Two 81-Year-Old Best Friends From Texas Travel Seven Continents In 80 Days
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Two 81-year-olds from Texas are halfway around the world in 80 days.
Best friends Sandy Hazelip and Elly Hamby are now in Egypt and almost 50 days into their world tour, which will visit a total of 18 countries and seven continents.
Since leaving Dallas on January 11, the two have crossed Drake Passage into Antarctica and have visited places including Easter Island, the North Pole, Argentina, London and Zambia.
Before leaving, they set guidelines: avoid traveling first class, stay in small hotels, take only a small suitcase, do not take tours, use public transport and do not hire travel agencies.
Sandy Hazelip (right) and Elly Hamby (left) from Texas are 81 years old and decided to travel the world together in 80 days.
So far they have been in: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, Finland, England and Italy
Hazelip and Hamby, who have undergone total knee replacements, met twenty years ago in Egypt and hatched their plan in June 2020, but the two are no strangers to traveling.
Since the first time they met, they have taken several trips together. “We already knew that we were the perfect travel companions,” they say. he said on his blogthey have been updating along the way.
Hazelip is a doctor who now works with seniors in long-term care facilities and hospices. She lost her husband 20 years ago and is a mother and grandmother: her four youngest grandchildren were adopted from China.
Hamby, also a widow, is a documentary photographer and has already traveled to 107 countries and every continent. Photos of her have been featured in magazines, brochures, and exhibits in both the United States and Africa. She has three children and is also a grandmother.
Organizing the trip was complex and they suffered setbacks caused by the pandemic. It was originally planned to circumnavigate the world in 80 days at age 80, starting in January 2022.
But after the delay, it was renamed: Around the World in 80 Days at 81 Years Old.
‘It hasn’t been easy to make the final decision on our “Around the World in 80 Days” trip, but it had to be done. We are not canceling but postponing’, they announced at the time.
“As always, we dedicate everything we do to the memory of the loves of our lives, Don and Kelly. We thank you both for cheering us on. We miss you and want you to join our adventure,’ they said before leaving.
Hamby (pictured before the trip) is a seasoned traveler and documentary photographer.
Hazelip (also pictured before the trip) is a doctor who now works with seniors in long-term care facilities and hospices.
In Rome, the couple ate pizza, made a wish in the Trevi fountain, and visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.
In Lapland, the couple saw the northern lights and rode husky sleds.
The two women are seen earlier this month under the northern lights.
Hamby had a lifelong dream of visiting Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa. The two appear there last week with their matching jerseys.
Hazelip and Hamby are shown here in Antarctica after passing Drake Passage last month.
Both found Antarctica calm, but commented on the strong winds and low temperatures.
Both were asked about CBS News while in London about what motivated them to embark on the adventure.
“I think the first thing is to meet people, and the world is full of the most exciting and interesting people,” Hamby said.
In photos of the duo from around the world, they’ve been featured wearing matching ’81 T-shirts and still running away!’ printed on their backs.
They have talked about how the trip is also inspiring others. In a blog post, they said an 87-year-old man wrote to them and told them that he was now considering his own trip: around the world in 90 days at 90.
The two women encourage each other. Don’t sit in that chair and burn out. If you don’t use it, you lose it! Hazelip told CBS.
The octogenarians were inspired by the fictional Phileas Fogg, the protagonist of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.
Fogg is a wealthy Englishman who bets £20,000 that he can sail around the world in 80 days. Unlike these two ladies, he has help and hires a French valet, Jean Passepartout, to travel with him.
One of their first stops in mid-January was Antarctica, which required them to cross Drake Passage. The sea was rough and they described it as “at least 48 hours of 15 foot waves.” On the boat they said that walking was impossible without holding on and sleeping was difficult.
‘We are having a very rough day in Drake Passage as the waves are around 15ft high! They are hitting from the side making the boat roll very badly. Everything falls or slips’, they said.
Upon arrival in Antarctica they were baffled by strong 40 mile per hour winds and low temperatures. “Again we had a fantastic time being entertained by the penguins, and the views were amazing.”
“It’s a feeling like no other to be standing on the ground in Antarctica. It is difficult to describe the serenity one feels when looking at one of the most peaceful landscapes one has ever experienced.’
The two women are seen marveling at the famous Easter Island statues scattered around the island, all with their backs to the sea.
They also noted the small size of the island, 15.3 miles long and 7.6 miles at its widest.
Then they went to Easter Island. There they noted the small size of the island’s population, 15.3 miles long and 7.6 miles at its widest, and photographed grazing wild horses.
“They just roam free, and some say there are more horses than people on Easter Island,” they wrote on their blog.
‘There are only 36 family units. Our young waiter last night, Jose, said it’s hard to find a partner who isn’t your relative. Miguel, our friend, landlord and taxi driver, seems to be related to almost everyone on the island; wherever we went, a relative of his was there,’ they said.
The couple also marveled at the famous statues: more than 1,000 are scattered around the island and all of them have their backs to the sea.
After Easter Island, Hazelip and Hamby were forced to make their first major change to their itinerary. His plan had been to go to Peru and take the train to Machu Pichu but due to protests and riots, that section was cancelled.
Instead, they visited Argentina, which they described as a “substitute destination.” ‘We have the philosophy of traveling “just let yourself go and enjoy the trip, even if it’s not the trip we planned.” That’s what we did,’ they said.
After an overnight flight they went from Buenos Aires to Madrid, where they saw the Prado museum. They then moved further north to Lapland, where they watched the northern lights and rode husky sleds.
They then headed to Rome, where they ate pizza, made a wish in the Trevi fountain, and visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.
In Zambia they saw white rhinos resting in Livingstone National Park and posed for a photo. There, they also marked another wonder of the world: Victoria Falls.
In Zambia, the couple visited Victoria Falls, marking another wonder of the world.
Hazelip and Hamby pose in front of white rhinos in Livingstone National Park in Zambia
Hamby’s lifelong dream of visiting Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa, came true last week. There they stayed at an affordable hotel and pointed out the diverse architecture and may have been the warmest place they had visited so far.
“The old buildings (many in a dilapidated state, but still beautiful structures) made one think of a different time when sultans ruled and what life would have been like,” they wrote on the blog.
The next country for the two will be India, before East Asia, Australia and back to the US, where they will visit San Francisco and the Grand Canyon on their doorstep.