by Grandparents who quit their jobs and sold their home to backpack around the world say they “can’t wait” to keep traveling after cancer temporarily halted their adventures.
Tina Waddle, 58, and her husband, Kevin, 65, decided to pack up their careers and follow their dreams after realizing they had “more years of their lives behind them than they had ahead of them “.
The couple sold their £218k three-bedroom house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and most of their belongings, bought a motorhome, and went on a trip around the world.
Their adventures included hitchhiking along the Argentina-Chile border in Patagonia, scaling glaciers in Iceland, and camel riding across the Sahara desert.
All was well until Kevin was diagnosed with anal cancer in March this year, which forced the couple to take a break from their travels.
But as soon as Kevin is well, they plan to hit the road again and Tina is planning trips to Armenia and Turkey in the future.
Tina, a former NHS worker, and Kevin, a telecoms worker, used to live a “typical family life” with their son, Scott, 36, and daughter, Steph, 31.
But in 2016, Kevin realized something needed to change when a friend quit his job to live in Paris, France, but he suffered a heart attack and died before he could make the move. to complete.
“He wanted to do more, he wanted us to sell the house and make some money to buy a motor home and go travelling,” explains Tina.
“I was absolutely convinced – I’d never stayed in a motorhome, let alone traveled around in one.
“But the idea was always that ‘if it all goes wrong, we can start again’.”
In February 2017, the couple sold their house and most of their belongings before buying a six-metre £25k motorhome.
“It felt like we were closing the doors on one life and opening the doors to another,” says Tina.
“It was such a great feeling.”
The couple first toured Europe, visiting Spain, Italy and Croatia.
The van became their base, but then it was left in a warehouse or on driveways and they began backpacking in more distant places, including Mexico, Vietnam and China.
They returned to the UK in February 2023 and decided to sell their motor home, but that was not the end of their adventure.
Instead they spent nine months of the year travelling, returning to the UK during the year to visit family and friends at home and to pet sit in the summer.
The duo were enjoying their adventures until January, when they were in Morocco and Kevin had some worrying signs.
At first the couple thought it might be piles, but after medication didn’t help, they both realized they had to return to the UK for a proper check-up.
In March, after tests by UK doctors, Kevin was told he had anal cancer.
He needs a course of chemotherapy which will start in July at St James’s Hospital in Leeds and will last five and a half weeks.
“Of course the immediate thought was ‘where are we going to live while he’s going through chemo?’,” says Tina.
“We don’t have a house, the tumor was growing bigger by the day – Kev needed a permanent place to rest and heal.
“Luckily, we know some amazingly supportive people and we have house sitting arrangements in place until September.
“After a while – as soon as Kev feels fit and well – we’ll be out backpacking again.”
Kevin says: “Imagine how I’d feel now if we hadn’t gone further afield 10 years ago to see more of the world.
“I would work all my life looking forward to my retirement, but to be told ‘you have cancer’.
“My point is, don’t put your life on hold thinking ‘I’ll do that later’ and, as the old cliches go, ‘don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today ‘, because tomorrow may never come.”
Both are relieved that they decided to take action when they succeeded and are eager to get back on the road when Kevin is fully recovered.
“We can’t wait to ring that cancer bell,” says Tina.
“Cancer can be treated and cured, so as soon as he’s fit and ready to go, we’re off backpacking again.”
The rise of money backpacks
Gap years might make you think of hedonistic full moon parties and post-university students crashing into hostels, but it seems there’s a whole new tribe of travelers who want to tour the world.
New research shows that almost four in ten over 60s are throwing caution to the wind and booking the trip of a lifetime.
Called a “gray gap year”, or, the adult gap year, these golden year travelers are choosing to leave the golf course to retire on a world tour.
While cash-strapped youngsters are starting to think twice about taking a gap year, cash ventures are on the rise as 37% of the 60-plus generation expect to take an extended trip.
When it comes to reasons for the rise in the number of money travellers, almost a fifth (19%) admit that they are much more motivated to “seize the day” and travel than they were five years ago, and wanting them to travel more. at an earlier age, it contributed to the desire to sail later in life and it is unfortunate that 21% did not take a gap year in their teens or early twenties.
Commenting on the findings, Eamonn Ferrin, vice president of international business at Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which commissioned the research, said: “While globe-trotting has long been associated with the young and lazy, our research shows that traveling is more booming than ever. .
“While golden gap year travel is becoming a trend, there is a boom in each generation prioritizing travel, taking more frequent trips to long-haul destinations. No matter what your age, travel knows no bounds.”
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Additional reporting SWNS.
