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, weâre opening the door on something even more haunting: fire.  Sudden. Consuming, Unforgiving. Because for some travelers, the scariest part of their journey wasnât a distant unknown - it was their bed. Their room. The place they thought they were safest. In this episode, weâre 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 isnât about fear. Itâs about awareness. Because travel should feel like possibility, not risk. Hostels should be spaces of laughter and late-night stories - not loss.So stay with me, as we retrace the final hours inside these hostels. Weâll 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 Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: 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  Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: 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://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.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.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/1387948/Loner-found-guilty-of-hostel-arson-murde
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About This Episode
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, weâre opening the door on something even more haunting: fire.  Sudden. Consuming, Unforgiving. Because for some travelers, the scariest part of their journey wasnât a distant unknown - it was their bed. Their room. The place they thought they were safest. In this episode, ...