A pair of 81-year-old best friends from Texas, Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazelip, have completed their ambitious round-the-world journey in 80 days. The octogenarian grandmothers began their adventure on January 11, starting with a trip to Antarctica.
The two women, who document their travels on a blog, have visited 18 countries across seven continents. They’ve donned matching T-shirts for their travels and have accumulated a large social media following on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Hazelip told CNN that her late husband “planted the seed in my heart that we should start taking our grandsons on mission trips in the summer,” which led her to the Zambia Medical Mission, a project run by Hamby and her husband. The two became closer after the death of Hamby’s husband in 2005 and decided to embark on their round-the-world journey together.
The two women’s journey began with a two-day trip across the Drake Passage, the notoriously rough waters between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands. They then explored the beauty of Antarctica and the wildlife it has to offer.
Since then, the pair have ridden camels in Egypt, met elephants in Bali, danced in Nepal, and observed the Northern Lights in Finland. They dedicated the trip to their late husbands, Kelly and Don, and said that the people they met along their journey were the highlight of their experience.
Despite the challenges of international travel, the two managed to complete their trip without any arguments. Hamby noted that it was easy for them to get along since they gave each other space.
When asked about the language barrier, Hamby said that a smile was all they needed to communicate. She also encouraged other older travelers to not let age hold them back and said that 81 was the perfect age to embark on their adventure.
The two are now back home in Texas and are already planning their next trip. They hope that their journey inspires others to follow their dreams and realize that age is no barrier to exploration.