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