An old age pensioner hiking across the world with her 82-year-old husband says they’ll only stop when they die.
Louisa Rogers has spent her whole life travelling around the globe.
And that hasn’t stopped, even after turning 73.
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In fact, she and her husband, Barry, 82, are more adventurous now than they have ever been, often spending their time hiking miles of treacherous paths.
The pair’s ultimate goal? To die having visited more countries than their age.
“Until this week, he was in 82 countries – but we’ve just landed in Poland, so now he can die,” the freelance writer told Need To Know.
“It’s more Barry’s goal than mine.
“I tease him – but it’s true – that having grown up travelling, I don’t have the need to prove anything.
“It feels great [knowing we’re still able to travel at this age].
“We just travel slow.
“As long as you’re healthy, which fortunately, we are, age is simply a number.”
Louisa and Barry have taken on a three-week trek in Nepal, a four-day Inca trail – in the rain – to Machu Picchu and the Camino de Santiago route in Spain before.
Recently, they conquered a three-day trek in the Ecuadorian Andes, scaling 13,000 ft.
While challenging, and with concerns on how they’d complete it at their ages, they say it was “one of the most beautiful” experiences.
And despite having a metal plate and pins in her right ankle, with Barry undergoing chemotherapy following a lymphoma diagnosis, they’re not ready to stop just yet.
She said, “Our main goal is to keep going.
“We love the combination of international travel, exploring different cultures and being physically active in areas of natural beauty.
“There aren’t many pensioners who can say that!
“We stay fit by walking, hiking, cycling, paddling and doing yoga.
“I also take calcium.
“Unfortunately, if either of us had a health issue, our insurance wouldn’t cover it if we were abroad.
“So there’s been some expense along the way, but we’re fortunately financially comfortable enough to foot the bill.”
The couple, who split their time between Guanajuato, Mexico and California, US, have also cycled across Europe, along with volunteering in Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Ghana, Uganda and Nicaragua.
Louisa, growing up, lived in Hungary, Argentina, Ecuador, Washington DC, Pakistan, Canada, Mexico and attended university in Wales.
Barry, on the other hand, has lived in Finland, New Zealand, Canada and volunteered in Bangladesh and Rwanda, as well as visited Iceland.
And they’ve just been to Italy, Berlin and are currently in Poland.
Their next mission? A six-day hike in Tuscany and possibly Vietnam.
She added, “To my fellow pensioners: stop believing the fear-mongering.
“People are always telling us to be ‘safe’, but I feel safer than ever.
“If you’re afraid of travelling alone, there are lots of senior tour groups.
“A lot of it is difficult, but it can also be so beautiful.
“I’ve set a high bar for myself on what I can achieve – and I’m more capable than I know, even in my 70s.”
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