We’re 82-year-old Finest Buddies Who Traveled Across the World in 80 Days — Here is What It Was Like

For Journey + Leisure’s column Touring As, we’re speaking to vacationers about what it’s prefer to discover the world by their distinctive views. We chatted with Sandy Hazelip and Ellie Hamby, two 82-year-old single nice grandmothers, who journey across the globe along with an infectious, optimistic spirit. Their adventures can be documented in a Penguin Random Home guide known as “Comfortable Place,” out subsequent yr.

Sandy Hazelip: I grew up in Fort Price, Texas, in a really modest household and received married after I was nearly 20 years previous to an exquisite individual. Our son developed diabetes when he was a child, so I grew to become inquisitive about studying about medication. After I was 34 years previous, I instructed my husband I wished to go to varsity to turn into a physician. From day one, he was my cheerleader. I began medical faculty after I was 39 and opened my follow in 1985. 

Then, my husband died in 1999. However earlier than he grew to become sick, he talked about we should always take our grandchildren on mission journeys. Six months after he handed, a younger doctor instructed me he was going to be at a medical missions workshop the next weekend in Dallas. I went and met Ellie Hamby and her husband, who have been the administrators of the Zambia Medical Mission. I began occurring the mission and Ellie and I grew to become good pals.

Ellie Hamby: I grew up as a farm woman in Oklahoma and lived in a really small city till I completed highschool. I received married after which went off to varsity. My husband was a professor at Abilene Christian College. We wound up going to Zambia and lived there for six years within the Eighties. Once we got here again to the college, we have been approached about directing a medical mission. 

Neither certainly one of us have been medical [professionals], however I’ve been recognized to arrange every part all of my life. We began organizing a medical mission to Zambia within the Nineties. It is one of many world’s largest medical missions, and I am nonetheless directing it. We see 2,000 to three,000 sufferers a day over six days per week on the clinic. Sandy’s been one of many medical medical doctors, going each different yr for the final 20-something years.

About 5 years after Sandy’s husband handed away, my husband handed away in a tennis accident. Sandy known as me a couple of month after. I used to be nonetheless adjusting to his sudden dying. She mentioned, ‘I am shifting my medical follow to Abilene and I don’t need to go away my house in Eastland, so I want a mattress a few nights per week. If you happen to would give me a mattress, I am going to take you out to eat.’

That was 19 years in the past. Besides once we’re on journeys, she’s typically at my home one or two nights per week. We stayed up late, drank espresso, and began realizing we love to do issues alike. Our friendship developed out of two horrible tragedies, however it was an attractive factor as a result of tragedy hits all of us. That does not imply your life is over. We each had phenomenal husbands. We cherished them dearly. However we did develop this nice friendship. 

Our outlook on life is comparable: We’re very completely happy individuals, we consider within the goodness of humanity, and we’re not scared to strive new issues. 

I had already achieved fairly a little bit of touring, having been to about 115 nations.

About three years after Sandy began staying at my home, we took our first journey collectively in 2008. We went on the Trans-Siberian Railway — not the vacationer practice. We went on the second-class individuals’s practice all the best way. 

Hazelip: Our third journey collectively was in 2011 — we have been in Syria when the conflict broke out.

Hamby: We have been sleeping in a Bedouin tent in Palmyra within the Syrian desert. We had already been all by Syria on public buses — two 72-year-old girls with backpacks.

The issue was that there have been no vacationers in Palmyra and we have been headed to Jordan, however we hadn’t paid the lodge and there have been no ATMs within the metropolis, nor did they take bank cards. Mohammad on the lodge organized every part for us — his mom cooked us an exquisite meal that night time and he organized for us to go along with a driver to Damascus about 5 hours away.

We received there and the entire plaza was lined with the navy holding AK-47s. Our driver went as much as them and should have mentioned these two previous girls must get money out of an ATM. They put down their weapons. We prayed there could be cash — and there was. Then, Mohammad instructed us to get in a white unmarked automobile on the facet of the street to take us to Jordan — and it did. So, we already had some wild experiences.

Hazelip: We’re sufficiently old to recollect the film and guide, “Across the World in 80 Days,” so two or three years previous to turning 80, I mentioned to Ellie, ‘Why don’t we go all over the world in 80 days once we’re 80?’

Hamby: My first response was, ‘What?!’ About 30 seconds later, ‘Why not?’ We instructed our household and pals. I believe most of them felt like it could by no means occur. It’s a fairly daunting factor, and we did not notice simply how daunting it was till we accomplished it and received all this recognition.

We used the Oneworld Alliance Around the World fare, which is nice. You need to go to 6 continents and it provides you 16 flight segments. You circumnavigate the world in a single course. That made it helpful and saved us cash. 

