Turning Seventy in the Year of the Fire Horse

A powerful travel story about turning seventy, rediscovering courage, and celebrating life through an unforgettable African adventure.

 

Last year ended on an exceptional note and that energy spilled straight into this extraordinary new year, the Year of the Fire Horse*. As if turning seventy was not already a seismic shift in mindset.

Seventy arrived with questions I had not expected. How do you step into your seventies? My sixties already felt like an audacious challenge. This felt bigger, deeper and more personal.

At the same time, a long-held desire resurfaced – to return to my birth land. Financially, it felt impossible until life intervened in its own quiet way and a small emergency fund became available.

And I thought, if this is meant for an emergency, let it be an emergency of the soul. Let me do something I truly want to do.

Unbeknown to me, this was also the beginning of my journey with You’ve Earned It.

When the Universe Conspires

The first time I met the YEI team, I remember saying, rather confidently, “Oh, I’m doing a trip advertised on YEI.”   And this is what happened to me when I joined YEI – my life totally took off, as if in a major explosion!  What an adventure all the way around!

The universe was already conspiring to ensure that everything fell into place.

My bucket list is easily a mile long. However, on this journey I did not just tick boxes, I exceeded them. My excitement was so contagious that it inspired two cousins and a friend to join the same adventure. I thought I was travelling alone. The universe had other ideas. Some experiences are meant to be shared.

Victoria Falls, Memory, Motion, Meaning

From the moment I boarded the plane in Cape Town, the adventure began. In Zimbabwe, I was welcomed at Victoria Falls with exceptional care and VIP treatment. I quickly re-oriented myself to the lush bush surroundings along the banks of the mighty Zambezi River.

The following morning, I walked all sixteen lookout points at the Falls. We paused to reflect on our parents, my mother and father, aunt and uncle, as their ashes were scattered into the cascading water. It was profoundly moving. A moment of continuity and gratitude.

That afternoon, childhood memories returned vividly. As a young girl, I had been an unescorted minor, sitting in my school uniform in the lounge of the Victoria Falls Hotel, waiting for transport to boarding school. Tea was served with cheese and tomato sandwiches, no crusts.

For lunch that day, I ordered exactly that. Tea and a cheese and tomato sandwich. Toasted this time, a modern luxury.

Courage, Celebration and a Bikini

The heat drove us straight into the swimming pool and for the first time in fifty years, I bought myself a bikini. It felt like reclaiming a part of my youth, joyfully and unapologetically.

That evening, we dined at a lodge with a vulture sanctuary. A local choir arrived singing Happy Birthday. I jumped up, sang and danced with them, to the astonishment of fellow diners and the absolute delight of my own spirit.

Seventy had arrived and I was celebrating it properly.

Adventure, Elevated

The next day was pure exhilaration.

It began with a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls. By chance, I sat next to the pilot, feet resting on a glass panel, looking down onto the Falls rather than out of a window. The only word that fits is gratitude.

Then came the zip line over the Zambezi Gorge. There are no words that truly capture that moment. I do not think I breathed and I have never felt more alive.

Later, we attempted to visit the Big Tree on the Zambian side, crossing borders and navigating logistics before wisely retreating without proper guidance. What followed was a lesson in patience, teamwork and kindness. Our driver went far beyond duty, ensuring we made it safely back to our hotel hours later.

Exhausted, we spent the afternoon exactly where we belonged, in the pool.

Chobe, Where the Soul Remembers

A houseboat cruise on the Zambezi followed and then we travelled by road to Chobe Game Reserve in Botswana.

Some things never leave you. The smell of the bush. The stillness of dawn. The way wildlife moves in silence.

We were greeted by a spectacular sunrise on our first morning. On the second, elephants gathered quietly at the waterhole, gentle, powerful and wordless. On our final dawn game drive, the rains had shifted everything. Most animals had melted into the bush, leaving us with buck and one unforgettable final sighting, a lone leopard whose kill had been stolen by hyenas the previous morning.

Nature, uncompromising and magnificent.

Coming Home Changed

Our final leg took us by air back to South Africa. The airport felt strangely empty until, seemingly out of nowhere, our aircraft arrived. Within minutes, we were boarding, lifting off and heading home.

Just like that, the journey ended.

Or rather, it settled inside me.

The Best Birthday Yet

Turning seventy was the best experience of my life. Would I do it all again?
In a heartbeat.
Here’s to courage.
Here’s to timing.
Here’s to saying yes when the moment arrives.
And here’s to the Year of the Fire Horse.

Article by Alison Newton, YEI member

 

*The Year of the Fire Horse in 2026 is a year of intense, fast-paced, action-oriented energy. It is characterized by the Horse’s natural independence and restlessness, amplified by the Fire element, which encourages movement, truth and authenticity. This year is a time for bold decisions, sudden pivots and a collective urge to engage with life more fully. It is a year to travel, reinvent oneself, and make brave, spontaneous choices. Embracing adventure, authenticity and clear goals can help maximize the dynamic opportunities that this year offers.

 

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