January 18, 2007

Bittersweet message

Natalee Holloway’s mother visits Valley Christian
to share cautionary tale of traveling abroad

By Athena Burgueno
Special to the Times

Seeing her daughter’s cell phone laying silent in her hotel room brought a wave of regret to Beth Holloway Twitty’s heart the day she flew to Aruba to join in the search for her missing daughter Natalee Holloway. She remembered thinking, “If only I had arranged for Natalee to be able to make international calls maybe she would have been able to call for help.”

As Natalee’s pictures flashed on a large screen behind her, Twitty recalled the bright future that appeared ahead of her daughter and told the tale of her fateful visit to Aruba to the assembly of Valley Christian students and faculty. Photos by Stephen Torode

On May 30, 2005, the 18-year-old Mountain Brook, Ala. student went missing while on a high school graduation trip with fellow students to Aruba. What began as summer fun ended in the tragic disappearance of the bright and beautiful honors student. For months her story captured the hearts and minds of the American public as pictures of the vivacious blue-eyed blonde posing with friends appeared on news broadcasts across the nation.

However, as time passed and Natalee has not been found, interest in the case has faded. Her spirit lives on in the form of her mother’s burgeoning cause: to speak out to as many student groups as possible on the potential dangers of Americans traveling abroad.

Twitty came to Valley Christian High School on Jan. 12 to share her family’s tragic story and her own spiritual journey along with some cautionary advice: Not all countries are like America and it is important for all travelers to know the laws of the country they are visiting and to take certain precautions such as activating international calling cards on their cell phones, learning about a country’s alcohol and drug laws and about local customs.

As Natalee’s pictures flashed on a large screen behind her, Twitty recalled the bright future that appeared ahead of her daughter and told the tale of her fateful visit to Aruba. Natalee was last seen leaving a restaurant and getting into a car with three men. In Aruba, and in some other countries, not all taxis have signs on the vehicles so it is possible that Natalee was tricked into believing she was getting into a taxi when in fact she was getting into a private car with strangers, according to Twitty.

“I think her lecture definitely got everyone’s attention,” said senior Athena Kahl. “And got the point across that it’s important to be safe and know that your rights in America don’t carry over into other countries.”

Twitty also recalled the story of a Valley Christian family who learned firsthand the tragic repercussions of dealing with laws in a foreign country when their 17-year-old son, J.R. Adams was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while on vacation in Mexico last year. She recalled the Adams family’s desperate efforts to retrieve J.R.’s body and bring it back to the United States in order for a proper burial. The family finally ended up paying off authorities so that they could retrieve the body.

Often, people relax their inhibitions when on vacation and mistakenly believe that they are safe in their surroundings. However, according to Twitty, one can never be too safe and must take precautions when traveling outside the United States. In honor of her daughter, Twitty helped create a nonprofit organization called the International Safe Travels Foundation. ITSF was established to educate the public on the various ways to stay safe when traveling internationally. Through the foundation, Twitty hopes to realize her goal of “helping [others] plan, travel, and return home safely.”

According to the foundation’s Web site, all donations to the International Safe Travels Foundation are used exclusively to assist in the realization of the foundation’s mission, and funds received are not used to support the legal case involving the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

As Valley Christian High School senior Lucas Paule said, “I was inspired by Mrs. Twitty's mission to honor her daughter and will keep her safety tips in mind whenever I travel out of the country.”

Although there is a strong possibility that Natalee is no longer alive, the search to find the missing puzzle pieces in her disappearance continues and her memory remains alive within the heart of her mother as she reaches out to other young people in an effort to prevent them and their families from suffering a similar fate.

To learn more safety tips about traveling abroad visit www.internationalsafetravelsfoundation.org

Athena Burgueno is a Valley Christian senior.