Have you read a book or seen a movie, that made you nervous about travel, or nervous about travel to a particular place, or a particular mode of travel?
I just read 'No more tomorrows' by Schapelle Corby.
I am shocked by it, and wonder how somebody could end up spending 20 years in a third world prison, on such flimsy and inconclusive evidence of being a drug smuggler, not to mention a trial that seems to have been less than fair.
The book made it seem like this could happen to anyone, who flies to Indonesia.
[Edited: 2012 Mar 09 17:49 - Mell:49612 ]
Reply to this There is a 2008 movie "The Ruins" that was quite fun to watch.. It's about a group of teenagers who travel to Mexico and head off the beaten track to visit a secret Mayan site. Pure fiction, and tongue in cheek horror, but fun nevertheless. Your book reminds me of one of my favorite movies, "Midnight Express" only that was a Turkish prison.
Reply to this Oh interesting about Schapelle Corby Mell. I am in Australia and she hits the headlines reguarly and from all media coverage I think most of us think she is guilty. Might have to read the book! There is always 3 sides to every story lol!
The movie Wolf Creek completely freaked me out and still does! I live in Western Australia where it was filmed and i think we have all relied heavily on strangers in the bush to help you out so this is just way to possible to happen. And of course there was a similar story in real life but they did manage to catch that guy so still to 'real' for me.
When we lived in harrisburg pennsylvania there was a huge amount of scary movies filmed there... that mel gibson one with aliens...cant remember the name. But it was always amusing when a scary movie started with corn fields as the odds were it was near our house - eeekkk!
Reply to this Hah Tam you got there first..i was going to leave the Schapelle Corby book alone however...Im with you. Mell google Mercedes Corby - her sister - not sure that using money raised for her sisters defence for a breast implant job and posing for mens magazines to raise awareness of Schapelles innocence works..strange strange family.
A couple of weeks after Corby was found guilty I transitted through bali and was grabbed by imigrasi (overstaying my visa...by 4 MINUTES) - very very scary being taken to the "Aussie Girl" interview room and asked if I want be Schapelle friend and asked if i have sister ''like make trouble boomboom'' like Schapelle!!!
A few thousand rupes and I was out of there but very scary as I had already checked my bags in and anything could have been planted by the time they had taken me to the interview room....add to that the Bali 9 as they are known and you see why the Balinese love Australians......not.
Tam - the movie Wolf Creek (and the place itself) still freaks me out, theres a vibe there thats just not right. Similar to your story I also had a real life experience with Brad Murdoch the guy arrested for murder of british Backpacker Peter Falconio. He had hung around in the same large group of friends as me when i was in my late teens early twenties and five weeks before his arrest was in Broome when he walked up and reminded me we knew eachother and sat and had a few drinks before asking if i wanted to go to a party out of town........im so so glad i didnt.
Peter Falconio's girlfriend Joanne Lees book is titled No Turning Back.
Reply to this A friend of ours made me watch Hostel about 2 weeks before we set off for our big trip - scary! I have a particularly overactive imagination and tend to avoid this type of film as it gives me visions of what I think could happen to me no matter how crazy the film is!
I attempted to watch Wolf Creek once but had to turn it off - too possible for me.
I am a big wimp when it comes to horrors/thrillers, I miss most of what happens hiding behind a cushion haha!
Reply to this Maybe a bit different then what you were asking but...
I remember the first time I was leaving to go to Spain for four months my dad said to me, "There is a movie that I need you to watch before you leave. It is what really happens to young travelers who stay in hostels..." And with that we sat down to watch the movie "Hostel."
I only watched about the first ten minutes because it turns out in the beggining of the film there is quite a lot of sex and I was not comfortable watching what appeared to be a soft porn flick with my dad! Anyhow, I never did get around to watching the whole movie and I believe they even made a Hostel 2 and 3 afterwards so who knows, maybe it was a good movie. From what I gathered it is a horror film about Americans on a tour of Europe who go to this hostel in Slovakia and they end up being dismembered.
Anyhow, it is funny to me because my dad was hoping to show me this movie in order to scare me into not wanting to travel. I was 20 at the time and it was my first big solo trip so I don't blame him for his attempt to scare some sense into me. I'm not sure it had any effect on me really but rather gave me something to make fun of him about-- that is him trying to make me watch some raunchy sex film.
After google-ing it however, I did see a bunch of people asking if it was based on a true story and people questioning if it is safe to stay in hostels. I suppose it probably did scare some people away from staying in hostels...
[Edited: 2012 Mar 11 00:33 - and all the world came tumbling in:220391 ]
Reply to this I recently watched 'Taken' with Liam Neeson about some young amercians who go to france without parents and get 'stolen' and pimped out...my goodness! A very realistic movie that you dont want to watch if you are about to go travelling aroudn europe by yourself.
Reply to this Ha... on our last Australian road trip (we drove from Perth to Sydney via the Top End and right past Wolfe Creek), I told my Mum NOT to watch the film Wolf Creek. She of course went and watched it straight away, so that didn't go down too well.
I thought the movie Hostel was hilarious... pretty gruesome, but not likely to scare anyone into using hostels surely?
