85-year-old 'traveling nanas' who have visited 53 countries explain what made them want to travel later in life
A pair of 85-year-old travel gurus who've visited a whopping 53 countries together have revealed the heartwarming reason they decided to explore the world in later life.
"While many may decide to backpack South America or Southeast Asia in their 20s, Eleanor 'Ellie' Hamby and Dr. Sandra 'Sandy' Hazelip, two best friends from Texas, are proof you can have fun exploring no matter your age.
The 85-year-old 'Traveling Nanas' met in their early 60s through a medical mission.
Ellie explained to UNILAD: "After Sandy’s husband died, she attended a medical missions seminar in Dallas, where we met, and she later joined the Zambia Medical Mission."
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Sadly, Ellie's husband died five years later, with the pair's friendship only growing in the years that followed.
It was the pals' love of travel that saw their close bond flourish and they experienced their 'first big adventure' together on the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway line in the world spanning across Russia.
The pair added: "Years later, we took our 'Around the World in 80 Days' trip at age 81, visiting seven continents and 18 countries! We already loved travel, but our friendship gave us someone to share the adventure with.
"We had both experienced loss, and we knew how precious time is. We still had places we wanted to see, people we wanted to meet, and experiences we wanted to have. We didn’t want our age to make those decisions for us."
While Ellie and Sandy's age means they have to take into account the physical aspects of every trip, they've still managed to have a 'joyful, surprising, and occasionally hilarious' time on their travels.
"We’ve made wonderful memories, found ourselves in some unexpected situations, and laughed our way through plenty of travel mishaps," Sandy continued to UNILAD.
"We do take our physical abilities into account—we have four artificial knees between us. But we choose adventures that work for us and keep going. Traveling has given us so much to look forward to, and sharing it with a best friend makes it even sweeter."
Ellie and Sandy believe there are a number of benefits to traveling in later life compared to the more common way of backpacking the world during a gap year in your 20s.
"You bring a lifetime of experience and perspective," they explain.
Sandy went on to say that because 'you know yourself better' later in life, navigating different cultures becomes a lot more enjoyable.
"We’re also less concerned about impressing anyone," she added. "We’re happy to ask questions, talk to strangers, and admit when we’ve taken a wrong turn."
Finally, the pair are urging those in their 60, 70s and older considering taking the plunge into travel to 'just say yes'.
"Start with somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, choose activities that suit your abilities, and take that first step," the 'Traveling Nanas' continued to UNILAD.
"Find a companion who shares your curiosity and sense of humor, if you can. And don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Adventure knows no age limit."
Callum Jones
