Adventures abroad.

Marmight

*Lucca*. I was in Paris 67/68. Some time to be there !

Maybe we met ! My parents tried to make me come home when I wrote about the riots.....no chance.

Many years backpacking around SE Asia gave me lots of experiences many good, some not so good. Probably the most scary was when I found myself alone in a B&B accessible only by small boat somewhere in the Lao/Thai border. I had spent a couple of weeks in Laos and was heading back to Bangkok. The village was very poor with huts on stilts but the B&B was rather opulent with all mod cons.
The only other guest was a very well dressed Chinese man who was being extremely well looked after with a banquet laid out for him. The owner told me they couldn’t offer me any food so I went out to find something. On returning to the B&B I quickly realised that in all probability he was a large scale drug dealer making arrangements for goods crossing the border. No one knew where in the world I was and had they decided to dispose of me for seeing too much no one would ever have found me.
I bolted myself in my room, sat up all night with a knife in my hand and left at first light to find the next boat to the Thai border crossing.

I hitch hiked across Europe when I was about 16, then at 19 I went to live in America and hitch hiked from New York down to Florida. When I hitch hiked in Europe we rarely had any problems but in America the people who picked us up were very scary! In the end, when we got to Florida we just turned round and headed back to New York as none of us (we were three girls) felt safe. Looking back at some of the scrapes we got into I would not want my own child to experience them!

I lived with my parents until I married at 20. Fortunately we got a chance to live in Germany for three years. It was our first time abroad. I regret not having some carefree girls holidays before marrying but none of us could afford it.

No gap year but remember I went on one holiday on my own. I went on travels when 21 met up with a few others together in a Ford Transit three days to Greece, Thassos. Belgium Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia Greece. Drove on German Autobhan, loved seeing the white window shuttered Austrian houses on the way, stopped off at a place in Yugoslavia to sample a small dark coffee. Thassos to a campsite and my tent. I found a tavern there spent time sampling the local drink Ouzo, saw Greek dancing joined in. I became friends with the young ferry operator Yanis He showed me around the island which was lovely saw the amphitheater walked and talked learnt a few Greek words. Took ferry to next town wondered around and tried the dish moussaka tasty. I remember one day it was very hot tried to find shade under a tree. I enjoyed staying on the island. Greece beautiful scenery.

Married very young (16) and never did any foreign travel or had any real adventures. Wish I had. The most adventurous thing I ever managed was a 2 nights coach trip to spend New Year in Paris, with DH2 and daughter, in about 1990. That was nice, but a one off and not especially exciting or risky!

Joined 2 friends and decided to be a hippy sleeping rough wherever. I lasted 2 nights sleeping in woods near Brighton. Woke up 2nd morning surrounded by little boys excited to see us. Unknown to us we were in the grounds of a private boarding school. Went home that day and decided this was not for me. I was 17.

First trip to Nairobi as new cabin crew, was chatted up by one of the locals who made a point of checking out the new air crew arrivals at our hotel ( the lovely old Norfolk then,)

He took me in his old Beetle car on a tour of the local big game park. Drove off track (strictly not advised!) to find lions.
And did find them, at least 2 apparently snoozing under a tree with enormous bellies evidently stuffed with the insides of a large eland.
So I got some really good photos pretty close up - only then the car got stuck on the rough ground and the bugger told me I’d have to get out and push! With 2 lions no more than 10 feet away.

‘It’s fine!’ he said, rubbishing my instant ‘No Way!’ ‘I’m an old hand - they’re full and half asleep, they won’t do anything.’

Funnily enough I refused to take his word for it, and eventually he managed to shift the car. Talk about phew!

