Traveling Alone Around the World After a Lifetime of Work: This is the Adventure of Sania Jelic

Traveling alone. After retirement. Destination: Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. With a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. Emphasizing that travel is never a matter of age, but of excitement and courage. This is Sania Jelic's introduction. After dedicating her entire professional career to tourism management, technology, and promotion from various companies, including directing the Tourism Office of Croatia in Spain, Sania is an example that new and exciting chapters are always ahead.

"When I retired, I was super happy, but suddenly I felt an emptiness. I became aware of the enormous stigma surrounding older people and aging in general," she explains. This is the germ of her project Silver Sania, which aims to promote travel for older adults and positive and active aging. "We are active people, but society does not recognize us. That's why I'm here as a little voice of reason."

Wisdom is one of the assets to consider when embarking on a world journey, and Sania utilized it: "There are certain things to do before reaching a certain age. Since I wanted to dive with sharks in Galapagos, diving is a relatively demanding physical activity, so I knew I had to start with Latin America. If I wanted to dive, it's better to do it at 66 than to wait until I'm 68. That's why I chose Latin America as my first destination. And I took the opportunity to see regions I hadn't been to, like Patagonia. And then I continued on to Bolivia...".

"I've been diving for over 20 years. I've been trekking all my life. I've always been physically active, not in any specific sport, but I've done everything: pilates, tai chi, yoga, all kinds of dance, canoeing, climbing, rappelling, rafting, kayaking...", explains Sania, for whom good physical condition is crucial when traveling. "Some people train for months; that's not my case, but some people do."

Among her tips before departing: "Get a medical check-up, go to the dentist, check your vaccinations...". And "emotionally prepare to accept fear and the unexpected". Don't forget to get travel insurance, decide who to share your real location with, and "be ready for all sorts of comments when you tell your family you're leaving: from 'don't go', 'you're crazy', to 'take me with you in your suitcase'." A suitcase that was reduced to a carry-on size and a backpack, because Sania knows it's key to travel light: "Whatever you want to take with you, leave half at home.

What she never leaves at home is her capacity for fascination during the trip, like "on the ferry ride between Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt [Chile] with Navimag. It's a three to four-day crossing. It's beautiful". Other fascinating places lead us to her native Croatia, from which she left 33 years ago to settle in Spain and eventually become a citizen. Sania recommends "the islands and national parks" of Croatia and, if possible, to visit them in a month that isn't August.

Sania's upcoming travels will take her to Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. "The wildlife in Africa is impressive. There are many interesting wildlife conservation projects, collaborating with elephant volunteers in Namibia or rhinos in Tanzania, cheetahs in South Africa, and marine life (dolphins) in Mozambique. I will choose several volunteer projects and also some social projects," she reveals. As for Asia: "I would like to see the orangutans in Borneo. I was in Japan once for a very short time and I wish to spend some time there. It's a different culture and I would like to understand it a little better. And for Polynesia, I need to figure out how to arrange that because it has to be by boat."

It was precisely by boat that Sania remembers her first trip. She was destined to sail the seas: "I was with my mother, who was very pregnant, from Naples to Buenos Aires. I was alone on the ship, like the pet". Until the unforgettable moment of the trip came: "When we crossed the Ecuador, they gave me the baptism of crossing the Equator: they smeared me with chocolate, put feathers on me, and I had to wait for it to dry. And my mom was in the cabin!". Did this curious ceremony discourage Sania from traveling? Quite the opposite: "I enjoyed it, I enjoyed everything so much".