While most businesses were hit during the pandemic, it was the modest grocery store that operated in full swing. This has been seen noted time and again during all forms of calamities, and emergency situations. Hence proved having a grocery shop is never a bad business idea.
But can you imagine that the income from a grocery store can fund foreign trips? Well, it actually does and this has been exemplified from a shop owner from Kerala.
Molly Joy, a resident of Chitrapuzha in Irumpanam in Ernakulam district of Kerala has traveled a total of 11 countries in the past 10 years with the income from her modest neighborhood grocery shop. You heard us right. Up until now, Molly has spent Rs 10 lakh on her foreign trips. Speaking to the state media outlet the woman shared that she always had the dream to travel but financial constraints never allowed her to go on excursions in her school days. But her strong will to step out took her to places.
“When I was in school, my parents didn’t have enough money to send me on tours. Not that I have lot of money now, but my intense desire to travel and see the world brought money from nowhere,” she said.
Molly was born in Thiruvankulam, Chitrapuzha became her home after marrying a man named Joy. The grocery shop that she runs today originally belongs to her husband and has been in place for 26 years. People call it the ‘Lulu Mall’ of the locality as you could buy almost everything that a household needs from this neighborhood shop. Molly’s husband was a laborer, so the onus of running the shop was on her.
Traveling With Grocery Store Income
Joy died 18 years ago and after the death of her husband, her only source of income was her grocery outlet. Luckily her son got an employment opportunity in foreign and Molly also managed to marry off her daughter. Being relieved of her familial expenses, Molly had more money in her hand. It is with this money with which she went for tours.
Molly took off on her first tour in 2012 at the age of 51. She hit the road for the first time with her neighbors. They invited her for a trip outside Kerala but she was in a quandary as there was no one to open the shop when she would be away as her son was working abroad and her daughter was married off. But she finally decided to go out and that opened a new chapter in her life. Initially, she went to nearby places such as Palani, Madurai, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Mysuru and Kovalam, among others.
Interestingly Molly chalks out all her travel plans. She never even discusses her travel plans with her son and daughter though they support her to the hilt. She goes on foreign trips with different tour companies and vouches for the fact that it is safe to travel with the support and guidance of travel agencies.
She foots her travel bills from the income generated from the grocery shop. Though Molly never takes out a loan, she sometimes pawns her gold jewelry to meet the travel expenses. But she does clear all the debts from the earnings from the shop. Surprisingly she is also able to save substantial money from the shop’s income. As Molly doesn’t have the habit of splurging while traveling, she is always able to create a perfect financial plan for her escapades.
Foreign Trips
Her hunger for travel increased by the day with each trip. Molly came to know about various foreign countries on reading the ‘Vanitha’ periodical and travel magazines that were sold at her shop. After reading many travelogues, she took a firm decision that she would see the world but back then she didn’t know how to realize her travel dreams.
Her wish came true when her immediate neighbor Mary, who is a retired teacher, asked Molly whether she was coming for a foreign trip, she replied in an affirmative. Finally she got her passport in 2010 and boarded a flight in 2012 to embark on her maiden journey to a foreign destination.
Molly’s first foreign tour was with the tour company ‘Royal Omania’. It was a 10-day trip to Europe.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my first flight journey and after visiting places that I never thought I would visit, I realized how vast the world was,” said Molly.
Her formal education ended at Class X yet she has no regrets over not studying further. But Molly longs for a better knowledge of English while traveling.
“If I had studied hard and got a job then I could be forced to shelve my travel dreams due to work pressure. Now I can manage my shop in my own way and hit the road whenever I want,” explained Molly.
Having returned from Europe Molly took some time off for she suffered from some aches. She soon resumed her travels and went on to see more places within India.
Next on Molly’s foreign itinerary was a 15-day trip to the UK and incidentally her favorite destination London. This time Molly took a voyage aboard a cruise liner from Amsterdam in Netherlands to Rome in Italy. This was quite memorable for Molly.
Last November, she went to the US for 15 days and went on a tour of New York, Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Seeing the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls was an overwhelming experience for the 61-year-old woman.
Miles to go
Though presently she doesn’t have enough money for a foreign tour, she plans to carry on domestic travel and save more and look out for sponsors.
“I have heard of sponsors and if any one comes forward, I am ready for it. But before that I have to visit many sought-after destinations in Kerala. I want to go on a boat ride on the placid backwaters of Alappuzha and also visit Kollam and Wayanad as it is inexpensive as I’m a resident of the state,” she said.
Also read: This 33-YO Female Traveler Has Stayed In 70 Countries For Free, Here’s How