The Last Trip

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 to shore. He was never seen again. Officially? They say he drowned.  But in the decades since, a darker theory has emerged - one that leads you deep into the swamps of New Guinea, into a culture misunderstood, and into the unsettling possibility…. That Micahel didn't die in the water.  He made it to land. And what happened next has haunted the Rockefeller legacy - and captivated the world - for over 60 years. Listen as we dive into New Guinea, the case of Michael Rockefeller, and how to stay alive on vacation. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast] Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ [https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/] And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast] Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Missing Magnolias https://www.missingmagnolias.com/ [https://www.missingmagnolias.com/]   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Harvest-Cannibals-Colonialism-Rockefellers/ [https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Harvest-Cannibals-Colonialism-Rockefellers/] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG7it599iek [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG7it599iek] https://www.michiganpublic.org/2014-03-15/a-tragic-disappearance-mostly-solved-in-savage-harvest [https://www.michiganpublic.org/2014-03-15/a-tragic-disappearance-mostly-solved-in-savage-harvest] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2014/10/28/michael-rockefeller-savage-harvest [https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2014/10/28/michael-rockefeller-savage-harvest] https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/entertainment/the-mets-new-wing-honors-michael-rockefeller-who-may-have-been-killd-by-cannibals/ [https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/entertainment/the-mets-new-wing-honors-michael-rockefeller-who-may-have-been-killd-by-cannibals/] https://people.com/michael-c-rockefeller-1961-disappearance-mystery-remains-met-renovates-wing-exclusive-11748183 [https://people.com/michael-c-rockefeller-1961-disappearance-mystery-remains-met-renovates-wing-exclusive-11748183] https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/book-reviews/savage-harvest-a-tale-of-cannibals-colonialism-and-michael-rockefellers-tragic-quest-for-primitive-art-by-carl-hoffman/ [https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/book-reviews/savage-harvest-a-tale-of-cannibals-colonialism-and-michael-rockefellers-tragic-quest-for-primitive-art-by-carl-hoffman/] https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/21c6xa/i_spent_two_years_proving_that_michael/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/21c6xa/i_spent_two_years_proving_that_michael/] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/What-Really-Happened-to-Michael-Rockefeller-180949813/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/What-Really-Happened-to-Michael-Rockefeller-180949813/] https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a64768051/michael-rockefeller-disappearance-metropolitan-museum/ [https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a64768051/michael-rockefeller-disappearance-metropolitan-museum/] https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/michael-rockefeller.htm [https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/michael-rockefeller.htm] https://allthatsinteresting.com/michael-rockefeller [https://allthatsinteresting.com/michael-rockefeller] https://www.wusf.org/2014-03-18/cannibals-and-colonialism-solving-the-mystery-of-michael-rockefeller [https://www.wusf.org/2014-03-18/cannibals-and-colonialism-solving-the-mystery-of-michael-rockefeller]

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, mysterious mileage on her car, and a string of unanswered questions. No struggle. No goodbye. Just a mystery that feels less like someone vanished… and more like someone was erased. This is the baffling case of Karen Denise Wells. Listen as we dive into Pennsylvania, the case of Karen Denise Wells, and how to stay alive on vacation. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast] Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ [https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/] And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast] Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, A Trial By Podcast https://www.atrialbypodcast.com/ [https://www.atrialbypodcast.com/]   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/karen-denise-wells [https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/karen-denise-wells] https://charleyproject.org/case/karen-denise-wells [https://charleyproject.org/case/karen-denise-wells] https://ashmysteries.com/2024/12/06/the-missing-karen-denise-wells/ [https://ashmysteries.com/2024/12/06/the-missing-karen-denise-wells/] https://fcfreepresspa.com/unsolved-mystery-from-93-the-disappearance-of-karen-denise-wells/ [https://fcfreepresspa.com/unsolved-mystery-from-93-the-disappearance-of-karen-denise-wells/] https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/cold-cases/carlisle-pennsylvania-cold-case-oklahoma-karen-wells/521-c62a7b14-35c2-4526-8a6d-0dae8e9f0a06 [https://www.fox43.com/article/news/crime/cold-cases/carlisle-pennsylvania-cold-case-oklahoma-karen-wells/521-c62a7b14-35c2-4526-8a6d-0dae8e9f0a06] https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/13k7sy2/after_getting_lost_on_a_road_trip_a_single_mother/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/13k7sy2/after_getting_lost_on_a_road_trip_a_single_mother/] https://local21news.com/news/unsolved-in-pa/unsolved-in-pa-the-case-of-karen-wells [https://local21news.com/news/unsolved-in-pa/unsolved-in-pa-the-case-of-karen-wells] https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a0qyac/karen_denise_wells_puzzling_road_trip_that_ends/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/a0qyac/karen_denise_wells_puzzling_road_trip_that_ends/] https://uncovered.com/cases/karen-wells [https://uncovered.com/cases/karen-wells] https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Denise_Wells [https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Denise_Wells] https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP5386 [https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP5386] https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100044256828143&story_fbid=1214714540013762&utm [https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100044256828143&story_fbid=1214714540013762&utm]

