Social Media/HandoutFor Australian friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, it was their first big trip venturing out to explore the world.
Like so many 19-year-olds, they were drawn to the romance of backpacking across South East Asia – where food is great, people are friendly and the scenery stunning.
They had “saved up enough money after school and university to have their overseas jaunt, as so many of our kids do,” said their football team coach Nick Heath. “And off they went.”
They ended up on 12 November in the riverside town of Vang Vieng in central Laos.
The two checked into the popular Nana Backpacker…
