Destination: Bocas del Toro, Panama
Imagine a tropical paradise where solo travelers turn to expats, living under the sun as digital nomads, business owners or retirees. Until one day, an expat serial killer arrives. Enter William “Wild Bill” Holbert—a man who used charm and deceit to lure his victims in, only to rob and murder them.

In this episode of True Crime Travelers, we uncover how this serial killer operated undetected for years, examine what made travelers especially vulnerable to his schemes, and discuss essential safety tips for solo and female travelers navigating unfamiliar places.

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Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Koh Tao, Thailand

April 2017, Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne was member of a tantra sex cult on Koh Phangan island in Thailand. After a year living there, she decided to return home. She announced her departure and attempted to leave, but for some reason, she fled to a neighboring island. A few weird things happened here and then a week later she was found dead in the jungle with lizards eating her body. How the hell did this happen? Many believe that Elise was followed by and murdered by the cult which she was trying to escape.

🔍 Listen to the clues as we investigate this mysterious death of a traveler.

AS PROMISED ON THE EPISODE:
▷ Solo Girl's Travel Guide to Thailand
▷ Solo Girls Travel FB Group
▷ Solo Girl's Travel Guide SubReddit

▷ Life 360 App
▷ Google Maps

Want to travel with us? 👉🏻 Glow Up Travel Trips

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Instagram: @truecrimetravelers

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Get episodes delivered to your inbox every week, join the TCT Newsletter > TrueCrimeTravelers.com

Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Bali, Indonesia

Heather Mack, a wealthy teenager from Chicago, and her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, arrived in Bali for what seemed like a luxurious tropical escape. But this vacation would take a dark turn...

In August 2014, Heather and her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, were accused of brutally murdering her mother and stuffing her body into a suitcase, later abandoned in the trunk of a taxi outside their hotel in Bali. The investigation unraveled a twisted story of money, resentment, and hidden motives, culminating in both Heather and Tommy being sentenced to prison in Indonesia.

But seriously—what could drive a young woman to plot her own mother’s murder? Was it money, resentment, or something even darker? And where does Heather’s boyfriend fit into this twisted puzzle? Their relationship was anything but ordinary, and secrets were buried deep.

Heather Mack’s case has people questioning everything: justice, privilege, and just how far the bonds of family can bend before they snap. So, what went down in that luxury Bali suite? And what does this story say about the dark, messy side of wealth and family ties?

Listen to the full episode now.

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Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Varna, Bulgaria

Lars Mittank, a 28-year-old German tourist, set off with friends for a sun-soaked getaway to the beaches Bulgaria. But after a mysterious altercation left him with an ear injury, doctors advised him to delay his return home. Alone and awaiting recovery in Bulgaria, Lars’s behavior grew increasingly erratic—haunted phone calls to his mother spoke of someone stalking him.

Then, on the day of his rescheduled flight, airport cameras captured his chilling final moments: abandoning his luggage, he sprinted into the surrounding wilderness and vanished without a trace. Why did Lars run and where is he now?

🔍 Unearth the unsettling truth on True Crime Travelers.

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From murderers to money launderers, thieves to thugs – police officers from the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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💜 Don’t miss out on all things True Crime Travelers

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Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Goa, India

If you’re sitting at a bar sucking a hashpipe in Goa, India… then you’ve committed to having zero responsibilities that day. But what about your 9 children? What are they doing while you get high, smoking hashish abroad? Mothers, this case will make you rage when I tell you about 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling, a UK teenager who was left to live with a 25-year-old local man while the rest of the family traveled.

On February 18, 2008, Scarlett’s body was discovered on the beach. Initially ruled as a drowning, a second autopsy revealed the grim truth: her death was a homicide. What really happened on that beach? What signs were missed, and how did this tragedy unfold in one of India’s most popular tourist destinations?

🔍 Explore the clues, the red flags, and the shocking timeline on True Crime Travelers.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming

Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old van-life blogger on a cross-country adventure with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. It seemed like a dream trip, filled with social media posts of scenic landscapes, yoga in the mornings, and van-life bliss. But behind the camera, things were unraveling. In Moab, Utah, a 911 call reported a disturbing domestic dispute. Days later, Gabby vanished. The van returned to Florida—Brian did too—but Gabby never made it home.

Her body was discovered in the wilderness of Wyoming, and the autopsy revealed she was strangled. What went so horribly wrong during this road trip? And how did a couple’s adventure turn into a nationwide search for answers?

🕵️ Dig Deeper on the Blog (sources here): truecrimetravelers.com/episodes/gabby-petito-in-usa

Support the Gabby Petito Foundation, dedicated to helping families find missing loved ones and raising awareness of domestic violence: Gabby Petito Foundation.

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Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Perugia, Italy

Amanda Knox, a college student from Seattle, dreamed of learning Italian and immersing herself in the culture of Italy. But in the fall of 2007, her Italian study abroad turned tragic when her roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found brutally murdered in their Perugia apartment. Amanda and her Italian boyfriend were accused and arrested, igniting one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Italy. After a lengthy trial filled with conflicting evidence, forced confessions, a media frenzy, and an international outcry, Amanda spent four years in an Italian prison. To this day, half the world still thinks Amanda Knox is guilty. What do you think?

Was Amanda Knox a victim of Italy’s flawed justice system, or does the truth lie deeper in the mystery of Meredith Kercher’s death?

🕵️ Deep Dive on our blog (sources here) > Truecrimetravelers.com/episodes/amanda-knox-in-italy

Support wrongful conviction advocacy. Visit: The Innocence Project.

Support the show

💜 Don’t miss out on all things True Crime Travelers

Instagram: @truecrimetravelers

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YouTube: @sologirlstravelguide

Get episodes delivered to your inbox every week, join the TCT Newsletter > TrueCrimeTravelers.com

Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!

Destination: Medellín, Colombia

Tou Ger Xiong, a Hmong refugee who fled Laos during the Vietnam War, built a life in the U.S. as a comedian and activist, advocating for marginalized communities. After his divorce, he sought new romantic ventures in Medellín, Colombia, where he met a 19-year-old local woman on Tinder. For months, their relationship blossomed long distance with late-night phone calls and texts. On December 10, 2023, during his last visit to Colombia, the woman trapped Tou Ger in a deadly setup. He was never seen alive again.

🕵️ Dig Deeper on This Case (sources here): truecrimetravelers.com/episodes/tou-ger-xiong-in-colombia.

Help Tou Ger’s family seek justice. Donations for legal fees in Medellín can be made at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/you-did-not-desert-me-my-brothers-in-arms.

Support the show

💜 Don’t miss out on all things True Crime Travelers

Instagram: @truecrimetravelers

TikTok: @truecrimetravelers

YouTube: @sologirlstravelguide

Get episodes delivered to your inbox every week, join the TCT Newsletter > TrueCrimeTravelers.com

Get Alexa's book, The One-Way Ticket Plan and check out the full collection of The Solo Girl's Travel Guide at www.Alexa-West.com

Want to travel with us? www.Alexa-West.com/Glow-Up-Travel-Trips

💛 True Crime Travelers is hosted by Alexa West & Emilia Igartua.

Connect with Alexa: www.alexa-west.com

Connect with Emilia: www.holaemilia.com

Safe travels!