Joy Ryan didn't get her first passport until she was 91. Now, at the age of 96, she is preparing to add her sixth and seventh continents to a travel résumé that would be remarkable at any age.
With the help of Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel for older adults, Grandma Joy and her grandson, Brad Ryan, will set foot in Thailand and Australia, where the duo will complete their goal to visit all seven continents together.
For Grandma Joy, the journey represents an extraordinary evolution from a life with very little travel to becoming one of the world's most recognizable older adventurers.
Their story began in 2015, when Brad took his then-85-year-old grandmother camping in the Smoky Mountains. Joy had never seen a mountain. What began as a single weekend adventure ultimately became a seven-year, 100,000-mile journey to visit all 63 U.S. national parks. In 2023, at age 93, Grandma Joy became the oldest person to begin and finish visiting every U.S. national park, completing the journey with Brad by her side, and turning “Grandma Joy” into a viral media sensation.
But the national parks were never simply a checklist. For Brad, the road trip was also a way to reconnect with his grandmother after years of family estrangement. Their time together in the parks became an opportunity for conversation, healing and discovery—an experience Brad has now chronicled in his new memoir, Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time, published by Simon & Schuster in June 2026. Publishers Weekly called the memoir “a heartfelt memoir” and an “uplifting tribute to nature and intergenerational healing.”
Joy and Brad’s Road Scholar adventures will allow Grandma Joy and Brad to experience Asia and Australia not simply as tourists, but as learners. The two will explore Thai history, culture and traditions as they visit temples, have conversations with Buddhist monks and enjoy a meal with a local family. In Australia, they will learn about local wildlife conservation, a particularly meaningful experience for Brad as a wildlife veterinarian and conservationist himself.
“Curiosity has always driven our journey,” said Brad. “Road Scholar brought us together with like-minded lifelong learners on the Channel Islands, and with only two continents remaining, we couldn’t imagine a better partner to help us complete our journey around the world.”
For Road Scholar, partnering with Grandma Joy and Brad brings the organization's mission to life: that learning, discovery and adventure don't have an expiration date.
“Joy got her first passport at 91. Five years later, she’s about to set foot on her seventh continent,” said Road Scholar President James Moses. “Her story is a powerful reminder of how much possibility lies ahead of us at every age. Joy and Brad have inspired people around the world not simply because of the places they’ve been, but because of everything they’ve discovered about the world — and each other — along the way.”
“We hope we have shown others how far we can still go in our eighties, nineties, and beyond if we maintain a thirst for adventure, knowledge, and connection,” said Brad. “After traveling to every corner of America, we proved there is no expiration date on a life of adventure.
Brad and Joy’s journey is a powerful example of how travel can strengthen relationships across generations. Road Scholar embraces this idea through its Grandparent and Family Programs, which give grandparents opportunities to travel and learn alongside grandchildren, strengthening bonds and making lifelong memories along the way. Joy and Brad’s journey is also an example of an emerging trend that Road Scholar has identified: older adults traveling in pairs with their adult children or grandchildren—a trend they have coined as “Co-Gen Travel.”
After decades of living a relatively quiet life in southeastern Ohio, Joy Ryan has now seen mountains, deserts, glaciers, oceans, rainforests and some of the world's most remarkable wildlife. She has traveled thousands of miles with her grandson, earned a place in the history of America's national parks and inspired a global audience of people who affectionately call her “Grandma Joy.”
Brad Ryan is a veterinarian, wildlife conservationist, writer and grandson to the internet-famous Grandma Joy. Together, Brad and Joy became known around the world for their seven-year journey to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, which they documented on Instagram and completed in 2023. Their story of adventure and intergenerational connection has been featured by major media outlets and shared with millions of people online. Brad's memoir, Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time, was published by Simon & Schuster on June 16, 2026.
About Road Scholar
Not-for-profit Road Scholar is the world leader in educational experiences for older adults, serving 6.5 million lifelong learners since 1975. Their educational travel programs provide experiential learning opportunities for adults over 50 on all seven continents and throughout the U.S. From immersive travel to engaging online learning, Road Scholar inspires adults to keep exploring, discovering, and growing through the joy of lifelong learning.