If you think you think travel is a luxury reserved for the young, you better think again. It turns out that the world’s most intrepid backpacker is 95 years old.
Keith Wright, a World War II Veteran from Australia, is about to take off on his eighth trip to Europe – where he plans to travel on a hop-on hop-off independent rail journey across the continent, staying in hostels all the way.
Mr Wright has a history of travel that would make most backpackers turn green with envy – having previously flown solo around the world and ticked off most countries in Western and Eastern Europe during the past decade.
And if you think he’s chalked up all of these points on a lifetime of travel – think again. His first solo trip – a four-day bus loop through Turkey – was at the age of 85.
Wright believes that lack of money should not put people off travelling, as he himself lives on a shoestring budget all year to save enough money to go abroad.
Then, when he does travel, he follows a personal travel budget which includes economy class airline tickets and hostel dorm rooms.
He observed: “My belief is that if you are fit and able to travel independently, it is the best way to see as much as of the world as you want.”
“I have seen things that most tourists haven’t seen, because I walk the back streets and take trains or buses to nearby towns for the day”
“Wherever I go, I wear my Australia cap, so it gets me a lot of attention from the locals.”
Christina Kerr, who has booked many of Keith’s holidays with Round the World, said: “I like to tell his story to other travellers, particularly those who may have thought themselves too old to travel overseas or feared that it was too expensive.
“Keith has become more like a friend over the years and when he travels he even asks the staff of the hostel to send me an email, just to let me know that he has arrived safely.”
If this article has inspired you to get your wanderlust on, check out my destination travel guides or travel blog for ideas.
