Two Friends Dream of Traveling the World—in Their 80s It Lastly Occurs

A friendship spanning over 20 years has culminated in an epic journey for 2 senior girls.

Ellie Hamby, 84, from Abilene, Texas, and Dr. Sandy Hazelip, 84, from Eastland, Texas, have confirmed that journey is aware of no age restrict. They shared their intention to journey the world collectively in a TikTok video—and, extra importantly, how they made it occur. Hamby and Hazelip advised Newsweek about their journey collectively and what they’ve discovered from the world at over 80 years previous.

“At 79, we had the same dream: to see the world together!” the chums wrote in a TikTok caption. “At 81, we did it! We did it all.”

A Friendship Forged by Shared Experiences

The girls’s friendship started over 20 years in the past on a medical mission journey in Zambia, Africa, the place Hamby and her late husband have been administrators and Hazelip was one of many physicians. Later on in Texas, each girls discovered themselves navigating the world as widows—however their bond was solidified when Hazelip moved in with Hamby for a number of nights per week when she acquired a possibility to open a clinic at a facility close to Hamby.

“About a month after Ellie’s husband, Kelly, passed away, I called Ellie and said, ‘I have a deal for you: if you will give me a bed for two nights a week, I will take you out to eat,'” Hazelip stated. “That was 20 years ago. Over the late-night conversations, we bonded over the shared experience of widowhood, among other things.”

Over the years, these moments collectively grew right into a deep-seated friendship. The pair began their adventures collectively to “far-flung places” nearly twenty years in the past, nevertheless it was their newest, most bold journey that introduced them to the world’s consideration. The duo deliberate to journey the world in 80 days on the age of 80, however on account of COVID journey restrictions, they could not make the journey till they have been 81.

A Global Adventure

Hamby and Hazelip’s travels have taken them almost in every single place.

“We’ve been to all seven continents, most of the world’s wonders and to almost 50 countries,” Hamby stated. “The best highlights aren’t just about the places, but it’s about the people we met along the journey.”

And their journeys haven’t been with out moments of pleasure, together with a visit on the Trans-Siberian Railway and a visit to the Middle East in 2011 the place they “found ourselves in the Syrian desert when the war started.” Their most-recent senior journey journey, the around-the-world-in-80-days journey, was performed in 80 consecutive days.

Hamby and Hazelip stated that they had no thought their travels would flip them into social-media sensations, however they now get acknowledged in airports after a TikTok video acquired over 6 million views.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think something like this would ever happen to us,” the chums stated.

An Inspiring Message

Now that Hamby and Hazelip have realized the enjoyment and inspiration they’ve offered to others, they’re devoted to sharing their message of friendship and journey.

For those that might really feel it’s too late to dwell out their goals, Hamby and Hazelip supplied a strong ultimate message: “Get up out of your easy chair, step out of your comfort zone, make a plan and live.”

The associates even penned a brand new guide, Here We Go—Lessons for Living Fearlessly From Two Traveling Nanas, serving as a highway map to residing totally, it doesn’t matter what your age.

“We realized the world needed to hear our message of friendship,” Hazelip stated. “Living fearlessly and fully, loving those who cross our paths and opening our hearts to this big, wonderful world.”