In 2018, Colby, 35, started working remotely as a software engineer, while Emily, 34, was pregnant with their third child.
As the couple started considering what they wanted the next year of their life to look like, they realized they wanted to try something different than their normal, suburban experience.
"We had heard of families traveling, and we've always made travel a priority," Emily told Insider. "So we were like, 'Well, what if we sold everything?'"
The couple followed through on their idea, selling the majority of their belongings and renting out their Utah home to travel full-time. The five of them visited Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Fiji before coming back to the US for the holidays.
While they were home, Emily was diagnosed with breast cancer, so the Bells decided to cut their travels short.
They moved back into their Utah home while Emily sought treatment, but soon, the Bells were looking for a different kind of lifestyle again.