We sold everything we owned to travel the world — with our baby in tow
A wife and husband on a quest to see every country on the planet are sharing their ambitious adventure — after welcoming a baby along the way.
Utah couple Chloe and Jordan Egbert quit their jobs and sold all their worldly possessions, including their house and car, in early 2019 to fund an estimated $62,000 trip around the globe.
“We wanted to take control of our own future,” Chloe, 28, told South West News Service. “Our aim is to visit every single country. So far we’ve achieved 106, and we’ve got 89 to go.”
The intrepid pair set off for Europe in May 2019, and spent the next eight months exploring the continent.
They then jetted to the Pacific, traveling to Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga, all before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 put a halt to their plans.
Facing border closures and travel restrictions, clever Chloe and Jordan realized they could still get a taste of the tropics at home in the US, and decided to hunker down in Hawaii.
While there, Chloe became pregnant, with the couple welcoming their son, Lennon, in February 2021.
But a newborn baby wasn’t going to deter the Egberts from trying to travel to every country in the world. In September 2021, the couple kickstarted their international adventure again — this time with a tot in tow.
The trio traveled to South America, but Chloe and Jordan’s wanderlust soon turned to woe when they realized that traveling with a young baby wasn’t as easy as it seemed. In addition, many countries still had mandates and restrictions in place that inhibited the intrepid explorers.
“It was hard to go back traveling,” Chloe claimed. “We were going to places where masks were still in force and attractions were closed. The rules were so strict, and by November I was miserable. I had a baby that couldn’t sleep unless he was on me.”
Defeated, the pair returned to the US, with Chloe eventually facing a health emergency, undergoing surgery to remove 20 painful kidney stones.
“I realized that life is too short,” the young mama declared, saying the health scare helped reignite her desire to travel again.
So, in June of this year, Chloe, Jordan and young Lennon took to the skies once more.
The family spent part of the summer in London, relishing their newfound freedom as masks came off and people celebrated the end of the pandemic.
“People were out, excited and happy everything was normal again. That’s the moment I realized we could do it again, travel was back and happening,” she enthused.
The Egberts are currently in Andorra, and will be heading to Monaco next week.
As for her favorite country of the 106 she’s seen so far, Chloe has chosen New Zealand.
“New Zealand is so pure and comfortable,” she enthused. “Kiwis are crazy, they are the biggest adrenaline junkies and I love it.”
Meanwhile, the young family certainly isn’t slumming it — they only stay in Marriott Hotels.
“We believe in staying loyal to one hotel, as loyalty absolutely pays off. We are very loyal to Marriott and because we have stayed almost two years and more than 500 nights, we have reached the highest levels of status with them,” Chloe declared.
“Every Marriott we stay in, we get a free breakfast, room upgrades and late checkout – we are always treated like family,” she further boasted.
And while the young family may not have many material possessions to their name, they’ve become popular travel influencers on social media, with sponsored posts helping to keep their bank balance topped off and their adventures ongoing.
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