Since her childhood, Kerala’s Molly Joy was fascinated with travelling the world. But born to a low-income family, she couldn’t even afford to go on school trips.
After her marriage, she set up a grocery shop to earn a living. Once her son got a job abroad and her daughter got married, she found more time for herself.
So Molly and her close friend Mary travelled to several spots across South India, including Madurai, Ooty, and Mysuru.
Before her first trip to Europe, the 62-year-old says, “I was a bit concerned about the expense. My son and daughter asked me to use our savings for the trip.”
She went ahead and took a passport to travel around Italy, France, the Vatican, Switzerland, and Germany in 2012.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and made new friends. That’s the best part of any trip,” she says, adding that the trip cost her Rs 1.5 lakh.
To fund her trips, she would open the store on weekends and holidays to earn extra income. “I still don’t have a great income, but I spend it on what makes me the happiest,” says Molly.
In 2017, she travelled to Malaysia and Singapore. The following year, she visited North India.
In 2019, she again went to Europe. This time, she visited London, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
“Travel gives me an amazing sense of freedom. After every trip, instead of feeling exhausted, I feel reborn. I impatiently wait for the next journey,” she says.
During the pandemic, she saved more money for her next trip to the US in 2021. She visited New York, Washington, Philadelphia, and New Jersey within 15 days.
Now, Molly wants to explore unexplored Indian states.
“Financial constraints are never going to stop me from travelling. I will travel till my death,” she adds.