Travel and no alcohol: 100-year-old British woman shares her secrets of longevity

Joan Smith, a century-old resident of Lanarkshire in the UK, said that the key to longevity is a positive attitude and travel. The old woman celebrated her birthday with her family and shared her advice.

This was reported by the Daily Record. Smith is currently staying at the Abbey Lodge care home in East Kilbride.

According to her, the fact that she never drank alcohol also played an important role.

Describing her as "a truly wonderful woman," Joan's stepdaughter Carol Meikle said, "Our stepmother Joan Smith celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, June 17. A truly remarkable woman, Joan began her working life in Collins. During the war, she voluntarily moved to Leamington Spa and worked in a munitions factory there. This sparked Joan's interest in traveling, so she took a two-week trip from Greenock to New York City after the war to meet her younger sister, Marion. From there, she moved to Canada."

"By far, her bravest move was marrying my dad and moving in with us. However, she handled it with real strength of character and resilience," she added.

Stepson Raymond Smith added, "The secret to Joan's longevity was that she never drank and always had a positive outlook on life."

Joan married her late husband James Smith on July 27, 1974. They settled in Westwood, East Kilbride with his three children, Carol Meikle, Raymond Smith and Linda Shields, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.