Meet the 89-year-old Russian grandmother travelling the world

Baba Lena, from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, is dedicating her twilight years to travel, and posts her adventures on Instagram

Baba Lena the travelling Russian grandmother on a motorbike (Credit: Ekaterina Papina)

They say millennials are spending all their money on travel instead of saving for homes and pensions these days, but travelling isn't just for the young – not if 89-year-old Russian grandmother Baba Lena is anything to go by. The grey nomad is proving it by zipping around Vietnam on the back of a motorbike, sampling spicy local cuisine and cocktails – then posting about it all on social media.

On her most recent trip to Thailand, Baba Lena enjoyed the country's beaches and sampled tom kha soup, the classic Thai dish made with chicken and coconut.

 

Всем привет с Тайланда! Продолжается покорение мира :) Благодаря Николаю Баскову! Теперь Том Ка-национальный тайский суп. Hi everybody from Thailand! I'm gonna to taste the tom kha soup. #лучшийподарок #мечтысбываются @nikolaibaskov #бабалена #супербабушка #babalena #89yearoldgranny #babushka1927 #travel #thailand #tomkha #adventuretime #тайланд #2017 #красноярск #krasnoyrsk #siberia

A photo posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Dec 31, 2016 at 10:57pm PST

The 89-year-old from Russian city Krasnoyarsk, a stop on the Trans-Siberian railway, visited Prague, Poland and East Germany in the 1970s, but stopped holidaying abroad because she no longer had the time or money. But six years ago, at the age of 83, she decided she wanted to see more of the world.

She became an internet sensation after meeting Ekaterina Papina, a fellow Russian traveller, in Vietnam. Papina's post on Facebook about her inspiring meeting with Baba Lena received 14,000 shares. The intrepid babushka has now taken to Instagram and Facebook to document her travels, with the help of her grandson.

 

👒👙🏊😜

A photo posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Jan 2, 2017 at 6:11pm PST

Baba Lena travels alone and says she loves meeting new people. "It's easy to make friends when I'm away, because a lot of people wonder [at] my age and ability to travel and they want to help. They show me everything everywhere, help to see the sea, visiting restaurants," she told The Independent.

Baba Lena the travelling Russian granny riding a camel in Israel

As well as meeting new people, she's not afraid of trying out local forms of transport, hopping on the back of a motorbike for a spin in South-east Asia and then climbing onto a camel in Israel during a visit late last year (as shown in the video below).

 

На лошадях каталась, а на верблюде первый раз #babalena #@babushka1927 #babushka1927 #супербабушка2016 #супербабушка2016 #бабалена #бабушка89 #babushka #бабушка1927 #еленаерхова #израиль #верблюд #camel #telaviv #israel #deadsea #89yearsoldgrandma, #russia #travel

A video posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Dec 10, 2016 at 4:50am PST

Since her 83rd birthday she has visited Turkey, the Czech Republic, Germany, Vietnam and Israel. Her favourite was the Czech Republic, because the people are friendly, she says, and she enjoys the food.

 

Прилетела в Израиль. Это третья страна в этом году #babalena #@babushka1927, #babushka1927, #бабаЛена#супербабушка, #супербабушка2016#israel🇮🇱

A photo posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Dec 10, 2016 at 4:46am PST

"Travelling means a new life, people, meetings," says Baba Lena. "It's pleasure to see how all greet [and] learn. The biggest thing I have learned about life is there are a lot of great people in all countries! Nothing to [be] afraid [of], because you can only die once and you'll die one day anyway."

 

Как Баба Лена @babushka_1927 лихо торговалась с арабами в Иерусалиме #telaviv #jerusalem #israel #babushka #бабушка1927 #бабушка89 #торговля #арабы #красноярск#babushka89#babalena#бабалена#russia#travel#89yearsoldgranny#89yearsoldtraveller#супербабушка#еленаерхова#bestoftheday

A video posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Dec 12, 2016 at 7:58pm PST

Baba Lena uses her pension to fund her adventures. She also grows and sells flowers, and sews, to boost her travel budget.

 

Здравствуйте, дорогие друзья! Знакомьтесь, это наша 89-летняя бабушка из Красноярска. Путешествовать бабушка начала в 83 года и посетила Чехию, Польшу, Германию, Турцию, Вьетнам, Израиль. Живет #БабаЛена в Красноярске. На путешествия копит весь год пенсию и летом продает цветы. Прекрасно переносит перелеты и ездит везде с одним рюкзачком. Our 89- years old grandma from Siberia in Moscow P.S Заблокировали наш прошлый аккаунт, к сожалению, поэтому создаем новый. Присоединяйтесь и следите за новыми путешествиями бабы Лены #babalena #@babushka1927 #babushka1927, #бабаЛена#супербабушка #супербабушка2016 #москва #moskow #russia #89traveller

A photo posted by Баба Лена Ерхова (@babushka_1927) on Dec 10, 2016 at 3:15am PST

And this Instagramming babushka shows no signs of slowing down. She plans to be in the Dominican Republic for her 90th birthday in April. Baba Lena, we salute you.