After marrying and having my 3 babies very young, I didn’t have many escapades ..... however, as a divorcee in my 40’s, I had a few hilarious incidents when my daughter lived in Zakynthos for 4 years with her then Greek boyfriend, and I visited regularly. On 3 separate occasions over the 4 years, friends of the boyfriend had offered me a lift home after big nights out together. I felt safe as they were all known to my daughter and her man. To get back to my daughters place we had to drive over a small mountain, that was sign posted “Best View of the Island”. The 1st time, I was asked if I’d like to see the view as it’s amazing at night .... so I said yes in all innocence .... and ended up fighting the driver off ! The 2nd time with a different friend, he asked me if I wanted to see the “Best View” I said no thanks straight away and ..... the 3rd time, I was told by yet another young friend .... that he’d drop me home and en Route show me the “Best View” .... I said no detours straight away and he just laughed .... so it’s obviously a nocturnal bonking place ! Another time, the boyfriends uncle took both my daughter and I out on his boat, does Shirley Valentine spring to mind ?.... The uncle told me about this beautiful cave everyone swims in, so in I went, and my daughter was sunbathing. All of a sudden the uncle swam up behind me and I suddenly twigged that it wasn’t sightseeing he was after .... unfortunately for him, I used to swim for Sussex so did a record breaking exit from the cave. When I reached the boat my daughter was laughing her head off, she knew that by the speed I was swimming exactly what had happened ?‍♀️?‍♀️ And we still laugh about it now ....

I wanted to go to New Zealand when I finished trading as a nurse. You could go under the immigration scheme for 2 years. I had Aunts and cousins there. I was 23 but needed my fathers permission as I wasn't married and under 25. My father wouldn't sign the paper work so I didn't get to New Zealand .

No gap year but I worked as a tour guide for a while, escorting groups to India and the Far East.
On one trip to India we had gone on a day trip into the mountains of Kashmir and after lunch at a local hotel in the middle of nowhere we went for a walk and sat by a river with a lot of white water. After a while the group left but I stayed a bit longer and when I stood up to go back to the hotel I couldn't see it anywhere! A group of shepherds approached and offered me a lift back to Srinigar. I refused and eventually saw the roof of our coach just hidden in a dip. What a relief! I think about it still and how dangerous it was to be alone and surrounded by local men, gives me the creeps.
This was 1981 and a British girl had disappeared in Kashmir at that time and has never been found.

Kircubbin2000

"Yes I think we did. Everyone we met was nice and the only time we felt threatened was in Marseilles when 3 Frenchmen drove us to a deserted area to scare us but nothing happened. I think in those days there was not the same drug culture or* groups of male Immigrants that you might meet now*. "
Explain yourself. That's a disgusting remark what are you insinuating exactly?

I too had many adventures in the 70’s in Iran, Turkey, Far East, Middle East and all sorts of places. BUT I’m watching The Serpent on BBC1 and my god I think I’m lucky to have escaped many extremely dodgy encounters.
I suggest you watch it and see if you feel the same.
I certainly would be cautious about kids going on Gap Year shenanigans.

My friend had a red Mini. the original kind. We drove to the south of France in it in summer ‘74. We’d booked into a campsite in St Tropez. Well...we arrived late at night and checked in. The man told us to follow him in the car whilst he was on a bicycle.
He took us to our tent and we went straight to bed. We awoke next morning and my friend said she’d put the awning up while I put the kettle on. She quickly came back in red faced and told me to look outside. We were on a nudist campsite! Everyone was starkers. We’d no idea when we booked that it was a nudist site. We did manage to go topless after a couple of days but that was it. We did have a brilliant holiday though and although my friend now lives in Texas we often reminisce about our French holiday and end up laughing our heads off.

I was in my 20's and working for an airline so decided to visit my cousin who was working in Nairobi. As my cousin was living in a bed sit I wasn't able to stay with her but I booked a cheap hotel nearby via the airline staff travel office. The hotel was pretty basic and a bit strange. There were security guards with pangas (like machetes) positioned along the corridor outside the rooms. I hardly slept a wink that night as there was a constant noise, doors banging, people shouting etc etc. It all felt quite scary and a bit odd.
The next day my cousin arrived early and informed me that having told a few people where I was staying it turned out that I had spent the night in a brothel! Luckily one of her friends was able to put me up with them and I exited the "hotel" very swiftly.

