Feisty females still happy to go it alone

Published on Tuesday 24 January 2006 11:40

WITH her long brown hair casually swept back off her face by a pair of shades and the Borneo countryside in the background, 32-year-old Claire Brighton-McMurray looks as though she doesn't have a care in the world.

Holidaying on the island just before Christmas, before moving on to Bangkok, Intelligent Finance IT worker Claire is doing what she loves the most - travelling alone.

"I am always trying to tell people that it's a fantastic experience and not as frightening or daunting as most people initially think," says Claire, who lives in Leith. "I think more people should do it. I spent the whole of 2004 backpacking around Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam alone and I'd do it again in an instant."

With magnificent coastal scenery, gold sandy beaches, a laid-back lifestyle and a low cost of living, not to mention cosmopolitan cities, countries such as Thailand and Australia have become favoured backpacker destinations for the 310,000 British independent travellers that toured the world last year.

But such paradises - especially South-East Asia - have a poverty-stricken population and a criminal underbelly that regards foreigners as fair game. And although Australia may seem a safe English-speaking destination, it has housed some of the most brutal backpacker murders.

The most recent murder to hit the headlines was that of British backpacker Katherine Horton who was raped and murdered in Koh Samui on Hogmanay by two Thai fisherman, Bualoi Posit and Wichai Somkhaoyai, who have now been sentenced to death.

But tragic Katherine wasn't the first. In 2000, 23-year-old Kirsty Jones, from Wales, was strangled with her own sarong in a hostel in Chiang Mai. In 2004, Adam Lloyd and Vanessa Arscott were shot dead by a Thai policeman near the famous bridge on the River Kwai in Thailand. And earlier this month, a 28-year-old Liverpool woman was brutally raped in Pattaya.

And in Australia, six Britons were killed in 2000 after an arson blaze in a backpackers hostel in Queensland. Four years later, 19-year-old Caroline Stuttle was mugged and thrown off a bridge in 2004.

But despite the horror stories, many women, like Claire, still chose to pack up for the adventure of a lifetime.

"It was just one of those things I'd always wanted to do and felt the time was right to do it," explains Claire.

"I wanted to go on my own purely because there was no-one else who would go. It was one of those things where I'd already decided where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, and I didn't really want to be responsible for anyone else.

"Initially, I couldn't quite believe I'd done it. I booked my ticket and flew out within a week so the whole experience was rather surreal and it wasn't until I was sitting on the beach in Fiji at New Year that I realised what I'd done.

"I suppose what made me do it was that I was convinced I'd meet people - and I did. In fact, I found that I met so many people that sometimes I had to avoid them for some peace. The hostels were such good places to meet people as there were loads of people backpacking. The girls did tend to travel in groups, but there was the odd one of two. And people always asked me to join them."

Throughout her travels, Claire felt safe, and the international backpacking community watched out for one another. But she admits that there was the odd occasion where she felt extremely uncomfortable.

She recalls: "When I got off a plane late at night, I didn't know the airport and there's loads of touts picking up your bags and putting them in a minibus. I just had to ask for my bag back and not go with anyone - you can't be naive.

"Also, I was teaching English in a village in Cambodia and although I thought it was safe, I had to have a chaperone. In the rural villages, foreigners need protection because apparently there's gangsters and as you have money and look different, well . . .

"In general, I think that if you wander off on your own, you walk down dark alleys or go into a field on your own, then you're almost asking for it. As long as you stay out in the open, or in public then you're fine. You can never take risks when you're travelling."

FELLOW female traveller, Emma Calder, 26, from Lauriston disagrees. "There are really dangerous places out there, but there are dangerous parts of Glasgow and Edinburgh. As long as you have your wits about you, you're fine. You have to take risks if you want to see the world and have the best experiences.

"In 2004, I spent the whole year travelling in Thailand, South-East Asia, Australia and South America alone and I didn't have any problems - apart from having my wallet stolen in Thailand and even that was by an English girl."

Emma, like Claire, was surprised by the Katherine Horton murder because of the friendliness she encountered throughout her travels, and still believes most of the locals aren't violent.

