The Last Trip

In the spring of 1989, twenty-year-old Charles Horvath-Allan arrived in the Canadian city of Kelowna, British Columbia.  Like so many young backpackers, he was chasing adventure. He picked up odd jobs, met new people, and settled into a campground near the shores of Okanagan Lake. Then one day, he was simply gone. His tent was still standing. His clothes were still there.  His passport, his photog...

On July 8th, 2014, Lars Mittank walked into an airport in Bulgaria, expecting to fly home after a vacation. Instead, surveillance cameras captured something nobody could explain. Lars suddenly took off running. Not toward his gate. Not to catch a flight. But out of the airport, leaving behind his luggage and phone. Then he climbed a fence, disappeared into a nearby field, and was never seen again....

On July 8th, 2014, Lars Mittank walked into an airport in Bulgaria, expecting to fly home after a vacation. Instead, surveillance cameras captured something nobody could explain. Lars suddenly took off running. Not toward his gate. Not to catch a flight. But out of the airport, leaving behind his luggage and phone. Then he climbed a fence, disappeared into a nearby field, and was never seen again....

In March 2002, Randy Latona was living in paradise.  The American businessman had traded Las Vegas for the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras - a place known for crystal-clear water, coral reefs, and postcard-perfect sunsets.  Shortly after starting a prominent Rum business, Randy was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head.  Authorities ruled it a suicide, but his family vehemently disagree...

Harry Devert was the kind of person who was always chasing the next adventure. A world traveler from New York, he’d spent years backpacking through different countries, sleeping wherever the road took him, and documenting his journeys along the way. But in 2014, during a solo motorcycle trip through Mexico on his way to the World Cup in Brazil… Harry suddenly vanished. Before disappearing, he sent...

In January 1975, Caryn Campbell, a 23 year old nurse from Michigan was in Aspen, Colorado with her fiancee for what should have been a carefree ski vacation. She was young, ambitious, and newly in love - spending the week at a lodge near the Snowmass Ski Area surrounded by friends, tourists, and fresh mountain snow. But on the night of January 12th, Caryn stepped away inside the lodge for just a m...

43-year-old Emma Kelty from London loved anything filled with adventure.  In 2017, she set out to do something few people would ever attempt: travel the entire length of the Amazon River solo. At first, her social media updates were filled with excitement and awe.  But deeper into the jungle, the tone changed. And days later, Emma vanished. Listen as we dive into The Amazon River, the case of Emma...

In 2016 Jenny Chen, originally from China, was living in Seattle when she set out on a solo backpacking trip through Mexico.  For weeks, everything seemed to be going exactly as planned; she stayed in touch, she checked in, and she posted on social media. Until she was schedule to meet her husband in Cancun, and she never arrived. There were rumors, someone said they saw her getting into a truck,...

On January 2, 2018, 28 year old Nathaly Salazar set out for what should have been just another adventure.  She was traveling through southern Peru, exploring the landscapes near Cusco and the Sacred Valley.  But on that day, Nathaly signed up for a zip-lining experience. And she was never seen again. In the days that followed, authorities would piece together a story that didn’t quite add up, ther...

Kate Osborne had been living Bali for a couple of years, building a life, making plans, but preparing—quietly—to return home.  On the night of April 18, 2003, she went out, telling those around her she might be heading to a party… and she was never seen again. Her car was later found abandoned at the airport.  Her bank accounts went untouched.  And despite searches, investigations, and years of th...

At just 21 years old, Sophia Koetsier was working toward her medical degree when she left her home in Amsterdam for an internship in Uganda.  But what started as a humanitarian trip would end in one of the most haunting disappearances in Africa. In October of 2015, after finishing her internship, Sophia set off on a short safari through Uganda’s national parks—a trip meant to celebrate everything...

Michaela McAreavey had just married the love of her life. The ceremony was beautiful — joyful, hopeful, everything a wedding should be.  Just days later, she and her husband John flew to Mauritius for their honeymoon. White sand. Turquoise water. A luxury resort built for romance. Paradise. But twelve days after saying “I do,” on January 10, 2011, Michaela was found murdered in her hotel room at t...

Charlie Hughes traveled to Costa Rica looking for something—sun, connection, maybe even a fresh start. But in August 2019, in the quiet town of Puerto Jiménez, he vanished without a trace. He left his belongings behind. His rental car was later found submerged in a remote river. And the man he had gone there to visit raised more questions than answers. Weeks later, remains were discovered deep in...

