Brad Ryan and his 93-year-old grandmother, Joy Ryan, achieved their remarkable goal of visiting all 63 U.S. national parks. However, their journey doesn’t end there.
The duo, who completed their multi-year adventure earlier this month with a visit to the National Park of American Samoa, now aims to explore all seven continents, Brad shared with Travel + Leisure.
“It deeply affected me when [Joy] mentioned she had never seen a mountain or an ocean at the age of 80,” Brad explained to me. “She’s energetic and full of life. She wanted to experience nature, though she never imagined traveling overseas… We’re embarking on a new phase of international Joy.”
Their journey began in 2015 with a visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. To reach their final park, they first flew to Hawaii for a brief stay before continuing to Pago Pago in American Samoa.
After reaching this incredible milestone, they were honored with certificates and a commemorative quarter celebrating the national park in American Samoa.
“This feels just like Christmas,” Joy Ryan expressed in a video on an Instagram account, @grandmajoysroadtrip, which chronicles their travels.
With all 63 national parks behind them, they now set their sights further. Joy Ryan, affectionately known as grandma Joy, recently obtained her first passport at the age of 92.
“Everyone we meet is always so friendly and eager to show you things money can’t buy,” Joy shared with me about her adventures. “It’s wonderful. It gives me stories to share later on.”
Brad Ryan noted that traveling with his grandmother has taught him the value of slowing down.
“We rarely make plans anymore,” Ryan said. “We typically just arrive at a place and open ourselves to any possibilities. We enjoy deliberately getting lost, and it always works out.”
“One of the benefits of traveling with someone from a different generation,” Ryan added, “is the opportunity to slow down and gain wisdom and perspective. Adopting grandma Joy’s style of travel will likely benefit me throughout life.”