Hazelip: You may make your individual itinerary — simply observe their guidelines. Once we received to a rustic and wished to see extra issues, we’d use our airline miles and fly to these different locations. Often, we had to purchase a ticket. Our common lodge room for the entire 80 days was $29 an individual per night time — and that normally included breakfast.

Hamby: Our greatest cut price was $13.50 on the Royal Pyramids Inn in Cairo. We needed to enter by an alley, however once we received to the rooftop, there have been the pyramids. After which the lights present at night time — we watched it without cost.

Hazelip: When different girls say they might like to make a journey with us, the very first thing I do is take a look at their palms. If they’ve well-manicured fingernails, they most likely do not need to journey with us.

Hamby: We do not have a journey agent. We guide each lodge ourselves; we guide our flights, and when we’ve an issue, we’ve to unravel it as a result of there is not any one we are able to name. And we have no males carrying our baggage.

Hazelip: We had initially deliberate to go on our Across the World journey once we have been 80, however COVID shut it down, so we went once we have been 81, and our theme was…

Hazelip and Hamby: World wide in 80 days at 81 and nonetheless on the run.

Hamby: We began in Antarctica. It is one of the awe-inspiring locations to set foot on on the earth. To face there and do a 360 round you — what you see is simply past perception. The immenseness of the Antarctic, the ice mountains, the icebergs, the water, penguins in every single place — it is unbelievable.

Hazelip: Then, we have been within the Arctic Circle. We had a driver in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. At some point he mentioned, ‘Would you love to do a husky sleigh trip right now?’ I believed it was going to be some tiny trip like on the Texas truthful, so we mentioned certain.

Hamby: He had a complete pack of huskies. We went for 4 miles by the forest, turning sharp corners and holding on for pricey life. And it was minus 4 levels.

Hazelip: We received again and mentioned, ‘Wow, that was enjoyable!’ One other day, he requested if we wished to see the reindeer farm. Seems, it was his household’s farm the place he grew up, and we received to feed the reindeer. 

Hamby: Sandy and I do not usually plan. Issues simply form of occur. We actually depend on locals to arrange issues for us. In Bali, for instance, we received a driver for $50 for eight hours. Once we noticed one thing we wished to do, we might do it. We noticed this signal that mentioned, ‘Comfortable Swing,’ so he turned again. They have been essentially the most enjoyable swings over rice paddies.

Hazelip: On the finish, we mentioned we didn’t go on a trip — individuals get drained once they go on trip. We went on an journey and each journey simply ramped us up for the subsequent one. 

Ellie discovered a saying that I completely love: ‘The world is a guide and he who doesn’t journey solely reads one web page.’

One of many world wonders we had deliberate to see on the journey was Machu Picchu, however the political unrest shut it down. Ellie and I are everlasting optimists. We have been certain by the point we received there, it could be over. Three days earlier than our flight was scheduled to Peru, we needed to make the choice to cancel that. 

So, this yr, we at the moment are in South America with Machu Picchu being the final place we cease. We’re having an exquisite time and our new theme is…

Hazelip and Hamby: We’re 82 and we’re not by.

Hamby: We’re up in La Paz, Bolivia, at greater than 12,000 ft. We climbed within the Valley of the Moon the opposite day and a complete group of Bolivians applauded once we received all the best way to the highest.

On this journey, we fished for piranhas within the Amazon. I caught three, however Sandy caught the largest one. We ate it that night time in piranha stew, which was fairly good. We additionally went alligator searching — and caught two. I went swimming with pink dolphins within the Amazon. We’re not afraid to enterprise out.

Hazelip: We’re not afraid to have enjoyable.

Hamby: Additionally, to your data, between Sandy and I, we’ve 4 synthetic knees. These issues occur to all of us as we become old, and also you’ve started working laborious, do bodily remedy, and keep optimistic.

Hazelip: Ellie’s household is accustomed to her wild travels. My household is making an attempt to get used to it. I promise I’ll ship them textual content messages day-after-day. I allow them to know we’re protected.

Hamby: In our planning, there are some issues our children need not know. They did not must know we have been going piranha fishing, for instance. Why would we inform them and have them freak out? They will discover out later once they see footage of the piranha we caught.

We’ll hold touring so long as we are able to — and we are able to provide you with sayings. We don’t have one for 83 and 84, however for 85, it will likely be “We’re 85 and nonetheless alive.”

We hope to have the ability to journey so long as our well being holds out. To date, we’re wonderful, however we all know we’re getting older and there is going to be a time we won’t. We do not let age decide what we need to do. We’re fearless vacationers, we do not like nightlife, and we’re not in search of males. We’re simply two single girls having an journey.

Hazelip: Now we have one fantastic journey after one other each single day.

Hamby: The language of South America has been a bit trickier than most, however Sandy and I say there’s one common language, and that is a smile. We use that over and over and over.