A woman who worked two jobs her whole life saved up for more than two years to finally travel abroad – for the first time ever.
Debbie Myers, 65, took the skies this summer and traveled to Europe for the first time, ticking off destinations such as London, Paris and Tuscany.
Grandmother-of-four Debbie couldn’t hold back the tears when she first touched down in Paris, after saving every penny she had.
Debbie, a retail manager, from Seattle, Washington, USA, said: “There really are no words. It was magical and awe-inspiring.
“And since it was something I always wanted to do, I was emotionally shocked it finally happened. Instagram
“Now when I have a bad day, I go back to Instagram and watch our videos again!”
Debbie’s Europe trip has been a long time coming.
She has always wanted to go to Europe, especially Italy, but never thought she would be able to afford going.
Debbie even once applied for jobs as a travel agent, and flight attendant, just so she could travel to Europe.
So when the world came to a standstill during the pandemic, Debbie’s daughter Shannon Galford decided that she would help her mum fund the trip of her dreams.
Shannon, 34, said: “I love to travel and my mom has ALWAYS wanted to go to Italy.
“No, really. Her whole life she has talked about going, but never thought she would be able to.
“I decided after my last trip that I would help make it happen so we started planning.
“With covid happening, it gave us time to plan and save.”
The two women started budgeted and decided to split the cost.
Shannon and the rest of the family saved up for hotels and flights so that her mom only had to save for food and a souvenir budget.
It took two-and-a-half years for the family to gather the money to fund their two-and-a-half-week Euro trip.
Shannon said: “It has been hard for my mom to be able to save and to take the time off of work without having a ton of vacation time.
“My mom has worked two jobs my whole life to get by and losing 2.5 weeks of work or saving to take that much time off is really hard.
“Being able to take care of her hotels and airfare made a big difference and I was so grateful I could do that!
“We’d love to go on another trip but it will take several years to save.”
Debbie said: “I’m not embarrassed to say. I would not have been able to go without my daughter’s help.
“In spite of that, it always feel good to set goals and meet them and have them be realized.
“It was life-changing for me to experience travel and I will cherish the memory and the satisfaction of finally meeting a life goal that allowed me to experience all the things I did.
“I’m hoping to save and go back again – I’d love to see Provence and the Amalfi Coast!”