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… untouched. And Tom and Eileen?  Gone. Were they forgotten in a tragic oversight… or did something else happen in those deep, endless waters?  Their disappearance triggered a massive search, sparked global headlines, and left behind a string of disturbing clues - a diver’s slate scrawled with a desperate message, a torn wetsuit washed up weeks later, and eerie diary entries that hinted at something darker beneath the surface. No bodies were ever found. No final answers ever confirmed. Just the chilling question: how did two people vanish into the ocean without a trace… and why didn’t anyone notice until it was far too late? Listen as we dive into the Great Barrier Reef, the case of Tom & Eileen Lonergan, and how to stay alive on vacation. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast] Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ [https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/] And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast] Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, Crime to Burn https://www.crimetoburn.com/ [https://www.crimetoburn.com/]   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://allthatsinteresting.com/tom-eileen-lonergan [https://allthatsinteresting.com/tom-eileen-lonergan] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14412847/last-diary-entries-couple-vanished-shark-infested-waters.html [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14412847/last-diary-entries-couple-vanished-shark-infested-waters.html] https://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/2000/AustraliasLonerganTrial200001.html [https://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/2000/AustraliasLonerganTrial200001.html] https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/eileen-tom-longeran-diving-australia-missing-message-329704-20241125 [https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/eileen-tom-longeran-diving-australia-missing-message-329704-20241125] https://historicflix.com/tom-and-eileen-lonergan/ [https://historicflix.com/tom-and-eileen-lonergan/] https://www.dannydutch.com/post/lost-at-sea-the-disappearance-of-tom-and-eileen-lonergan-left-in-the-ocean-whilst-diving [https://www.dannydutch.com/post/lost-at-sea-the-disappearance-of-tom-and-eileen-lonergan-left-in-the-ocean-whilst-diving]

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 distant unknown - it was their bed. Their room. The place they thought they were safest. In this episode, we’re telling the stories of four devastating hostel fires: The Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel in Australia, where young backpackers from around the world came chasing sunshine and freedom - and never made it home. The Downunder Hostel fire in Sydney, Australia - where a broken alarm system and locked exits turned a simple stay into a fatal trap. A fire in Riga, Latvia - swift and deadly - inside an illegal hostel that should never have been open at all. And the Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington, New Zealand, where residents living in budget rooms were left scrambling for their lives in the early hours of the morning. Each of these stories is different. But they all ask the same, terrifying question: What happens when your escape route disappears?This isn’t about fear. It’s about awareness. Because travel should feel like possibility, not risk.  Hostels should be spaces of laughter and late-night stories - not loss.So [http://loss.So] stay with me, as we retrace the final hours inside these hostels. We’ll ask what went wrong… and what we can learn from the people who never got the chance to check out. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast] Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ [https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/] And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast] Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, A Scary State Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-scary-state/id1562755130 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-scary-state/id1562755130]   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.smh.com.au/national/childers-danger-known-say-families-20030620-gdgyl4.html [https://www.smh.com.au/national/childers-danger-known-say-families-20030620-gdgyl4.html] https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/backpackers-unlawfully-killed-hostel-fire-2265489 [https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/backpackers-unlawfully-killed-hostel-fire-2265489] https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/survivors-remember-childers-fire-a-decade-on-ng-ya-207764 [https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/survivors-remember-childers-fire-a-decade-on-ng-ya-207764] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-02/childers-backpacker-hostel-killer-has-parole-bid-rejected/13114808 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-02/childers-backpacker-hostel-killer-has-parole-bid-rejected/13114808] https://www.smh.com.au/national/childers-hostel-blaze-survivors-want-psychopath-killer-to-die-behind-bars-20200604-p54zj6.html [https://www.smh.com.au/national/childers-hostel-blaze-survivors-want-psychopath-killer-to-die-behind-bars-20200604-p54zj6.html] https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2000/06/fire-j30.html [https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2000/06/fire-j30.html] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/1387948/Loner-found-guilty-of-hostel-arson-murders.html [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/1387948/Loner-found-guilty-of-hostel-arson-murders.html] https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19890917&id=yNE9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=B4cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4507,2248979 [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19890917&id=yNE9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=B4cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4507,2248979] https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/nsw-reconstruction-authority [https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/nsw-reconstruction-authority] https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/a-tragic-toll-building-fires-in-australia/news-story/647ba30dc34a6d279f392a2f18bb2851 [https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/a-tragic-toll-building-fires-in-australia/news-story/647ba30dc34a6d279f392a2f18bb2851] https://www.iklimnet.com/hotelfires/case19.html [https://www.iklimnet.com/hotelfires/case19.html] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/latvia-fire-riga-hostel-fire-kills-eight-people-b932170.html [https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/latvia-fire-riga-hostel-fire-kills-eight-people-b932170.html] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-illegal-riga-tourist-hostel-kills-eight-injures-nine-2021-04-28/ [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-illegal-riga-tourist-hostel-kills-eight-injures-nine-2021-04-28/] https://www.baltictimes.com/eight_people_die_in_fire_in_downtown_riga_hostel/ [https://www.baltictimes.com/eight_people_die_in_fire_in_downtown_riga_hostel/] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-hostel-fire-hearse-arrives-as-police-recover-first-body/P4WWETXKSVEHXCPGJEFHCQQT34/ [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington-hostel-fire-hearse-arrives-as-police-recover-first-body/P4WWETXKSVEHXCPGJEFHCQQT34/] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300879640/wellington-fatal-hostel-fire-what-is-loafers-lodge [https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300879640/wellington-fatal-hostel-fire-what-is-loafers-lodge] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/16/wellington-hostel-fire-multiple-people-dead-in-new-zealand-blaze [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/16/wellington-hostel-fire-multiple-people-dead-in-new-zealand-blaze] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/490033/loafers-lodge-had-a-building-wof-but-what-exactly-does-that-mean [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/490033/loafers-lodge-had-a-building-wof-but-what-exactly-does-that-mean] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/why-loafers-lodge-didnt-have-sprinklers-and-wellington-firefighters-fears-over-ageing-trucks/UJ6L4RSWHBDIRKQ7OYDSFCZRSU/ [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/why-loafers-lodge-didnt-have-sprinklers-and-wellington-firefighters-fears-over-ageing-trucks/UJ6L4RSWHBDIRKQ7OYDSFCZRSU/]

