For many tourists, travel is synonymous with holidays at all-inclusive resorts. However, for seasoned travellers, the true adventure begins where the tarmac ends, and sprawling hotel complexes give way to small towns with crumbling houses.

One must remember that visiting less popular destinations comes with risks, such as falling victim to crime or becoming ill in areas where medical care is scarce. Despite these dangers, many travellers still venture into highly dangerous regions.

Katarzyna Marciniuk’s sister, Anna Ignaczak, was the first to raise the alarm about her disappearance. In a Facebook post, she described her relative as an experienced traveller who had left Poland on 14 August. Communication with her abruptly stopped on 2 September. Katarzyna’s husband, Mateusz, also spoke publicly about her disappearance.

In an interview with Belsat's "Vot Tak" website, he said, "Katarzyna didn’t just visit Moscow and St Petersburg. She travelled as far as Lake Baikal and Kamchatka. She visited many places during this extensive journey. My wife is a very experienced traveller."

Mateusz further revealed that Katarzyna had planned to visit the Caucasus and the occupied territories of Ukraine during her expedition.

"The most troubling part of all this," he continued, "is that she has never gone missing for this long before. No matter where she was or how far she travelled, the longest period without contact was three days. She was always sending photos to someone and calling through instant messaging. Now, there has been silence since 31 August. No one has heard from her since then. Her phone is off, and she hasn't logged into any of her social media accounts."

Mateusz contacted the Polish Embassy in Moscow for assistance in his search for answers, but so far, he has received no updates from Polish diplomats.

At the time of writing, the sister of the missing traveller has shared the long-awaited update on Facebook. Anna Ignaczak wrote:

"Kasia has been found. She called me. She is safe and well. She’s still in Russia and is expected to return in about two weeks. Nothing happened to her... Her phone was stolen, and she had no way to get in touch (that’s the official version). Thank you all for your help and concern, and we apologise for any confusion. The most important thing is that she is alive and well."