Meet 61-YO Kerala Women Who Runs A Grocery Store And Has Travelled to 11 Countries With Her Savings

Mad4Her By Chaithra B S | 2 min read

kerala

A 61-year-old Kerala woman, Molly Joy, who runs a grocery store in Ernakulam in Kerala, has travelled to 11 countries and many other regions in India in 10 years with savings! Here is how she did it. 

This Kerala Woman’s Motto Is Work-Save-Travel

According to Manorama, Molly’s husband Joy, a casual worker at the time, started the grocery store. He passed away 18 years ago, and Molly’s primary source of income at the time was the grocery store. She discovered that she had more money in her hands when her daughter got married and her son found a job.

Molly Missed Her School Trips Due To Financial Issues, But Not Anymore

Image Source – Freepik

Molly Joy from Kerala has been intrigued by travelling since she was a child. However, as she was raised in a low-income household in Thiruvankulam, Ernakulam, Kerala, she was unable to even pay for school trips. By Class 10, her studies had come to an end. 

She married Chithrapuzha native Joy from Kerala, and the two of them opened a grocery store in 1996 to make a living. They occasionally took short trips within Kerala and South India since Joy enjoyed travelling just as much as Molly did.

Molly’s First Trip Abroad 

One day, one of her friends, Mary, approached Molly and asked if she would want to join her on their trip. She began by travelling to places such as Ooty, Kodaikanal, Madurai, Mysuru, Palani, Kovalam and others. She began to enjoy travel more after that. 

She was then invited to travel abroad, notably to Europe, by Mary. Although the cost worried her a little, she put more importance on her desire to travel. In 2012, she went ahead and obtained a passport so that she could spend 15 days travelling around Italy, France, Vatican, Switzerland, and Germany.

She Took Breaks After Her Trips To Save Up

Molly took a break from travelling after the first trip, which cost Rs 1.5 lakh, to save money for the second one. To make extra money, she opened the store on the weekends and holidays in Kerala. She went to Malaysia and Singapore on her ensuing trip in 2017. 

She took another pause from her travels as a result of the pandemic-related lockdown and international travel restrictions. She used the opportunity to save money for her subsequent trip, which was to the US in November of the previous year. Within 15 days, she travelled to New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

After a 15-day trip to the UK, London became her favourite place to visit. She took a cruise from Amsterdam to Rome, which she also found to be an unforgettable experience. But for her, seeing the magnificent Niagara Falls was one of the best experiences.

Her Hard-Earned Money & Savings Backed Her Up 

Image Source – YouTube

Molly has never gotten a loan for travel, and the majority of her money comes from her small grocery store earnings. She occasionally pawned her gold jewellery to finance her travels, but she eventually settled her debts. 

She graduated from class 10 and has no regrets about not continuing her education because she understands that if she had a regular job, she wouldn’t have had the freedom to travel as she does.

Source of Information: Manorama

If you loved reading about Molly Joy’s travel story at the at of 61, here is another story of woman power who saved lives, Meet Monica Khanna – The Pilot Who Saved 185 Passengers In A Plane On Fire:

If you know more inspirational stories about a person, company, new idea, or social initiative, and want us to write it on mad4india.com, share such information with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.