The real golden girls! Texas grandmothers became internet stars after they traveled the world in 80 days – taking in all seven continents – to celebrate turning 80
- Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazellip celebrate their eight decades on the planet in style with the 80-day trip of a lifetime
- The Texas couple quickly became social media stars with hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world following their adventure
- Now back home, the couple says they hope to be able to inspire future generations to continue their thrill-seeking
Best friends Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazellip have recently become famous on social media as they travel around the world 80 days for their 80th birthdays.
On Tiktok, “mobile grannies,” as they became known, explored the world while their fans came for the ride.
Starting in January, the couple, who have been friends for 23 years, began their journey in Dallas, Texas, from where they left on their way to Antarctica, where they explored the land of ice and penguins.
We went to the North Pole in Lapland and saw the northern lights and a sleigh ride. We were in Zanzibar. We went to Egypt, India, Nepal, Bali, Japan, Rome and of course London too NBC 5.
A couple stands up to the Northern Lights – just one stop on their inspiring adventure around the world in 80 days.
The couple, both of whom are widows, posted pictures of themselves on their TikTok account which has 50,000 followers and 900,000 likes.
Users have seen Hazelip and Hamby dressed in matching outfits on a swing in Bali, dancing in Nepal, being carried in a rickshaw in India, and on a hot air balloon in Egypt.
People were asking us, “Do you have a TikTok?” Well, no. Perhaps we should continue with this, Hamby said.
“Even when we got to LAX, a couple of people came up and said, ‘You TikTok traveling grandmothers. ‘Yes! That’s us.’
The duo also found their way to Easter Island, seeing the Northern Lights, and taking pictures of wildlife including elephants and lions.
People all over the world have been stopping by and telling the seniors they are an inspiration, and both said they would hold onto it as they readjust to their lives in Abilene and Eastland, Texas.
At first, the pandemic postponed the trip, so the friends were actually celebrating their 81st birthdays around the seven continents.
But they say the trip they’ve spent years planning has been worth the wait—all they need is a small name change on their itinerary: The official name of their tour has become “81 and Still On the Run.”
Ellie Hamby poses with a lion in Zambia
Ellie Hamby stands on a camel in Egypt
The duo, in matching red dresses, are standing on a swing in Bali
The duo’s first road stop is in Antarctica
They both agreed that their favorite part of the trip was the people they met along the way
“The thing that got both of us excited was how we brought joy to people as they followed us on this adventure,” said Hazelip.
The couple, who returned to Dallas late last month, exactly 80 days after their departure, hope they have inspired the members of Future Generations to realize that it’s never too late to go on the trip of a lifetime.
After the trip, Hazelip said the couple weren’t tired.
“Vacations are tiring. You feel bad on vacation,” she told USA Today. “This isn’t a vacation, it’s an adventure, and adventure motivates you to keep going further.”
