In Lapland, Finland, two women in their eighties and a pack of huskies whizzed by on a sleigh, roughing it out in -4˚ F weather. Their names: Sandy Hazelip and Ellie Hamby.
What seemed like an easy tourist-friendly recommendation from their hotel turned out to be the real deal—a sled with no seats and a whip-fast race for at least a couple of miles. But the best friends were travelers, not tourists. And they weren’t known to shy away from an adventure, even if it was a surprise one.
“We just were holding on for dear life,” Hamby tells Fortune. The thrill was a highlight of her two-and-a-half month trip around the world with Hazelip earlier this year; the beauty of the unexpected made it all the more fun.
The pair, now 82, aim to tackle everything the world throws their way, documenting their whirlwind travel adventures on TikTok to their 63,000-plus followers. One video, featuring them riding camels, snowshoeing, and hot-air ballooning, racked up 1 million likes. Saying “yes, and an extra helping more please” to travel, these seniors are by no means limited by their age or societal expectations.
Still working full-time, Hazelip as a hospice medical director and Hamby as a medical mission director, the two were ready for a much needed break. Hazelip, who says she hadn’t taken real time off in 45 years and had turning 80 on the brain, proposed to Hamby: “Wouldn’t it be fun to go around the world in 80 days at age 80?” Having traveled well together before, Hamby immediately agreed.
Inspired by Phileas Fogg’s 80-day journey around the world, they planned to visit some of the same cities as the famed fictional character, all seven continents (including Antarctica), and as many of the Wonders of the World as possible (see: the Northern Lights).
With tickets booked and their 80th birthdays on the horizon, they were ready to go—until the pandemic slammed the brakes on everything. “COVID shut it down,” Hazelip says. “But COVID did not shut us down.” They finally embarked on their trip in January, on a $20,000 budget and with a new theme: “Around the world in 80 days at 81, and still on the run.”
A friendship with great mileage
Hazelip and Hamby first met 23 years ago on a medical mission, but weren’t as tied to the hip as they are now. Five years later, Hazelip rang up Hamby; she wanted to live near the practice she worked at in Abilene, Texas, which happened to be where Hamby was based. The two struck a deal: If Hamby gave Hazelip a place to stay two or three days a week, she’d take Hamby out for dinner. Hamby, a photographer whose husband recently passed away unexpectedly, took her up on the offer.
“That was 18 years ago, and that’s how our friendship started,” Hamby says. Still upholding their traditional weekly meals, Hazelip claims that Hamby could order correctly for her if she’s running late. “I can even buy clothes for her now,” she jokes.
Hazelip recalls telling her grandson after meeting Hamby that she’s “the only woman I have ever met who can work circles around me. I think we can be good friends.” Hamby felt similarly: “Most of the time we just outran our friends, we were always wanting to do more than anybody…all of a sudden we [found] each other. And wow, we struggle to keep up with each other.”
In the years since, they’ve since taken many a mission trip and five personal trips together, quickly discovering they were compatible on the road. The two are game for almost anything, which made Hazelip feel Hamby was the perfect travel companion for an international adventure.
“We’re both strong-willed ladies, but we respect each other’s stance on things,” she says, explaining that she acknowledges her companion’s need to rise early for photos. In Hamby’s case, that might look like trying more risky things that her friend is into, like riding camels or letting a snake slither around her torso.
‘Second-class travelers’
The duo covered every inch and cranny of the globe, bopping from Easter Island to the Great Barrier Reef, and spending time in each corner, including Antarctica and Australia. They forwent luxury stays and lounging by the beach, opting for adventure over vacation. As they put it, if your hands are well-manicured you might not want to travel with them. Most of their $20,000 budget went toward international flights, they say. “We did about the cheapest you could do,” Hamby adds.
The average cost of their hotel was $29 a person, although Hamby says they use the word “hotel” very loosely. One of her favorite places to stay was a $13.50 per night hotel in Cairo, which had a modest breakfast and no lobby or elevator. But it came with a “million-dollar view,” she says: If you went to the rooftop, you could look right out at the pyramids and watch the light show everyone else was paying for.
Calling themselves “second-class travelers,” Hamby says their affordable travel style is more fun and makes it easier to meet new people. It’s all about priorities, Hazelip adds: “Some people spend their money on boats, and being members of the country club and a new car every year. Those people who bought a new car, they spent more money than I spent on my 80-day trip.”
“This is a budget car, too,” Hamby quips.
They found that exploring cities was also generally more affordable and enjoyable when they get local recommendations from where they were staying. While they already planned some excursions, like riding hot-air balloons, they’d also ask the concierge if the hotel had a driver that could take them around to local sights.
That’s how the two ended up exploring Bali’s fields of orchids and rolling mountains. As they journeyed up the mountains, they saw a sign for a “happy swing” and asked their driver to pull over. With no tourists in sight, they boarded a swing on the edge of the cliff above a paddy field. Such spontaneity makes “travel fun, because you can do those unexpected things,” Hamby says.
While they initially posted their adventures on TikTok for their circle of friends, their journey touched a larger chord. It’s their friendship that attracts the younger audience looking to experience similar bonds and travels, Hamby says. “We really need each other. Sandy has enriched my life. I’m better because of that friendship,” she adds.
Moving into 2024, they want to keep the travel ball rolling and really explore one continent at a time. With a 30-day South America trip on the horizon—Machu Picchu is first up—they’ll be heading into the new year with a new slogan, “We are 82. And travel, we’re not through.”