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, they feel safe.But behind the cheerful welcome signs and communal kitchens, something darker can hide. A stolen passport. A missing girl. A body in a room. From Australia to France to India, some travelers checked in… but never checked out.  Today, I’m taking you around the world - one hostel at a time - to revisit the chilling true stories of backpackers who vanished, were attacked, or lost their lives in places meant to be safe havens for the wandering soul. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube with full video: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast] Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ [https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/] And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast] Listen to this week's podcast recommendation, A Scary State Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-scary-state/id1562755130 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-scary-state/id1562755130]   Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/03/facing-my-daughters-killer-and-finding-forgiveness-its-what-mia-would-have-wanted [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/03/facing-my-daughters-killer-and-finding-forgiveness-its-what-mia-would-have-wanted] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-08/home-hill-backpacker-murders-smail-ayad-ayliffe-chung-jackson/100522990 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-08/home-hill-backpacker-murders-smail-ayad-ayliffe-chung-jackson/100522990] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Home_Hill_stabbings [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Home_Hill_stabbings] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sophie_Collombet [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sophie_Collombet] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-26/benjamin-james-milward-sentenced-life-sophie-collombet-murder/7962676 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-26/benjamin-james-milward-sentenced-life-sophie-collombet-murder/7962676] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/oct/26/sophie-collombet-killer-jailed-for-at-least-20-years-for-and-of-student [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/oct/26/sophie-collombet-killer-jailed-for-at-least-20-years-for-and-of-student] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-01/police-confirm-bashed-woman-was-french-exchange-student/5360002 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-01/police-confirm-bashed-woman-was-french-exchange-student/5360002] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Arce_Montes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Arce_Montes] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/13/schooltrips.uk [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/13/schooltrips.uk] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/21/france.uk [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/21/france.uk] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-15/spaniard-jailed-for-30-years-over-dickinson-murder/1992942 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-15/spaniard-jailed-for-30-years-over-dickinson-murder/1992942] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/14/goa-india-vikat-bhagat-guilty-rape-murder-danielle-mclaughlin [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/14/goa-india-vikat-bhagat-guilty-rape-murder-danielle-mclaughlin] https://apnews.com/article/india-goa-rape-irish-backpacker-danielle-mclaughlin-c510687dd25e7202d2fb85edd9ae0a94 [https://apnews.com/article/india-goa-rape-irish-backpacker-danielle-mclaughlin-c510687dd25e7202d2fb85edd9ae0a94] https://www.thesun.ie/news/14732164/man-sentenced-rape-murder-irish-backpacker-india-danielle-mclaughlin/ [https://www.thesun.ie/news/14732164/man-sentenced-rape-murder-irish-backpacker-india-danielle-mclaughlin/] https://www.thesun.ie/news/14735720/danielle-mclaughlin-murder-family-nightmare-over-killer-life-sentence/ [https://www.thesun.ie/news/14735720/danielle-mclaughlin-murder-family-nightmare-over-killer-life-sentence/] https://people.com/irish-backpacker-india-beaches-found-dead-raped-murdered-paradise-11681002 [https://people.com/irish-backpacker-india-beaches-found-dead-raped-murdered-paradise-11681002]