On this episode of The Last Trip, we’re speaking with Carrie Mcginnis and Dale Morrision, whose family vacation to the Dominican Republic ended in tragedy. In 2011, they planned a trip to Punta Cana — a rare chance for their whole family to travel together.  They booked ten days at a beachfront resort.  Sun, warm weather, and time together as a family. At first, everything was exactly what they ho...

On August 4th, 2019, 15-year-old Nora Anne Quoirin vanished from a remote eco-resort in Malaysia.  She was on vacation with her family at The Dusun, a rainforest retreat meant for rest and quiet. But that morning, her family woke to find her gone.  The window of her room was open. Nora—who had developmental disabilities and relied heavily on her parents—had disappeared into dense jungle terrain. ...

On March 3, 2011, Rachel Funari - an American woman visiting Tasmania - stepped into that landscape, and vanished.  She was 35, she was alone, and the last confirmed sighting was around 3:30 that afternoon, at a small shack beside the start of the Fluted Cape Walking Track. Then - nothing.  No phone call. No “made it back safe.” No trace of where she went next.  Days later, when friends realize th...

Twenty four year old Ryan Chicovsky was living abroad, teaching English in China and spending his free time doing what so many young travelers dream of - exploring Southeast Asia. In March 2006, he took a vacation to Laos. It was supposed to be a short getaway. Ryan was last seen leaving the Khemkong Guesthouse in Xiangkong - a remote river village in northwestern Laos.  He walked out… and then -...

On April 22, 2010, a 23-year old American hiker, Aubrey Sacco, was last seen on a narrow mountain trail in northern Nepal’s Langtang National Park, a landscape of silent peaks, rushing rivers, and ancient forests. She was experienced, prepared, and confident - a traveler who had already spent months exploring South Asia, teaching yoga, walking markets and monasteries,  making plans to return home...

Today, we’re chatting with Azdean Elmounstaquim, founder of Destinations Morocco and host of the Destinations Morocco Podcast - a show with more than 100 episodes dedicated to helping travelers understand Morocco not just as a destination, but as a living, breathing place filled with stories, customs, and contradictions.  Born and raised in Marrakech, with deep roots in the Berber village of Telou...

Sheila was a Chicago socialite and philanthropist - wealthy, well-connected, and seemingly protected by the world she moved through.  But in August of 2014, she was found dead in Bali. Beaten. Placed inside a suitcase. Left thousands of miles from home.  And the person accused of killing her wasn’t a stranger.  It was her own daughter. What followed was a global media storm - a case that forced un...

On June 30th, 2005, a fishing boat called the Freedom left the San Pedro marina for an overnight trip off the coast of Southern California. When it returned, one man never came back.  Patrick McDermott - a cameraman, a father, and the former partner of Olivia Newton-John.  His car was found parked near the dock.  His wallet, passport, and keys were left behind on the boat.  But Patrick himself had...

On the morning of September 21st, 2015, a young woman walked into a small roadside cafe in Northern California… and never walked back out. Asha Kreimer was 26 years old.  She was far from home, struggling, and in visible distress in the days before she vanished.  Hours earlier, she’d been released from a hospital.  Now, inside a quiet diner near the cliffs of Mendocino County, she stood up from th...

The Rainbow Gathering promises freedom.  A place where strangers become family, where the rules of the outside world fall away, and the road ahead feels endless. In the summer of 2018, 18 year old Amber Robinson followed that promise into the woods of Georgia.  She was young, curious, and chasing connection.  At the gathering, she met a man. When the drums faded and the camp dispersed, the two lef...

Terrence Woods Jr. was supposed to be on an adventure of a lifetime. He was a young filmmaker from Maryland, working his way up the industry ladder, hired to shoot a gold-mining reality series deep in the Idaho wilderness.  He’d texted his dad that he’d be home earlier than planned… that something had shifted and he couldn’t wait to get back. But on October 5th, 2018, as the crew wrapped for the d...

The people you meet on the road can become confidants, lifelines, or, in some cases,  the most dangerous variables of all.  Melissa Rodway has spent years listening to - and living - those stories.   She’s recorded more than 180 adventure travel podcast episodes, and sat across from travelers and survivors as they unpack experiences that were thrilling, disorienting, and sometimes deeply unsettlin...