81-Year-Old Widow Finds Lifelong Friendship on Solo Trip 🌍

An 81-year-old widow went travelling by herself for the first time after losing her husband - made "friends for life" and is planning another adventure with them.<br /><br />Trudy Veenstar, 81, spent her life travelling around the world with her husband, Auke Veenstar, who died aged 89 in April 2023.<br /><br />During their time together, the couple visited Southeast Asia, Europe and South America.<br /><br />After Auke passed away, Trudy didn't want to stop seeing the world.<br /><br />She decided to book her first solo venture - a two-and-a-half-week safari trip around Kenya, Africa, in February 2024. <br /><br />She would often "wonder off" and do her own thing, met local people, and experience the wildlife - even trying ox balls. <br /><br />On the first night of the trip, Trudy made friends with a group of tourists and forged a special bond with Melisa Boddie, 44, a TV Executive, from Colorado, Denver, US - who was also on the safari. <br /><br />The pair hit it off straight away and are planning a trip together in the future.<br /><br />Trudy, a retired retail worker, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said: "I was so ready to get back out travelling.<br /><br />"As much as I missed including my husband in the planning, I am a traveller and I have always had it in me.<br /><br />"I was so excited to plan this trip for myself, not knowing what to expect.<br /><br />"I was ready to experience what was coming. The 32-hour flight was daunting but as I say 'no pain, no gain'."<br /><br />Trudy and her husband travelled "extensively" around the world and she said Auke would have loved her recent trip around Africa.<br /><br />The pair enjoyed travelling Southeast Asia, including Nepal, Bangkok, Myanmar and Cambodia.<br /><br />She said: "Unfortunately his time ran out and I had to do it for both of us.<br /><br />"We always appreciated travel, going to new places and experiencing the culture of where we were at.<br /><br />"I booked the trip to Africa after he died, I wanted to see how it was to travel solo.<br /><br />"I wanted to see if I could do it solo. Even though I was solo, I wasn't alone."<br /><br />In February 2024, Trudy flew from Edmonton, Canada, to Nairobi, Kenya, for a two-and-a-half week safari trip around the country.<br /><br />On the first day of the trip, Trudy sat down next to Melisa at breakfast and the pair hit it off straight away.<br /><br />Melisa, said: "I was eating breakfast and a woman asked if I minded her sitting with us for breakfast.<br /><br />"That is when we learned that her husband died a year prior and this was her first trip without him.<br /><br />"Trudy is a lovely woman, she is so funny and so lovely.<br /><br />"We ended up meeting other people in the group, much older than me in their 70s and 80s."<br /><br />During the trip, the group of friends who have nicknamed themselves the 'Kenyan cousins' visited all the national parks and experienced the wildlife there.<br /><br />Trudy said she did not expect to leave with a group of friends but she is happy she has.<br /><br />She said: "We got on so well together, we just go to know each other.<br /><br />"I never expected to leave with such a close group of friends.<br /><br />"I never expected to form such a bond with them."<br /><br />During the trip, Melisa said Trudy would often wander off and explore on her own.<br /><br />She said: "Trudy likes to do her own thing, but it was a very structured tour group - Trudy would just wander off.<br /><br />"We would take turns watching over her as she would always wanted to do her own thing.<br /><br />"We would turn around and be like 'where is Trudy?'."<br /><br />After the trip ended, the group vowed the stay in touch and now have monthly FaceTime calls to stay connected.<br /><br />They are also trying to arrange another group holiday together but as Trudy is so well travelled they are finding it difficult to find a place she hasn't yet been to.<br /><br />Melisa said: "Trudy is the sweetest woman I have ever met, she is very funny and she has a dry sense of humour.<br /><br />"We are all wanting to plan another trip together, we are going to the Galapagos Islands but Trudy has been before so she isn't coming."