Colleen, a British expat enjoying her retirement travelling, has seen the world in a way many of us can only dream about.
With 53 countries ticked off her bucket list, she’s been to some of the planet’s most remote and awe-inspiring locations. But when asked which place is truly the best, a few destinations stood out among them all.
“It’s such a difficult question because every time we think of one trip as being the best, we remember another,” Colleen told Express.co.uk.
“Our overland trip in Africa was incredible, but so was Ha Giang and Paradise Cave in Vietnam.
Sitting on a beach in Galapagos, knowing that we’d seen David Attenborough in pretty much the same spot was a moment!” she also shared.
“Then there were the Orangutangs in Borneo and walking in the jungles of Mondulkiri in Cambodia with the elephants.
“And the Camino! Walking 800 kilometres across Spain was pretty life-changing. And Dana in Jordan! People go to Jordan for Petra but Dana was so incredibly stunning. You see, I could just go on and on!”
When asked if there are any dream destinations left, Colleen’s enthusiasm was undeniable.
“We’ve got so many places still on our list,” she said. “Australia and New Zealand are big ones for us. Gerry lived in Australia as a ten-pound Pom in the 1960s, so he wants to see how much it’s changed.
“I was booked to hike in Patagonia in 2020 and of course, we know what happened there, so it would be good to get that ticked off my list. We’d also like to spend some more time travelling through Thailand, into Malaysia and back to Indonesia.
“I was sick when we were on Java and I missed a few things so it would be good to go back.”
For Colleen, being able to travel in her golden years has been liberating.
“I think there is just something in my soul that makes me a Vagabond,” she shared. “I need to explore the next horizon. I hope that for as long as we’re able we can do that.”