I thought the movie 'Taken' was fantastic, if I was ever in trouble I'd totally want Liam Neeson as my Dad, so some asses can get kicked! It didn't paint a very nice picture of Eastern Europeans in Paris though!
Reply to this Schapelle Corby is not well known here in Europe. In fact, the first I heard of the down under media frenzy surrounding her was when I Googled her name, while I was reading the book.
Reply to this On my flight to Shanghai in January, I watched Contagen on the plane... worst idea ever.
Reply to this Not so much a trip, but watch the movie 'Coma' the day before I went to the dentist. I was jumping so bad he asked me if he was hurting me. "No, just watched the wrong movie last night."
Reply to this I can't say I have ever been scared when I travel. My only real concern has been finding a place to stay within my budget on short notice. I never make reservations because I like the freedom of keeping my options open. That has meant that I've slept in my truck in Wal Mart parking lots or rest areas a bit rather than pay more than I want for a room, but I've usually been more concerned about the inconvienence of the cops telling me to move on and I can't say I have been too worried about my safety. And the cops have never bothered me. I keep my truck and myself presentable and haven't been bothered except by panhandlers occasionally. But I do avoid places that I consider as having more nuisance security than I am willing to put up with just to see their country. There are too many other options.
I recently spent a week on the beach in Port Aransas, Texas and had women family members ask if I was worried someone would try and rob me at night....and I said no because in Texas at least they don't know if I would reach behind the seat and pull out my 12 gauge pump.
I don't watch horror movies partly because they are desensitizing and degrading and also because they have to ignore too many logical actions people would take to protect themselves........seriously....if your friends have been murdered and you hear a noise outside do you think that is a good time to take a shower ? : > D
Reply to this Check this video out. This also seems to be something that could happen to anyone. My boyfriend is telling me the chances of having things like this happen are slim. That may be so, but these things are happening to some people, so they could happen to us too.
Locked up abroad - Malaysia Reply to this As I was planning to head to Italy, someone showed me a news clip of how pickpockets were operating outside the Milan train station. People were walking along wheeling their suitcases behind them while the thieves were walking with them and going through the luggage at the same time. It really made me take the time to lock my bags even though I wasn't leaving them unattended. Not as scary as some of the above posts, but for a first time traveler it was a wake up call.
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In response to: Msg #152985 The Mel Gibson movie with cornfields was "Signs." Most M. Night Shamylan movies are filmed in Bucks County north of Philadelphia. Great movie!
As for drug smugglers in Asian jails, try "Brokedown Palace," about two girls in a Thai jail. It's very realistic. My parents help free a number of teenage American girls from Thai jails in similar circumstances in the 1960's and '70's.
To answer the question, I remember watching "The Poseidon Adventure" about a ship capsizing while flying through a rough patch of weather somewhere over the Indian Ocean. What I saw happening was our plane upside down in the water. They should know better than to show catastrophe movies on planes.
On the other hand they now show chick flicks...have you ever teared up watching "The Notebook" on a plane only to have fellow passengers wonder what is wrong. Embarrassing!
Reply to this Omg I only have to watch anything like Titanic or anything bad with water and it freaks me out!! I love travelling, love flying, i can get on a on top kayak wearing a lifejacket but thats it, I have a real water phobia and it totally ruins the build up to holidays as I panic about water and the kids near water. Once i get there I am usually fine but still not a big water traveller lol
Reply to this I can think of lots of scary movies that would put you off doing things and do happen in real life
Jaws yes, people are attacked by sharks
Towering inferno high rise hotels etc do catch fire
Titanic Its Titanic anniversary week here in Britain - ships do sink, catch fire, break down, capsize, but maritime safety laws since the sinking of Titanic have improved beyond measure, just check the safety of your vessel carefully before embarking.
Physco just don't think about this one sitting on a deserted campsite toilet at 3 o'clock in the morning
BBC drama about Yellowstone Park erupting Yellowstone will blow one day, but if it does we're all done for so we might just as well enjoy life on the day we live it!
Reply to this I had to get tickets for a women who is flying into our company and it is the first time she has flown. She is very nervous about her flight. Part of me wants to send her the movie w/ Jody Foster where her daughter disappears during the flight....I am so awful.
Reply to this Perhaps you should send her "Airplane" instead (I think the title is right, the funny one with Leslie Nielson)
[Edited: 2012 Apr 14 07:16 - Gig:17565 ]
Reply to this They should know better than to show catastrophe movies on planes
I don't think they do any more...I read somewhere that airlines now have some sort of guidance on what not to show on planes - so plane/boat disasters are now out.
I can think of nothing worse than being on a plane watching The Notebook...so sad (this is Donna by the way) I don't think I would be able to contain myself and everyone would be looking at me strangely!
We did watch Hostel before we went to the Czech Rep for the first time but it didn't really bother us. The other famous-put-you-off-travelling films I can think of are Bangkok Hilton (with a young Nicole Kidman), Dead Calm (obviously going to put you off sailing, again with Nicole Kidman), Midnight Run, Frantic (with Harrison Ford, his wife goes missing in Paris) and what about the film Deliverance with the famous line 'squeal like a pig, boy'?
Of course and the best one ever NOT to watch on a flight - Snakes on a Plane!
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