Two 81-year-old best friends were not put off embarking on a round the world adventure despite getting caught up in the Syrian Civil War.
Sandy Hazelip and Ellie Hamby left Dallas in Texas in January 2023 with one mission - to visit all seven continents.
The two grandmothers spend the next two and a half months visiting 18 countries, starting off in Argentina before heading to Antarctica and on to other dream destinations including Australia and Japan.
The two women told the Mirror that every aspect of the trip was "absolutely wonderful" and that "everything went off exactly as planned, no lost luggage at all."
The duo, who met 23 years ago in Zambia and have both lost their husbands since, were determined to see as much of the world as possible by hopping on 30 flights through the One World Alliance global ticket, which offers journeys with British Airways, American and Qantas for a relatively small amount.
In total they spent they equivalent of £5,400 each on a trip that they've been cooking up in their minds since their first big adventure together back in 2008, when they trundled along the Trans Siberian Railway to Mongolia and then down to Beijing.
A year later they would head on a South East Asian odysesy that had them staying in the YMCA in Singapore before taking in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and finally Vietnam, which they entered on a bus filled with live, squawking chickens.
In 2011 Sandy and Ellie found themselves on a tour of the the Middle East when bubbling tensions in Syria erupted into war.
"We were camping in the Syrian desert, close to Palmyra, when the war broke out," Sandy told The Mirror.
Ellie added: "Our problem was getting money. There were no ATMs. We had to get back to the old city in Damascus, which was a five hour drive. That's where all the shooting has been.
"There were military and policy with AK47s. The driver said 'these ladies need to get out' and they put down their rifles.
"We ran by them, the money came out, then we were told to get in an unmarked car and go to Jordan."
Ellie, a medical director, from Abilene, Texas, and Sandy, a physician, from Eastland, Texas had hoped to complete their most recent adventure at the age of 80, but Covid travel rules got in the way.
Both still work and keep in good physical shape, with Sandy hitting the treadmill and Ellie walking four miles every day.
They have four knee replacements between them and describe themselves as being "workaholics", but still had plenty of energy to travel thousands of miles together and get in a few scrapes along the way.
On an exhibition ship to Antarctica this meant enduring huge 5m waves that crashed into the vessel's sides, "rocking and rolling and slipping and sliding" with such ferocity that several people onboard suffered injuries.
In Sydney the duo were in their pyjamas up taking a nap in their hotel after appearing on TV when a fire broke out.
"The firefighters got us to evacuate," Ellie recalled. "We grabbed our backpacks and ran down the fire-escape. I lost $300aus in the process , but later a worker came over and had the money.
"She handed it to me and said 'I think you lost that'. We believe very strongly in the goodness of humanity."
In Tokyo they were "a little lost" in Shinjuku station - the second largest railway station in the world - when suddenly a young Slovenian man approached then.
"He said 'I know you two, I read about you in the UK papers," Sandy said. "He was so nice. He helped us make our arrangements."
When asked why they enjoy travelling with the other, Ellie said both of them were "very flexible, neither one gets easily upset when things don't go right."
"Some people get very stressed and nervous, but we just have to go with the flow and keep going forward," she said.
A moment neither will forget was when they were in Lapland and saw the Northern Lights.
"It was absolutely over the top amazing," Ellie said.
For those planning to embark on similar adventures, they recommend travelling light when possible, and sticking to one piece of checked luggage.
"My philosophy is pack your suitcase and then go take things out," Ellie said. "The lighter it is the happier you will be. You don't need all these things. You can buy anything you want anywhere in the world."
Their one regret from the trip was not making it to Machu Picchu, which was closed at the time due to political unrest in Peru.
Next year, when they'll be 82, Sandy and Ellie are planning to spend more time exploring a single continent.
