Great-grandmother Jean Smith will not reveal her age but whatever it is, it doesn't get in her way.

The word 'globetrotter' was probably invented for Mrs. Smith who started travelling 45 years ago and who has, literally, not stopped since.

Her passport now includes stamps ranging from the UK, Canada, the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and countries in the Mediterranean. Her next trip is to islands in the Indian Ocean.

Whether it's by cruise or by air, when she decides that it's time to get off "The Rock," she books a ticket and is off, by herself or with a group.

"I've been all over the United States and Mexico, Sacramento, Las Vegas, then we did the Mediterranean last year," Mrs. Smith said. "Then we did a couple of cruises to the Caribbean.

"I used to travel by myself, if I wanted to go somewhere I just bought a ticket and then left. You meet people because I did tours. Wherever you go, look up a tour, get on a bus or get on a boat.

"When we did Mexico, we did a Pirates Cruise, we did all of that and it was nice. You meet people from all over the world on those little cruises. It was just a cruise around the water and they picked up people and then you get off and get a taxi back to your hotel.

"And that is the way you do it, you don't just go on a trip and sit around, you go to the nearest Visitor's Service Bureau, find out what is going on there and you jump on a bus or a boat or what ever is smoking. Sometimes you do a walking tour. You just take it all in and enjoy.

"You meet a lot of people, you get names and addresses and some people you drop a card to, some you never hear from no more, but I met a lady from New York on a cruise and we call each other. It is really great."

As for excitement, she said: "I like LA, but Palm Springs was a really relaxing area, although they tell me that it has changed quite a lot since then.

"We did the (Aerial) Tramway, which goes about 6,000 ft up the mountain, yeah, we did all of that a couple of times. And LA I couldn't even count. I've done the Caribbean about three times."

When queried about her favourite Caribbean island, she said: "I really don't know, but I want to go to Jamaica to spend more time than you do on a cruise."

Some elderly people just cruise around the world on a regular, she explained. "I met a lady like that and she said, 'I just get off one ship and get on another'.

"I said to her, 'no I don't think I'd want that, I need a break in between'. I guess once you get to a certain age you can do that, but I can't do that because I've got family. I think once a year or every couple of years is good enough for a cruise."

Sitting off knitting in a rocking chair was never Mrs. Smith's idea of an idyllic retirement. "That's not going to happen to me, I have too much to do!" she said.

"I go out and I do my gardening, I build my own little walls, I do all of that. "I have no time to do that (being idle), my husband said, 'you find stuff to do.'

Her advice to others is: "Do the Mediterranean, it's fantastic and you need to travel, because it is lovely."

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