Traveling the world full-time with your best friend is something many of us can only dream of doing. Packing everything up, leaving our lives behind, and taking off. What would make that experience even better is if that aforementioned best friend is your life partner. For Molly and Brendan Frawley, they’re living that dream. This newlywed couple is on an “endless honeymoon“, traveling the world and documenting it all for us to see. We got the chance to speak with the pair to learn all about how this idea came to be, how it came to fruition, and more. Keep reading to learn more about this Hoboken couple traveling the world on an endless honeymoon.
About the Frawleys
Before they packed their entire lives into a series of suitcases, the Frawleys were a local Hoboken couple that were engaged. Molly was working as a first-grade teacher in Jersey City, while Brendan was working as a senior marketing manager right here in the Mile Square. The two had always talked about taking two-week-long trips every now and again, but they were well aware that by doing so, they would never get to every place that they wanted to visit.
“We knew we needed more time,” Molly said. “Once we thought about the ground we wanted to cover, two months wasn’t enough either, so we decided to do it all. That’s when we came up with the idea of an open-ended honeymoon.”
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Of course, the Frawleys had a few loose ends to tie up, to say the least. They had to figure out a plan — how to ensure that it made 100% complete sense to move out of their apartment, sell their furniture, and leave their jobs behind. Although terrified to do so, they were able to do it all. “The dream outweighs the fear,” Molly said. Plus, the pair was still able to say their nuptials {on July 15th} and then take off.
“We moved out of our apartment on June 30th, sold all our furniture and packed our important belongings into storage. Thanks to supportive friends and family, we still managed to pull off an amazing wedding on July 5th! Just days after the wedding we set off for Madrid with our sights on Spain and Portugal leading down to Africa.”
Today, the duo has travel plans through the next six months — prolonging their honeymoon in the best possible way.
A Q+A With the Frawleys
Hoboken Girl was lucky enough to chat with this traveling couple to dive deeper into their story. Check out our Q+A with Molly and Brendan below.
Hoboken Girl: What is the best place you’ve traveled to so far?
Molly and Brendan: This is the toughest question! Each place we travel [to] holds its own unbelievable quality, but the top experience so far has to be our four-day safari in Maasai Mara in Kenya. Seeing lions, leopards, elephants, and rhinos in their natural environment is something everyone should experience.
HG: How did you come up with this idea?
M+B: We have both wanted to travel beyond what we’ve done in the past, and when thinking about all of the places on our bucket list, the scale was far too long for a simple vacation. Travel is important to both of us and is something that we knew we wanted to prioritize, so going on an extended honeymoon allows us to travel everywhere we want!
HG: What’s it like being on an open-ended honeymoon?
M+B: No time restraints! The hardest part of travel is securing the right amount of time off to experience the best of each destination. Having no limits allows us to really immerse ourselves in the culture and take “the road less traveled.”
It is so exciting to think about all of the places we can still travel to, and planning things more last minute has been very exciting. We are able to go where we want at the drop of a hat. It has also been a great way to dive right into marriage, breaking the norm as we start our new chapter.
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HG: What’s the best part been?
M+B: The best part is not only experiencing all of the different cultures but meeting so many people with unique stories of their own along the way. We are still in touch with international friends we’ve made throughout the first three months of the trip
HG: What’s the hardest of the traveling part been?
M+B: It is tough being away from family and friends for an extended period of time. There are always going to be things you miss {the birthday parties [and] weddings don’t pause just cause we’re away}. When choosing to take this time to travel we knew this would be the case, but we still hate missing family events, weddings, etc.
HG: What was being in Africa like?
M+B: Africa was unforgettable! The best part was each country had its own culture and feel. Morocco and Egypt have so much Islamic cultural influence, where sub-Saharan Africa was much closer to the culture associated with traditional Africa. In addition, there are varying levels of development. For example, South Africa is more “westernized” than Kenya and Zambia. Then you have Namibia which is beautifully untouched. It was fascinating to see the changing landscapes and cultures while we traveled.
HG: Where are you headed next?
M+B: We are off to Australia!!!
HG: What was your wedding day like?
M+B: It sounds cliché but our wedding day was pretty perfect. Other than some hot weather, it was exactly what we wanted from the ceremony to the reception. We wrote our ceremony with Molly’s uncle who married us and chose to write our own vows which made it even more special. It was also the perfect going-away party with all of our friends and family in one room before heading off to travel. The whole night was filled with laughs, happy tears, and love!
HG: Have you both always been travelers?
M+B: We met in Dublin, Ireland when studying abroad so our love story began with travel and maintained the travel bug throughout the years. We have both done multiple two-week trips here and there, but this is the longest consecutive trip either of us have been on.
HG: What is your goal for this trip?
M+B: Our goal for this trip if nothing else, is to inspire others to travel and take the right amount of time to achieve your personal goals in addition to those of your career. If anyone is planning a trip or has questions about where to start, we encourage them to reach out.
HG: What do you miss most about Hoboken?
M+B: Friends and food! Nothing compares to the pizza scene in Hoboken.
Keep up with the Frawleys on Instagram @frawlovertheword, on their website www.frawlovertheworld.wordpress.com, or send them an email at frawlovertheworld@gmal.com!
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