The Standard Life marketing consultant, pictured right, says: "I would be more scared walking down the street at night in Edinburgh rather than South-East Asia - I wondered around a lot on my own in Koh Samui and happily walked along the beach at night.

"If I'm being honest, I was surprised [the murders and attacks] have been given so much coverage as it's not something that happens frequently. I hope it doesn't put people off, especially females."

It certainly hasn't put Emma off - she is returning to Thailand and Australia in April.

"I'm off there with two female friends and I'm not concerned for my safety at all - everyone looks out for each other anyway," she says. "However, I do have to admit that I won't be walking along the beach on my own at night, and I suppose I will be a little more cautious.

So, are these adventures of a lifetime dangerous?

"Not at all," says Claire. "Anything that happens to a Brit abroad is publicised more, but if you were in Cambodia and you heard the news about how many people are killed in Britain then they'd probably think it's a dangerous place. The bad experiences are few and far between. I've never heard of anything tragic while I've been travelling.

"I think people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wouldn't put me off travelling, it just makes me more cautious. But I can't wait to do it again. And I'll go alone without a doubt."

Nicky Howden, 23, from Fairmilehead would not go it alone. She travelled to Bangkok, Phuket, Malaysia, Singapore, Koh Samui, Koh Pang Gnan, Pattaya, Cambodia and Vietnam with her 24-year-old boyfriend in November 2004 for four months, was aware of the potential dangers and did feel uncomfortable at times.

"We arrived in Bangkok at night and we didn't really know what was going on - Thais were bombarding us to get in their taxi.

"It's a dimly lit place and our hotel was surrounded by people on the street. Plus, we were stared at because we were foreigners. And in Cambodia and Vietnam I never felt comfortable. I never took a bag out and I never wore jewellery.

"I can't put my finger on why I was uncomfortable - perhaps it was because the travel guides tell you to be careful - but I was wary.

"However, in places like Koh Samui, Phuket and Pattaya, which are touristy, it's much more relaxed, and there's a young crowd with funky bars and restaurants.

"There were so many backpackers that you felt at ease, and we regularly walked along the beach at night in Koh Samui.

"The main thing that worried me was getting ripped off or having our belongings stolen - not our safety."

Nicky and her boyfriend returned to Thailand last month for New Year and were in Koh Samui days after the Katherine Horton murder. But despite the news, she never felt unsafe in the tourist resort.

"We didn't initially know it was Thai people who had done it - we assumed it was another tourist.

I didn't feel uncomfortable at all, but I still wouldn't travel alone and I think I would only feel comfortable now with a male companion."

Top tips for staying safe and enjoying the trip

IT'S the experience of a lifetime - but only if you stay safe. Youth and student travel agency STA Travel has been organising GAP year trips for 25 years and its website www.statravel.co.uk explains how backpackers can stay safe while travelling. Here are some top tips:

1. Never leave any possessions unattended.

2. Always be careful about flashing valuables such as your camera and only carry a small amount of money in your wallet. You don't want to attract the wrong sort of attention.

3. Book ahead. Don't turn up in a new town or city without accommodation, and read your travel book in advance to know the layout of the place.

4. If you're on your own, try not to arrive at night.If there's a tourist information desk at your point of arrival, find out the safest method of getting into town.

5. Body language speaks volumes. Walk confidently with an air of purposeful alertness and dress in clothes that blend in with the crowds and you're less likely to be hassled.

6. Never forget you are a guest in someone else's country, so dress and behave accordingly. Neat and conservative attire is more likely to prompt a respectful and friendly response from locals. Always learn some key phrases of the language - they'll be useful.

7. Don't do anything you wouldn't at home. It's unsafe to walk down dimly-lit streets or enter poorer suburbs so don't do it abroad. The sun doesn't equal safety.

8. Stay on the main travel routes. Do not go wondering off into unfamiliar territory.

9. Take advice. If someone advises you not to do something, don't do it. You are being told for a reason.

10. Ask for help.

• For more details on STA Travel flights and holidays telephone [phone]