The Last Trip

In March 2020, 18 year old Eloi Rolland left his homestay on Auckland’s North Shore  just before dawn. He was a French exchange student - curious, soft-spoken,  and enchanted by New Zealand’s beauty. That morning he opened Google Maps and searched the word Piha . A remote black-sand beach known for its cliffs, its isolation… and its danger. He caught a bus, then a train. CCTV caught him walking al...

In 1975, a musician named Jim Sullivan got into his car and left Los Angeles behind. He was heading east, chasing a new beginning - or maybe running from something he couldn’t name. He was tall, handsome, magnetic - and his music carried that same restless energy.  Songs about highways, lost souls, and vanishing into the unknown. The kind of lyrics that feel like they’re trying to tell you somethi...

May 12, 2004 - a day that began like any other for the Devries family.  They were on vacation in Aruba, seeking a moment’s peace, maybe a bit of hope, after a great loss.  Fourteen year old Max, eager for an adventure, asked to go out on a jet ski with a man they recently befriended. By afternoon, that simple request would become the portal to a mystery no one has solved. The man returned - alone....

It was April 1st, 1981, when Johnny Waterman, a 29 year old brilliant climber and haunted soul, set out from the Mountain House deep in the Ruth Glacier of Denali National Park.  His goal was the East Buttress of Denali, approached via the northwest fork of the Ruth - an audacious, almost impossible route in the winter. He carried remarkably little: a sled, snowshoes, not much food, and wands to m...

Rebecca Middleton was just 17 years old - on the trip of a lifetime with her best friend - when a chance encounter shattered everything.  What should have been sun-drenched days of beaches and laughter turned into one of the most brutal and baffling murders the island had ever seen. But the horror of Rebecca’s death was only the beginning. What followed was a twisted path of botched investigations...

It was just before dawn on August 12th, 1992, when thirty-six year old Pamela June Ray pulled into a motel parking lot in Panama City Beach, Florida.  Her two young children were asleep in the backseat, unaware their lives were about to change forever. Pamela was seen speaking with a man near the motel pool. She locked the car, left her children inside, and walked away with him into the early morn...

He was a lawyer, an activist, a wild, larger-than-life figure who thrived in chaos. Then, one day in 1974, Oscar Zeta Acosta boarded a boat in Mexico—and vanished. No witnesses. No body. Just whispers of murder, political revenge, or a man bold enough to erase himself. Half a century later, the question still lingers: what really happened to Oscar Zeta Acosta? Listen as we dive into the Mazatlán,...

On the night of July 6th, 2019, in western Nebraska, a young father seemingly vanished into thin air.  He was Chance Englebert, a 25 year old welder, cowboy and newlywed - gone without a trace.  Earlier that day, Chance had been visiting his in-laws when a casual round of golf turned tense due to some remarks about his new job that angered him.  Upset, he told his wife he wanted to go back home to...

In the fall of 2017, Enrique Garibay Ruiz—a physicist, mathematician, and writer—left Budapest for what he promised would be a short trip to the United States. He visited New York, then flew west to Los Angeles, checking into a hostel and renting a gray Toyota RAV4. He told his family he’d be home soon. But Enrique never came home. On October 3rd, he checked out of the hostel.  On October 4th, he...

Christina "Licorice" McKechnie was once at the heart of the 1960s counterculture - singing with the Incredible String Band, recording on celebrated albums, and performing on the stage at Woodstock. But after the mid-1970s, her story begins to blur. By the mid-1980s, she had seemingly vanished. There are no police records, no clear timeline, and no obituary. Just scattered whispers, half-remembered...

It was spring break on Florida’s Gulf Coast - sun, surf, and twenty-two college students crammed into a rental house along Panama City Beach.  Among them was 21 year old Reny Jose, a student from Rice University with a bright future ahead of him.   But on the night of March 3, 2014, Reny stepped out into the evening and was never seen again.  By the next morning, his friends reported him missing. ...

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime - a luxury island resort in the Maldives, white sand beaches, turquoise water stretching endlessly toward the horizon. For Giedre Vaskyte, a 33 year old Canadian woman, it was a last quiet getaway before her life changed forever.  She was eight months pregnant, and the baby’s due date was just weeks away.  In February 2021, she checked into the intercon...