I never went abroad before I met DH in my early 20's. After we married it was several years before I got pregnant so we had several holidays which we booked ourselves, no internet or mobiles in those days, travelling to places un-known to tourists. Had some great adventures and feel lucky to have seen places before they became over-run with tourists.

NannyC1

Kircubbin2000

"Yes I think we did. Everyone we met was nice and the only time we felt threatened was in Marseilles when 3 Frenchmen drove us to a deserted area to scare us but nothing happened. I think in those days there was not the same drug culture or* groups of male Immigrants that you might meet now*. "
Explain yourself. That's a disgusting remark what are you insinuating exactly?

Yes.. I've been puzzling over that post too. Are you saying male immigrants are criminals by nature? That's a completely dreadful thing to say.

Coconut. That must be the same cave where I was touched up by the old guy who took us out on a boat trip.

I can't see anything dreadful about the remark. It's well known that large numbers of young single men have come alone to Europe from countries where women are covered,not respected or given freedom. Sex would be forbidden with the girls at home.
Would you be happy or feel safe in places where you might meet these groups?

Had a few hairy experiences, mostly involving Italian men!

Also in most large cities now you find many pickpockets and tricksters that you did not see when I was travelling. The last time I was in Madrid 2 girls showed me their map and asked for directions. I noticed that the map was spread over my bag. Then soon after in a shop another 2 girls crowded against us and attempted a theft.Nothing like this ever happened when we were young.

I grew up in South Africa. We lived near Pretoria. When I was 20 I decided to go to Durban and then on to Cape Town for a holiday, and took a plane trip to Durban. On arriving I went to find the local YMCA and found it was closed. However the janitor said I could stay the night and showed me into a dormitory. He gave me a blanket which smelt very strongly of dog.

Next day I found a nice hotel and checked in before going to the beautiful beach. I wore a white bathing suit. While sunning mysef a man approached and said I was very pretty and would I like to have dinner later with him? I was very naive and said yes. After a nice dinner at a swanky restaurant he said he was a professional photographer and thought I could make it as a model. He would take the photos in his flat. So of course I agreed and we went to his nice flat, where he showed me a lot of portfolios of girls in bathing suits and told me how he had made them famous....After a while I started getting very nervous and while he was in the loo I made my escape and bolted out into the night and went back to my hotel... Never saw him again... missed my chance perhaps! Two days later I went to Cape Town and stayed safely with my uncle.

Nipsmum shame you didn’t get to NZ! Some things are best done when young, before life’s responsibilities descend upon us!

When I was 19 my friend and I hitched around France. We had great fun and lots of adventures, some of which horrify me looking back. One man invited us to stay in his flat in Nice. He was very odd and talked about his dead mother a lot (reminded us of Psycho!) But he obviously had a thing for my friend and we’d wake up to find him sitting by the side of the bed watching her sleep ? We moved out the day he walked in when she was showering and wanted to wash her “like a baby sister”!
We had men ask us to go to a hotel with them and when we demurred offered to pay us, as if being a prostitute would be better!
In Corsica we arrived at the airport the day before our flight home, to find the airport was closed at night. We set up camp in a bench outside but we’re approached by airport security who said we couldn’t sleep there. They then took pity on us and invited us to wait inside, only to try and sexually assault us. I mentioned my policeman boyfriend (a lie) and they backed off.

I’m so grateful my daughters didn’t want to do the same.

I left home at seventeen to study music in another country.

No gap year as such, but five months between being accepted by the Academy of Music and the start of term.

After fixing up my accomodation for the coming term, I took the train to Hamburg to visit a school-friend who was studying there. Parents horrified at the very thoutht, but that didn't stop me.

Never had any scarey adventures, when I was young I was quite good at sizing people up and tended to err on the side of caution.