NEED TO KNOW

• A woman, widowed at 37, spent decades prioritizing her family before deciding to focus on her own happiness

• Janine took a solo gap year to travel, visiting places like Rwanda, Guatemala and Morocco to embrace new experiences

• Now, at 60, Janine plans to visit Japan and New Zealand and dreams of renting a house in Italy with friends

After a woman found herself widowed at 37, she had to take over as the guiding force of her family. Now, at 60, Janine is finally putting her dreams first.

"I didn't think my adventure years were over, but I did think, 'How do I do this alone?'" she told Mamamia.

"As women, it's so ingrained in us to be the givers for everyone around us. We look after everyone else first, and we don't allow ourselves to have the precious time we want. Being needed becomes a crutch, and you don't know any other way to be," she added about being the person all the other family members leaned on.

She decided to take a gap year to travel the world alone, embracing unfamiliar places and tough emotions in the process.

"I definitely felt like I needed to earn it," Janine said. "But I've come to realise that if you're always waiting for the right time, it's never going to happen. The right time doesn't come to you; you have to choose it."

"Truthfully, no one is going to praise or thank you for staying home, and no one who loves you will ever say you shouldn't have gone on that trip," she continued.

Janine eventually traveled everywhere from Rwanda to Australia. She's also been to other countries like Guatemala, Croatia and Morocco, and even went on a gorilla trek.

"I was so completely in the moment, it was a massive bucket list experience for me," she recalled. "I wasn't thinking or worrying about anything else at that moment. That's what travel does for you."

Janine noted that her 60th birthday "crept up" on her, but it made her want to "change the future" when it came to her life.

Her kids were also supportive of her love for travel, especially now that they're all grown up.

"When they were little, if they were happy, I was happy. Now they're older, they want their mom to be happy too," she said.

"I'm still here, I'm in good health, and I'm able to do this with my life. Not everyone has that privilege at this age, so I'm taking all the opportunities," Janine added.

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As for what she's planning next, Janine hopes to travel to Japan and New Zealand. She also wants to rent a "cheap house" in Italy to enjoy the culture with her closest friends.

"My children always say, 'If nothing changes, nothing changes.' And they're right. Say it out loud, take it out of your head, just put it out there in the world and make it happen," she said.

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