But what began as a carefree backpacking trip through south east Asia ended in unimaginable tragedy.
Simone, 28, died after unknowingly consuming bootleg alcohol laced with methanol while travelling in the popular backpacker town of Vang Vieng.
Campaign for change
Bethany, now living in Brisbane, has since launched a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of methanol poisoning and bootleg alcohol, calling for essential education in UK schools to prevent future tragedies.
According to Bethany, this will be implemented in schools across England and Wales from September 2026.
She told the News Shopper: “I don’t know what’s been going on in the UK, so I only see or hear from what socials is telling me.
“BBC covered it, ITV did a national piece on the campaign too.
“I want to get the awareness out as much as possible.”
Bethany has been working with news organisations across the UK and Australia and recently spoke with Smart Traveller – Australia’s government funded travel advisory website.
She said Smart Traveller continues to send SMS warnings to travellers and posts frequent alerts on social media, with both methods set to continue for three years before review.
Bethany added: “They’re working with 16 universities and have a charity called ‘Red Frogs’ which helps young people safe when they finish school and go travelling.
You can sign the petition here
“They’re thinking about spending more money on it, but it has to get approval from above.
“They have stuff in the airports warning people and sticking with big screens in the airport warning people about it.
“As far as I am aware, most young people don’t really use the government website over in the UK to check out holidays, but here it’s more common.”
She has appeared on major TV and radio outlets, including Australia’s breakfast show Sunrise, where she questioned how UK aid money to Laos is being used.
Bethany explained: “We’re giving millions to them – they’ve not solved the crime, could this be used to educate doctors about how to look in hospitals?
“It doesn’t just affect tourists, it affects locals – it just doesn’t get reported and goes undiagnosed.
“There’s a huge knowledge gap – if you know the symptoms, you know to start drinking ethanol (quality spirits), and you know to go straight to a (private) hospital.
“I think there could be more, and the government website isn’t good enough.
“It says stick to sealed bottles and drinks, but people have ended up with methanol poisoning from this.
“We went to a general hospital initially and they diagnosed us with food poisoning, so even just having posters set up in hospitals would be a start.
Bethany has also taken to TikTok, using viral sounds to reach millions.
One clip using the well-known ‘Jet2’ audio has reached around nine million views.
“I think pushing out social media content is all we can do.
“The government needs to be doing more social media campaign ads, because as we know most young people are scrolling through TikTok and Instagram for hours every day,” she said.
Calls for justice
Alongside her campaign, Bethany is also waiting for progress on justice in Laos.
According to her, there have been proposed charges related to the incident.
Bethany also claimed that some bars in the area are known to run so-called “drug happy menus,” raising further concerns about safety and regulation.
She said: “We don’t know if these people will be charged with sentences or fines – we don’t hear anything from the Laos authorities.
“Obviously, the Foreign Office updates us when they get information.”
The night it happened
Bethany and Simone had reunited in Cambodia before journeying into Laos, excited for the weeks of travel ahead.
They had spent the day tubing down the river – a popular tourist activity – before returning to their hostel for a night of drinking.
Bethany recalled: “We had methanol-laced shots.
“We had five or six each, just mixing them with Sprite.
“The next morning, we didn’t feel right, but we just assumed it was a hangover.
“It was strange though – unlike any hangover I’d had before.
“It felt like being drunk but in a way where you couldn’t enjoy it. Something was just off.”
Despite their condition, they carried on with their plans, heading to the Blue Lagoon and kayaking down the river again.
Bethany said: “We were just lying on the backs of the kayaks, too weak to paddle.
“Simone was being sick off one of them.
“Neither of us wanted to swim or eat – which, we later learned, are early signs of methanol poisoning.”
Hours later, after boarding a bus to their next destination, things worsened. Bethany fainted, and Simone continued vomiting.
They were eventually taken to a local hospital. Bethany described it as “very unlike the Princess Royal University Hospital – very poor.”
“They had no idea what was wrong,” she said, “they talked about food poisoning, but we hadn’t eaten the same things. It didn’t make sense.”
Still confused and deteriorating, the group made it to a private hospital. But by then it was too late.
Bethany said: “They told me they’d do all they could to save her.
“She was having seizures during dialysis.
“I was told at one point there was a 70 per cent chance she’d recover. I still had hope.”
When Simone’s condition worsened, her mother, Sue White, flew out to Laos, arriving just as her daughter was being wheeled into emergency brain surgery.
Bethany added: “Her brain had started to swell, and they had to shave her head.
“The surgery relieved the pressure but caused bleeding and the other side started swelling.”
The results confirming methanol poisoning wouldn’t arrive until two weeks later.
By then, Simone had died.
