with travel - but there are in crossing the road.
"The murder of the girl in Thailand was a tragedy," he says. "But you can read about similar murders in Manchester, or London, even North Yorkshire. And you might as easily have a fire in a nightclub in France as at the backpackers hostel in Childers.
"You have to keep things in context. There are millions of young people who go travelling every year who have nothing but good experiences. Life is a risk. You can stay in York and there are still risks."
The truth is that as long as there are young people with itchy feet and a world out there to explore, they will go travelling. For the vast majority of young travellers, it does them nothing but good.
Mo Birley, events manager at the Evening Press, admits that she was an emotional wreck when her then 19-year-old daughter Charlotte first went off travelling a couple of years ago.
When Charlotte, now 21, went off on her second round-the-world jaunt earlier this year, Mo was, she admits, a "bit more philosophical" about it. But she still worried.
"You can't help it," she says. "Especially when they don't get in touch every week. You hear about an earthquake or a landslide somewhere and you think: 'Oh, God, is she in that?'"
Letters like the one Charlotte sent her mum from Australia, where she was working on a cattle station, don't exactly help. The letter casually mentioned she'd been mending a fence - while a crocodile watched her.
Then there was the equally casual reference to the blizzard she and two friends got stuck in while trekking in the Himalayas on Charlotte's second jaunt. "Luckily I didn't know about that until afterwards!" Mo admits.
Charlotte, now back home at Huttons Ambo and working to pay off her debts, is cheerfully carefree about her adventures - despite being able to relate some tales that would have turned her mum's hair grey overnight if she'd known about them at the time.
She was back at home when the news broke about the tragic rape and murder of Kirsty Jones in Thailand. Her mum told her about it without saying exactly where in Thailand it happened - and Charlotte's first reaction was: I bet it was Chiang Mai.
She went to the Thai hill resort with two friends, a man and a woman, during her three-month trip around East Asia earlier this year.
"I didn't like it at all," she admits. "There's a big sex industry there. Lots of fat, middle-aged European men driving around on motorbikes with gorgeous Thai women on the back they have bought for the duration of their holiday. It is not a nice atmosphere."
Oddly enough, she says, it was the women themselves who were most threatening. "You can't walk anywhere without seeing these bar girls. They don't care whether you're male or female. If they can get you into bed they will do it. They follow you down the street until you just think: 'leave me alone'." It was her male companion who felt most threatened, she says. "It didn't make any difference that he was with two women."
Another time, travelling by bus through Malaysia to Singapore to catch a flight, Charlotte and her two companions had all their valuables - passports, tickets, money - stolen. Foolishly, they hadn't been wearing their money belts because it was a long journey and they were uncomfortable. Someone in the seat behind rummaged through their bags as they slept and stole everything. Fortunately, Charlotte woke up and realised what happened as the thieves were getting off the bus. There was a chase around a nearby car park, which ended up with the three recovering all their property.
They had to go to the local police station to make statements. "It was a right nightmare," Charlotte admits cheerfully. "We managed to get our flight with about an hour to spare."
Charlotte, though, insists she benefited enormously from her travels. She is, she says, more mature, more open-minded and less judgmental - and she saw some great sights and met some great people.
Mo, despite her worries, agrees.
"You have to let go of the apron strings at some stage," she admits. "She's 21. I'd rather she went off and explored now, when she hasn't got any responsibilities.
"She certainly grew up an enormous amount. She's much more able to stand on her own two feet, much more independent, much more able to understand other people's point of view.
"It was a very good general education - and something which will always stay with her."
That won't stop her worrying next time Charlotte takes off around the world, though. It's what parents are for.
Ways to stay safe
u Keep your passport and other valuables on your person at all times, preferably in a money belt or shoulder holster.
u Split your money up and keep it in different places. Make a note of your credit card and traveller's cheque details somewhere safe
u Be particularly on your guard in places like railway stations and bus stations, where pickpockets may lurk
u Try to be unobtrusive. A brand new rucksack and bright clothing could mark you out as a target
u Plan your route carefully. Use a Rough Guide, Lonely Planet or other travel guide to help you
u Book accommodation ahead where possible
u If you must go off the beaten track, go with a group. Let someone know where you are going, how long for, and when you expect to be back
u If you have a bad feeling about somewhere - leave. If it is a threatening situation, look confident and purposeful and walk briskly away
u If in trouble, yell: but if the worst comes to the worst, give an attacker what they ask for
u Get an e-mail address - and use it to let your parents know you're OK!
Compiled with the help of David Hughes and Andrew Pearce of York Backpackers Hostel and former traveller turned recruitment consultant Kildip James
PICTURE: Rescuers inspect the wreckage of a minibus that crashed in Queensland on Monday, killing two backpackers. BELOW: murder victim Kirsty Jones
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