Mark Kilroy was a bright, athletic college student - a pre-med major with a promising future.  Blowing off steam on a spring break getaway to the sun-drenched border town of Matamoros, Mexico.  But somewhere between the neon-lit bars and crowded streets, Mark vanished without a trace. At first, it looked like another spring break gone wrong - just a kid who wandered off. But what investigators wou...

It was the start of a perfect weekend in September 2009 when 61-year-old Melvin Nadel - black belt, seasoned bowhunter, and respected gym owner - set out on a hunting trip near Pecos, New Mexico. While his friends ventured out, Mel stayed near camp. But when they returned before dark, he was gone. His Jeep was locked. His gear untouched. Trackers followed his scent just a few hundred feet - and th...

In February 2013, 20 year old Crishtian Hughes flew to San Francisco to visit friends, he was excited for a weekend away. He told his mom he'd be home in a few days, but Crishtian never came back. The night before his flight home, he left his friend's house in the middle of the night - and vanished.  Over a decade later, his family is still waiting. Still searching.  Still asking the same chilling...

In March 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts packed her Jeep Cherokee, grabbed her cat—and vanished.  Not without a trace, but into the vast, mist-covered wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by Jack Kerouac, Leah set off from North Carolina on a soul-searching road trip, leaving behind a trail of personal tragedy: the sudden death of both parents and a near-fatal car crash. She carried $3,000...

A dream vacation in Cancun. A luxury resort by the sea. A second chance at love.... that ended in murder. Monica Beresford-Redman was vibrant, successful, and the heart of L.A.'s salsa scene. When she vanished from the Moon Palace Resort, paradise quickly turned into a nightmare. Her body was discovered strangled and hidden near the hotel - and the spotlight turned to her reality TV producer husba...

In the early hours of April 21st, 2007, 22-year-old Paul Carter vanished somewhere between Portsmouth, England, and St. Malo, France. He boarded the overnight ferry with his workmates - but by morning, Paul was gone.  No one saw him leave. No one heard a thing. The sea was calm. The alarms stayed silent. Did he go overboard unnoticed? Some believed he walked off into the fog of St. Malo. Others ar...

We’re diving into one of the most perplexing travel mysteries in recent history — the disappearance and tragic death of Judy Smith. In April of 1997, Judy traveled to Philadelphia with her husband, a routine trip that took a bizarre turn when she vanished without a trace. Five months later, her remains were discovered hundreds of miles away in the rugged mountains of North Carolina. How did a lovi...

He was young, ambitious, and heir to one of the most powerful families in American history.  But Michael Rockefeller wasn’t chasing money, politics, or prestige.  He was chasing meaning… Art. Culture. A sense of connection that no trust fund could buy. In 1961, the 23 year old Harvard graduate vanished off the coast of what is now Indonesia - just moments after saying he thought he could make it t...

A road trip gone wrong.  A young mother driving alone.  A motel room untouched — and a rental car abandoned, hazard lights still blinking on a desolate Pennsylvania highway. In April 1994, 23-year-old Karen Denise Wells left Oklahoma for New Jersey.  She never arrived.  Somewhere between a late-night fast food stop and her motel, Karen disappeared — leaving behind a trail of unsettling clues, myst...

Tom and Eileen Lonergan set off for what should have been an unforgettable day diving the Great Barrier Reef - clear skies, calm waters, and a boat full of tourists just like them. But when the dive boat returned to the shore, no one noticed they were missing. Not at first.  Not for two whole days, until it was discovered their belongings were still on the boat - wallets, passports, towels… untouc...

When we talk about travel nightmares, we often picture what lurks outside - dark alleys, strangers with bad intentions, stories that begin with a missed train or a wrong run. But sometimes… the danger is already inside. Today, we’re opening the door on something even more haunting: fire.  Sudden. Consuming, Unforgiving. Because for some travelers, the scariest part of their journey wasn’t a distan...

When we pack our bags and check into a hostel, we’re chasing adventure. A new city, a bunk bed, the promise of strangers who might become friends - or at least someone to split a cab with. And honestly? I love staying in hostels.  I’ve stayed in them all over - tiny ones in coastal towns to big ones in the heart of cities. They’re chaotic, friendly, weird, and wonderful. And for the most part, the...

Today on The Last Trip, we’re diving into the darker side of travel with someone who knows exactly where the bodies are buried - literally and figuratively. Dawn Barclay is an award - winning travel journalist with a knack for uncovering  the truth behind paradise.  You might know her from her groundbreaking guide Traveling Different, which helps neurodiverse families navigate the chaos of vacatio...