Beware the Kindness of Some Strangers

The Sydney Daily Telegraph recently ran a report about a number of robberies in the Philippines and China involving mostly British and Australian tourists who were knocked out for 24 hours after accepting drug-spiked food and drinks.

Young travelers who tour independently run a risk of being targets. Although it might seem rude, especially when trying to integrate yourself into the local community, it’s wise to be wary when offered food or drinks by friendly strangers. The report explained that an Australian traveler was drugged by local residents he had befriended at his hotel in Manila. They took his cash and credit cards. In the same city, a British couple accepted sweets from “friendly children” and were robbed after they became drowsy.

The Australian Consulate in Guangzhou, China, reported similar incidents with tourists who were knocked out and robbed after taking food and drink from strangers on trains and at rail stations in Yunnan and Hubei provinces.

The British government is warning backpackers to be extra careful in the Kings Cross area of Sydney, Australia, especially at ATMs.

Hundreds of thousands of students travel every year without encountering such problems. The best way to protect yourself is to be aware of popular robbery setups. What works in one country can pop up in another.

Government travel advisories are posted on the Internet. It’s a good idea to check several countries’ sites. British travel advisories can be found at https://www.fco.gov .uk. U.S. State Department travel advisories are at https://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html, Canadian at https://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca and Australian at https://www.dfat.gov.au/consular.

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Young travelers planning independent adventures in Vietnam should look at the Nomads Internet site at https://www.nomads-backpackers.com. The Australian hostel network soon will introduce a hop-on-hop-off bus service linking a network of hostels in Vietnam. Nomads has 35 hostels in Australia and last year opened its first Vietnam hostel, in Ho Chi Minh City at 181 Cach Mang Thang Tam (in the third district), telephone 011-84-8-8359-369. An English-speaking receptionist is present during business hours.

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New youth hostels recently have opened in Wales and Italy.

The Welsh independent Backpacker Hostel is at 98 Neville St., Cardiff; tel. 011-44-1222-345-577. Dormitory beds are $21 per night. Single and double rooms also are available at slightly higher rates. There is a bar, kitchen, lounge, pool room and rooftop barbecue. Backpacker tours of the countryside are offered from the hostel.

In November a new youth hostel also opened in Vicenza, which is halfway between Verona (the city of Romeo and Juliet) and Venice. Vicenza attracts tourists who want to see the works of Andrea Palladio, one of the most creative Italian architects of the 16th century. The 85-bed Olimpico Youth Hostel is in a renovated historical building in the city center at Viale Giuriolo 9; tel. 011-39-0444-540-222. Accommodation is in rooms with one to six beds for $14 to $15 per night. For more information on Italian Youth Hostels visit the Associazione Italiana Alberghi per la Gioventu (AIG) site on the Web at https://www.hostels-aig.org, or contact the AIG in Rome at Via Cavour 44, 00184 Roma; tel. 011-39-06-487-1152, fax 011-39-06-488-0492.