Grandma Joy and her 42-year-old grandson, Brad Ryan, of Duncan Falls, Ohio, have a new goal: visit all seven continents. This travel duo, known for their adventures, has already explored three together.
Since 2015, they have visited 63 national parks across the United States. Their travels have also taken them to Banff National Park in Canada and to Amboseli and the Maasai Mara in Africa. Last year the pair journeyed through South America, including Chile, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.
How This Heartwarming Duo Came to Be
Today, Grandma and her grandson are inseparable, but it wasn’t always that way. After Brad’s parents divorced, the family had a rift that lasted ten years. When relationships improved in 2010, Joy and Brad began sharing everything that had happened during their time apart.
When Brad told his grandmother about hiking the Appalachian Trail and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, he was surprised to learn she had never seen a mountain. Her travel experience had been limited to a few trips to Florida with her late husband.
As they prepared for a hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015, Brad asked his grandmother if she wanted to join him. She seized the chance, and in September the duo set off on their first adventure together.
“At 85, she went hiking for the first time, saw a mountain, climbed her first peak, fell off an inflatable mattress a few times, but never complained,” Brad recalled.
Although he had worried that traveling with an older person might “dampen the fun,” he quickly found the opposite. Traveling with his grandmother enriched his experiences because slowing down let him appreciate the world more fully.
Between each trip, the pair took a two-month break, according to CNN. Of all the places they visited, Grandma Joy was especially impressed by Old Faithful — Yellowstone’s most famous geyser — and Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
A Life-Changing Experience
“She shattered my preconceived notions of what it means to be elderly,” Brad said. For example, at 91, Grandma Joy went zip-lining in New River Gorge in West Virginia and white-water rafting in Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska.
“We all have a fear of aging,” he said. “We think about limitations instead of possibilities. Grandma reminds us that opportunities still exist.”
After last year’s trip to American Samoa in the southern Pacific, they decided to visit every continent. They consider the goal achievable.
This year Grandma and her grandson plan to visit Australia. Next they hope to head to Asia and possibly visit national parks in India or travel to Borneo to see orangutans. After that they plan to go to Europe, where they have many friends. Finally, they aim to reach Antarctica, which Brad has called “the cherry on top of this adventure.”
At first Grandma and her grandson funded their travels themselves. Once their story spread, sponsors began to help.
Connecting Generations
“Not everyone is lucky enough to have a grandson willing to take you along,” Grandma Joy Ryan said proudly.
Having spent so much time on the road, Grandma and her grandson have grown closer than ever. Brad, in particular, has realized the importance of connecting with older relatives while they are still alive.
Have there been conflicts? Despite their great rapport, the age difference has led to occasional disagreements, especially over music.
“I’ve tried to learn to enjoy his music,” Grandma Joy admitted. “I still can’t understand how he calls it music, but that’s okay.”
After climbing mountains and hiking through nature, the older woman has no plans to slow down, though she often has to stop to catch her breath while on the go.
“I have two new knees, and I think I might need to replace them,” Mrs. Ryan said. “But I don’t have diabetes, and my heart is in good shape. So, for an older woman, I’m doing well,” she added.
