Two 81-year-old best friends from Texas travel all seven continents in 80 days

Two 81-year-olds from Texas traveled halfway around the world in 80 days.

Best friends Sandy Hazelip and Elly Hamby are now in Egypt and almost 50 days on their journey around the world, which will take them to a total of 18 countries and seven continents.

Since leaving Dallas on January 11, the two have crossed the Drake Passage to Antarctica and visited places like Easter Island, the North Pole, Argentina, London and Zambia.

Before leaving, they set themselves guidelines: avoid first-class travel, stay in small hotels, take only a small bag, don’t take tours, use public transport, and don’t hire travel agencies.

Sandy Hazelip (right) and Elly Hamby (left) from Texas are both 81 years old and decided to travel the world together in 80 days

So far they have been to: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, Finland, England and Italy

Hazelip and Hamby, who have both had knee replacements, met in Egypt twenty years ago and made their plan in June 2020, but they are no strangers to travel.

Since they first met, they have taken a number of trips together. “We already knew we were perfect travel companions,” they said on their blog, which they’ve updated on the side.

Hazelip is a medical doctor who now works with the elderly in long-term care facilities and hospices. She lost her husband 20 years ago and is a mother and grandmother at the same time – her four youngest grandchildren are adopted from China.

Hamby, also widowed, is a documentary photographer and has already traveled to 107 countries and all continents. Her photos have been featured in magazines, brochures and exhibitions both in the US and in Africa. She has three children and is also a grandmother.

The organization of the trip was complex and they suffered some setbacks caused by the pandemic. Originally planned to be around the world in 80 days at the age of 80, starting in January 2022.

But after the delay, it was renamed: Around the world in 80 days at the age of 81.

“Making the final decision for our Around the World in 80 Days trip wasn’t easy, but it had to be made. We’re not canceling, we’re 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. Thank you both for encouraging us. We miss you and wish you would join our adventure,” they said before leaving.

Hamby (pictured before the trip) is an experienced traveler and documentary photographer

Hazelip (also pictured before the trip) is a doctor who now works with the elderly in long-term care facilities and hospices

In Rome, the couple ate pizza, made wishes at the Trevi Fountain and visited both the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel

In Lapland, the two watched the Northern Lights and drove sleds pulled by huskies

The two women were spotted under the Northern Lights earlier this month

Hamby had a lifelong dream of visiting Zanzibar off the east coast of Africa. The two are pictured there in their matching t-shirts last week

Hazelip and Hamby are pictured here in Antarctica after passing through the Drake Passage last month

Both found Antarctica to be peaceful, but commented on the strong winds and low temperatures

The two were asked in London by CBS News what motivated them to embark on the adventure.

“I think the most important thing is meeting people and the world is full of the most amazing, exciting and interesting people,” said Hamby.

In photos of the duo from around the world, they can be seen in matching t-shirts that read “81 and still on the run!” printed on her back.

You talked about how the journey inspires others as well. In a blog post, they said an 87-year-old man wrote to them and said he was now considering his own trip – around the world in 90 days at 90.

The two women encourage others. “Don’t sit in that chair and waste away. If you don’t use it, you lose it! Hazelip told CBS.

The octogenarians drew inspiration themselves from the fictional Phileas Fogg – the protagonist in Jules Verne’s 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.

Fogg is a wealthy Englishman who bets £20,000 that he can navigate around the world in 80 days. Unlike these two ladies, he has support and hires a French valet, Jean Passepartout, to travel with him.

One of their first stops in mid-January was Antarctica, where they had to cross the Drake Passage. The sea was rough and they described it as “48 hours at least with 15 foot waves”. On the boat they said walking without holding on was impossible and sleeping was difficult.

“We’re having a very tough day in the Drake Passage as the waves are about 15ft high! They hit from the side and make the boat roll very hard. Everything falls or slides,” they said.

Upon arrival in Antarctica, they were surprised by high winds of 40 miles per hour and low temperatures. “Again we had a fantastic time entertained by the penguins and the view was stunning.”

“It is an incomparable feeling to be on the ground in Antarctica. It’s hard to describe the serenity one feels when looking out over one of the most peaceful landscapes one will ever experience.”

The two women marvel at the famous Easter Island statues that are dotted around the island – all with their backs to the sea

They also noted the island’s small size, 15.3 miles long and 7.6 miles at its widest point

Then they went to Easter Island. There they noted the island’s small population size, 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 write 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; Everywhere we went there was a relative of his,” they said.

The couple also marveled at the famous statues – more than 1000 are scattered across the island and all have their backs to the sea.

After Easter Island, Hazelip and Hamby had to make the first major change to their itinerary. Their plan had been to go to Peru and take the train to Machu Pichu, but due to protests and unrest that leg was cancelled.

Instead, they visited Argentina, which they described as a “backup destination.” “We have a travel philosophy of ‘Just go with the flow and enjoy the trip – even if it’s not the trip we planned.’ We did,” they said.

After an overnight flight, they went from Buenos Aires to Madrid, where they visited the Prado Museum. They then moved further north to Lapland, where they watched the Northern Lights and rode sleds pulled by huskies.

Next, they drove to Rome, where they ate pizza, made wishes at the Trevi Fountain, and visited both the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.

In Zambia, they spotted white rhinos resting in Livingstone National Park and posed for a photo. There they also ticked off another wonder of the world – the Victoria Falls.

In Zambia, the pair visited Victoria Falls, ticking off another wonder of the world

Hazelip and Hamby pose in front of white rhinos in Zambia’s Livingstone National Park

Just last week, Hamby’s lifelong dream of visiting Zanzibar off the east coast of Africa came true. There they stayed in an affordable hotel and pointed out the diverse architecture and it was perhaps the warmest place they had visited so far.

“The old buildings (many in a state of disrepair but still beautiful structures) made you think of a different time when the sultans ruled and what life would have been like,” the blog reads.

The next country for the pair will be India, ahead of East Asia, Australia and back to the US where they will visit San Francisco and the Grand Canyon on their doorstep.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk