Woman packed her bag and left home at 65, showing us all it's never too late

Geraldine Forster left her family and home at 65, she retired and decided to have an adventure. She packed her bag and is still backpacking at 72!

Geraldine Forster had been a single mom of three and ran a hair salon for over 30 years. All her kids, now in their 40’s, have moved out and she had never dreamed of taking a long holiday. She retired at 65 and with no plans in mind packed her bag, well one backpack to be exact and set off around the world.

Geraldine is now 72 and still travelling. She mostly stays at hostels and backpackers to save money as she is living off her pension. She has traveled to over 50 countries so far and has no plans to stop.

“I’ve hugged elephants in Thailand, shared a happy New Year’s Eve with a hostel owner and his family in China, and eaten copious local delicacies – be it ants’ eggs in Cambodia or snake in Taiwan. I can’t imagine settling down. Until I retired, I’d never dreamed of leaving behind my family for a long holiday, never mind several years.”

Geralidine is an inspiration, showing us all that it’s never too late to follow your dreams and you sure as heck are never too old to try something new or to do something exciting.

“My family long for me to be a normal grandmother to my four grandchildren. I love them dearly but it’s not going to happen. We all have the right to realise our dreams – and I still have 101 places to visit including Argentina, to learn the tango. I hope my grandson, now 14, will join me when he’s old enough.”

She even writes about her travels, she calls herself the ‘BackPacker Granny‘