After finishing my A-levels, I wanted to go camping with three friends in Portugal. My father, however, was absolutely against the idea of his daughter going off alone into the wilds of the Algarve. He gave her chills.

Luckily my mom talked him into it and it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had, an experience I’ll never forget.

The Portuguese were friendly and welcoming, the camps clean and cheap, the food amazing, the beaches magical.

The whole trip cost less than a few hundred pounds and I came back happy, tanned and ready (or as ready as we would ever be) for the next step in life’s great adventure, university.

Four decades later, those post-A-level summer breaks are still a rite of passage for many teenagers. Groups travel to Greece, Spain or Portugal, and more recently to places like Croatia, to blow off steam after months of study and hard work.

But for many, the experience is less a celebration of their newfound freedom than a rude awakening to the harsh realities of a corrupt and rapacious tourism industry that not only sees young Britons abroad as legitimate targets for scammers and scammers, but also seems to actively despise his presence. There are endless reports of vacationers being attacked, swindled or mistreated by the authorities.

Sarah Vine with her son William and daughter Beatrice as children

Mail columnist Sarah Vine reveals how her son’s teenage vacation abroad sparked his worst nightmare

In Barcelona, criminals spit on tourists as a distraction technique while robbing them. There are fake bookings, bracelet scams (where street vendors trick you into letting you tie a bracelet on your wrist and then demand an absurd amount of money), doorman scams, stories of people being charged for extra teaspoons and plates, or for cutting sandwiches. to the half.

But there is something worse, much worse.

week, a Briton was allegedly beaten to death by gorillas in Cyprus, and one of them jumped on his head. Last month, a 21-year-old died after he tried to break up a fight in Ibiza. Reports of violence are becoming more common, with gangs targeting young and naive tourists as easy prey.

Which brings me to last Wednesday, when I was woken up by a persistent buzzing noise on my phone.

With misty eyes, I reached for my glasses and saw the time: 2:33 am. Who could be calling at this ungodly hour?

After I finally unlocked the phone (my Face ID never recognizes my morning face, probably because I look more like a crumpled paper bag than a human), all the horror became apparent.

Four decades later, those post-A-level summer breaks are still a rite of passage for many teenagers.

It was my son, on vacation in Croatia. He was going in an Uber back to the apartment that he shared with friends, but the driver demanded an extra €60, which he did when he was a teenager with a budget that he did not have. When my son refused, the driver yelled at him in Croatian, closed the doors, and drove past my son’s apartment into another part of town.

Now trapped in a car with an angry Croat who was demanding money with threats, my terrified son called me for help.

Needless to say, I was beside myself. After several frantic conversations (phone signal kept dropping, not helping my blood pressure), I transferred some money into his account (thank goodness for internet banking) so he could withdraw it from an ATM and deliver the money. in exchange for being taken home.

My son was shocked, but safe. None of us could wait for him to come home.

He later explained that the entire vacation had been marred by similar events. Everywhere, the threat of violence was never far away.

One night, a girl got separated from her group and was cornered outside a club by three men who ordered her to hand over her money and phone, or else. If she tried to call for help, they said they would stab her. Or worse.

Talking to friends’ children, such incidents seem the norm. Fortified drinks. sexual assaults. All a far cry from the mild summer in Portugal that I experienced so many years ago.

As more budget holidays open up, people need to be aware of the risks. Hot new destinations like Albania may look enticing, with great-value hotels, long sandy beaches and cheap restaurants (the average cost of a beer is just £1.69). But let’s not forget that Albania’s main export is organized crime.

It’s a shame, because traveling and getting to know other cultures is one of the most enriching experiences that anyone can have, especially a young person. But unfortunately, times have changed.

Thinking back to my father’s attitude when I was young, I now have good reason to worry at the prospect of my own son going off on his first vacation alone.

And to any young person planning that post-exam trip or gap year abroad, I say this: stay sober, stay together, and most of all, be aware of the risks. Otherwise, you may be literally taken on a very unpleasant ride.

Face the facts Linda

Linda Evangelista, 58

Appearing flawless on the cover of Vogue, Linda Evangelista, right, says, “I don’t, and never did, care about getting old.” Er, could it be because, like other wealthy female stars, eg Madonna, she doesn’t seem to have aged much? Evangelista, 58, underwent a catastrophic fat reduction treatment and admitted to using Botox. I don’t mind people getting anti-aging treatments, but Evangelista and her ilk should stop fooling themselves into thinking that looking like them is somehow natural.

I’ll never understand why so many trans women want to claim their periods as their own.

Mx Slaybia seemed to menstruate through white pants before throwing tampons

If they were real women, they would know that menstruation is, at best, a nuisance and, at worst, something that causes suffering.

Which is why it was so infuriating to see a stunt like the one at Norwich Pride last month when a non-binary artist with the charming name of Mx Slaybia appeared to menstruate through white pants before throwing tampons into the crowd and holding up a sign saying it said ‘Moonblood has no gender’.

Menstruation is a bodily function, not an excuse for vulgar art.

Try the talking cure, doc.

Dr Robert Laurenson, the leader of the young doctors’ strike, asks why the government will not negotiate an agreement, but at the same time says that it will not accept a similar agreement reached by its Scottish colleagues because it will not deal with an “ideology ‘Conservative management.

Do you want to negotiate or not? Or is it not a salary but Dr. Laurenson’s own political ambitions? Given that he comfortably enjoys a £500,000 flat with no mortgage, as well as being a director of the family business (which has £2m worth of investments), one can’t help but think it’s the latter.

Vanessa Feltz

I love broadcaster Vanessa Feltz’s zest for life, but if you’re really hoping to find love after splitting with your partner after 17 years, appearing on Celebs Go Dating with a love islander and someone from Made In will not be the answer. Chelsea. Vanessa should avoid them all and get a dog. Far more trustworthy than most men, generally much better conversationalists, and with better table manners for the most part.

We’re in the middle of a bed bug epidemic, says Rentokil. The reason is people’s love for second-hand furniture, in which blood-sucking bugs hide. Surely Airbnbs are to blame too. A friend detected an infestation after a weekend in Cornwall. The damn things were harder to remove than the nits.

Just let a woman do it

Petty Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny,

Imagine the criticism if the Army organized an event to discuss the ‘lived experience’ of ethnic minority soldiers on the front lines and invited, as an expert witness, the testimony of a white Caucasian soldier.

So it’s no surprise some are wondering why Petty Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny, right, the first trans female soldier to serve in the military, was on a panel discussing the experiences of women in the military.

Without a doubt, Officer Penny has an exemplary 40-year record, having joined as a man and serving in roles where women were prohibited.

But, since her experience as a woman in the military is limited, her role on the panel would have been better represented by a biological woman.

How is it possible that seven police officers rough up an apparently autistic child for giving one of them little more than a bit of a lip but hordes of wild teenagers can go berserk in places like London’s Oxford Street and barely get a knock on the knuckles? ?