An Update On My Application To Guinness World Records
Saturday, October 18th, 2008I forgot to let you know how that application to Guinness World Records for me to claim the title of The World’s Oldest Around The World Solo Backpacker turned out. I had asked them to open a new category….because no one has gone for this one before…so that I could qualify with my second RTW in 2009. I had visualized going to all the arrangements of getting official documentation in various cities on my journey and then getting “crowned” upon my triumphant return.
Ah well. They, the Guinness Committee in London, were very nice and they did seriously consider my application, but their final answer was “No.” Apparently, they feel that there simply isn’t enough of an interest in this field to open the category. Surely, they reasoned that there would never be any people silly enough to challenge the record since they would have to be around 72 years old to beat me. I can just hear them at their boardroom table: “Don’t be daft, man! What are they going to do? Wander out of the nursing home and just happen to get around the globe? Ain’t gonna happen!” Personally, I believe that they don’t know yet what this upcoming Boomer Generation is capable of. You just watch your new crop of senior citizens. I simply wanted to prop open the door for them.
They may have had some perfectly good reasons for their decisions and these things are final, so there’s no arguing. Actually, now that I think of it, it’s quite a relief. I can simply begin to call myself that now, without all the trouble of having to prove it. In fact, taking a gander at the map of the Southern Hemisphere, and pricing the tickets and checking my current bank account, I may just want to spend my time poking about on the various continents down there rather than zipping around in the time that I have free this year. Might put off my technical rtw until I’m even far older, a few years hence. If I had a title to win, I’d be locked into the idea of now or never.
So, who’s the oldest rtw solo backpacker on the planet? You’re lookin’ at her! Unless you know of a challenger and then I’d like to meet them. We would get along. By the way, I was on TV recently. Pop over to my other blogsite, heyboomers.com and have a look. The video clip is on my book reviews page.
lindajbrown